Grafted Into The Good Olive Tree: The Hebrew Roots of The Christian Faith

Posted on 05/26/2024 by goodnewsfromadistantland — Leave a comment

As a follower of Messiah, I (along with many other Wild Olive Branches) have been ‘grafted into’ the Good Olive Tree. And being ‘grafted in’, we are now citizens of ‘the commonwealth of Israel’!

* If some of the (good olive) branches be broken off, and you, being a wild olive branch, were grafted in among the good olive branches, and now you and them both partake of the holy root and richness of the good olive tree. (Romans 11:17)

* Jesus said. “Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be One Fold, and One Shepherd.” (John 10:16; see also Ephesians 2:11-13).

These verses finally came alive to me!

After spending several years being very frustrated with the Christianity I witnessed, I began to feel cynical with ‘church’. I had faith in God, and wanted to do what was right, but the whole religious system and traditions just did not fit in with the Scriptures. ‘Going to church‘ seemed completely pointless!

Most of the time, ‘going to church’ left me empty, confused. When I would read the Bible, at times it seemed irrelevant. I wanted instruction and direction from God’s Word but what I understood as the teachings of the Christian faith were not consistent with what I read in the Scriptures.

When in my 30’s, a few books began to circulate among my friends that helped us learn that many church traditions were really pagan practices and had nothing to do with real Christianity. Two of these books were ‘Pagan Christianity’ and ‘Fossilized Customs’.

These books caused me and my friends to feel even more defeated with ‘religion’. But thankfully, around the same time, I happened to listen to some teachers who presented answers to some of my questions about my faith.

I learned that the New Testament was written by men from the Hebrew culture. I realized, much to my surprise, that Jesus Himself was a Jew. It became clear to me that if I hoped to understand the Bible, I had to begin understanding some of the Hebrew perspective of the men who penned the Scriptures!

(Among the teachers I heard were EliYah, Brad Scott, Natan Lawrence, and 119 Ministries. See resources below.)

I began to see that I, and many others, had been looking at the Scriptures through filters of a western, Greek mind-set, and a constantly evolving perspective. Because of this, much of the Scriptures never made sense to me, nor did Christianity as a whole! In order to begin to understand the Scriptures, I needed at least a little bit of insight into the original Hebrew language and culture.

It is no wonder there is a huge amount of conflicting doctrines within Christianity itself! If we do not understand the Hebrew context of the Scriptures, then we will inevitably twist them every which way. The result is several vastly different interpretations, giving rise to many Christian ‘denominations’ (2Peter 3:16)!

Little by little, as time went on, I began to hear more teachings about God’s ‘Law’. As I listened to various Messianic, Hebrew Roots teachers, I heard over and over a new concept for me: “The Law has NOT been done away!” What??? This concept did NOT fit in with what I had been taught by mainstream Christianity!!

I had often asked myself, “Why don’t we obey the instructions in the Old Testament??” However, finally, after much soul-searching, it became clear to me that obeying God’s ‘Law’ – The Torah – is NOT about earning salvation! Rather, it is about demonstrating our love for God, by following His instructions — just as Jesus did!

My western, Greek mind-set of approaching the Scriptures had led me into many misconceptions about several verses. These errors hindered me from knowing how to love God.

According to the New Testament (which is in complete harmony with the teachings of the Old Testament), obedience to ‘the Law’ – “The Torah” [the teachings/instructions given by Moses] – is not about earning righteousness (Titus 3:5)! But it is about walking as Messiah walked (1John 2:6)! It is about loving Messiah and others (John 14:15; John 15:10; 1John 5:2-3)! It is about being spiritually minded and thus, pleasing God (Romans 8:6-8)! And, it is about sanctification — walking in holiness (1Peter 1:14-16)!

When I finally began studying the Hebrew Roots of the Christian faith, things began falling into place! The foggy condition that had clouded my understanding began to clear! I learned the significance of The Torah and the Prophets, and how both the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament were based upon the entire Old Testament writings — the Hebrew ROOTS of The Faith!

Suddenly, I was able to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament. The two time-periods and the two testaments were no longer opposite and contradictory. Instead, they blended together in perfect harmony! And now, I had found the instruction I needed, the keys to what it meant to live a holy life before God!

Faith was no longer this abstract term that was hard to define. Faith became what it had always been: Belief Proved By Action! All the righteous men and women in the Scriptures did not just ‘believe’ the Word of God — they DID the Word of God, which revealed their belief. They heard God’s Word and obeyed!

THIS is what faith is! It is not just having a purely mental ‘belief’, but is the action of DOING the Word of God, to prove that belief!

I had been taught by mainstream Christianity, that attempting to obey God’s commandments in The Torah puts you under a curse of bondage. And yet, the more I looked into the subject, the more alive I felt! If The Torah places people in bondage, why did I feel as if it was setting me free? And if God is a loving Father, why would He put a curse on me (His child) if I followed His instructions?

Christianity’s overall view is that God changes His mind, and Truth is subjective and is constantly evolving over time. This is evidenced by the popular teachings that God does things differently in each different time-period, and that His rules continually evolve.

Christianity does teach that God’s Word is absolute, unchanging, and endures forever! This is a great truth of Scripture! But then I would hear teachings from the pulpit, saying that the Word God spoke to Moses is insignificant now, and irrelevant today! Often I moaned with grief over the contradictions! So much of Christianity left me confused, fumbling in a never-ending fog!

When I discovered the absolute Truth of God’s Word in The Torah, I cannot describe to you the peace that came to me! I now have a starting point, a foundation that I can work with. Now I can figure out where I am going. I have a standard from which to discern between right and wrong.

Let me assure you that I, along with the Born-Again Believers who are learning to obey Torah, fully agree with the apostle Paul’s declaration that “by the works of the Law no human being will be justified in God’s sight!” (Romans 3:20). Indeed, it is only by God’s grace that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

However, learning the instructions and teachings of The Torah has helped me to determine whether I am hearing from the Holy Spirit or not because now I know the Holy Spirit will not contradict God’s Word! Now, I know that if any direction does not fit according to God’s Word, then it is not God’s Spirit. But if it agrees with, and establishes God’s Word, then it is truly God’s Spirit speaking to me.

Granted, I still have questions. I believe it is impossible to have everything figured out in this life. There are still aspects of The Torah I don’t understand, and I struggle with, just as the rest of the Bible. But that doesn’t mean I dismiss it all. I simply ask God to reveal to me what I need to know. (Ask and you shall receive!)

I do hope that sharing my journey will help others. And no, I have not converted to Judaism; and no, I have not rejected Jesus; and no, I do not believe in a ‘works-based’ salvation.

In the end, all glory goes to my heavenly Father, the LORD God, whose Hebrew name is Yahuwah Elohim, and to His beloved Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ, whose Hebrew name is Yahushua Messiah.

Dear Father God, Thank You for Your Word! I believe Your Word is true from the beginning. Please grant me a better understanding of the roots of my faith. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

I recommend a great teaching video called The Hebrew Roots of Christianity at eliyah.com

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This basic, introductory article about the
Hebrew Roots of the Christian Faith
is available as a PDF to print as a tri-fold tract,
on my Tracts Page HERE.

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Resources:

EliYah Ministries
https://eliyah.com/

Brad Scott’s teachings at WildBranch Ministry
https://www.wildbranch.org/

Natan Lawrence’s Blog from Hoshana Rabbah Biblical Discipleship Resources
https://hoshanarabbah.org/blog/

119 Ministries
https://www.119ministries.com/

E-SWORD – Free Bible software program – an effective way to study the Bible
https://e-sword.net/

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