Dangers of the Hebrew Roots "Sacred Name" Movement from Jewish Believer

Christians involved in the Hebrew Roots movement often consider themselves physical Jews, as opposed to just spiritual. Here is a response from a Jewish believer in Jesus from Israel on the dangers of this movement:

Hey Dwayna,

...I'll send you a relatively brief description with a very interesting biblical examples of how "Sacred Name" theology is a form of idolatry...

The first thing to keep in mind is like most of the people involved in the cultic messianic movements (not 100% of messianic movements are bad), they want to become holier. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. The problem is they believe, the more righteous they make themselves, the closer they will be to God. This is always done by trying to be more righteous then others around them. One example of this type of behavior is the "Sacred Name" movement.

Paul states that he would be better off dead: Php 1:23 NKJV For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

Then he explains that he isn't on earth for himself any more, but for the benefit of others: Phil. 1:24 NKJV Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.

The way that we pronounce the name of the Son of God, the Third Person of the Trinity is not important. What is important is that we are reaching the lost world by pointing them to Him. Like Paul we, believers, understand that we are saved, and if we die we would live with our Lord. What could be better then that? So we can't be living on the earth for us any more. It has to be for others. So when we speak the name of the Messiah to English speaking people it makes sense to use a name they would understand Jesus. If we are talking to Hebrew speaking people we should use the name they should understand Jeshua. The importance is that the world knows, God loves them and offered the ultimate sacrifice for them, not that they give a certain cultural pronunciation to His name.

Within this movement they are loosing focus on what is important. When I am explaining this to someone I like to use the following example, the story of the serpent standard: Num 21:4-9 NKJV Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. (5) And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." (6) So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. (7) Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. (8) Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." (9) So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

When we look at this story we see that they live if they look upon this bronze statue of a snake. How is this not Idol worship? Later it actually becomes Idol worship. The people of Israel begin to worship the serpent standard and it has to be destroyed.

2Ki 18:1-4 NKJV Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, that Hezekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign. (2) He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah. (3) And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done. (4) He removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan.

So what is the difference between these two instances? Some might say, "Well God told them to do it the first time". This is a weak argument, especially from the "Sacred Name" people. They say we should always do things the same way. If that was the case we should have always looked to the bronze serpent. The answer is revealed in the New Testament. In maybe the most famous verses in all the New Testament.

Joh 3:14-16 NKJV And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, (15) that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The serpent only saved lives as long as it pointed to the man, Jesus. Once it became the focus itself, it had to be destroyed. If the way we pronounce His name points individuals to God praise the Lord. If the name we are using becomes our focus, like the serpent standard it is Idol worship and needs to be destroyed. God is not a name. A name is just how we verbally identify Him to one another.

It's the intended audience and God Himself that are important, not our own self righteousness (by saying a name more accurately then others) or an object (like a name) that is used to identify God Himself.