# Messianic Judaism vs Hebrew Roots: What Is the Difference?

> Messianic Judaism centers on Jewish believers and its bodies confess the Trinity. Hebrew Roots urges Torah on all Christians and has no shared creed.

- Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/messianic-judaism/messianic-judaism-vs-hebrew-roots
- Religions: none
- Denominations: Messianic Judaism
- Beliefs: none
- Tags: messianic-judaism, hebrew-roots, sabbath, law, trinity
- Updated: 2026-10-16


Messianic Judaism is a movement of Jewish believers in Yeshua, joined by Gentiles, whose alliances and union confess the Trinity and treat the Torah as Israel’s covenant way of life. Hebrew Roots is a mostly non-Jewish movement that urges every Christian to keep the Torah, rejects rabbinic authority, and has no shared statement of faith, so its beliefs about God vary from group to group.

## Key Points

- The Christian Century calls them “two distinct groups within a larger Torah movement.” [(1)](#ref-1)
- It says, “Messianic Jewish leadership says Torah observance is only for Jews, while Hebrew Roots says it’s a covenant obligation for everyone.” [(1)](#ref-1)
- The [UMJC](https://www.umjc.org/vision) says the Torah “does not have the same role for Messianic communities from the nations.” [(2)](#ref-2)
- The same article says the label “Hebrew Roots” “was coined in 1992 by Dean Wheelock.” [(1)](#ref-1)
- Sacred Name groups such as [Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry](https://yrm.org/what-we-believe) bind “all Yahweh’s laws” on believers. [(5)](#ref-5)

## Who Belongs to Each

The UMJC defines Messianic Judaism as “a movement of Jewish congregations and groups committed to Yeshua the Messiah,” which “may also include those from non-Jewish backgrounds who have a confirmed call.” [(2)](#ref-2) The IAMCS says Jewish believers in Yeshua “continue to be Jewish,” and Gentile believers are “grafted into” the olive tree. [(3)](#ref-3)

The Christian Century describes Hebrew Roots as “a small but growing movement of Christians” who believe “that Torah observance is for everyone.” [(1)](#ref-1) The same article calls it “decentralized, widely variegated communities.” [(1)](#ref-1)

## Torah and Rabbinic Tradition

| Question | Messianic Jewish bodies | Hebrew Roots and Sacred Name |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who keeps the Torah? | The UMJC: the norm for Jewish believers, a different role for Gentiles [(2)](#ref-2) | All believers [(1)](#ref-1); Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry: “all Yahweh’s laws, statutes, and judgments” except the sacrifices and ritual circumcision [(5)](#ref-5) |
| Rabbinic tradition | The UMJC “draws upon Jewish tradition” [(2)](#ref-2) | The Christian Century: the Hebrew Roots movement does not affirm its authority [(1)](#ref-1) |
| Torah and salvation | The IAMCS: “works of law, or righteous acts, have never saved anyone” [(3)](#ref-3) | No single position |

The UMJC reads [Acts 15:19–20](/bible/acts/15) as a ruling that Gentiles need not take on the full Torah. [(2)](#ref-2) Hebrew Roots teachers apply the Torah to Gentile believers as well. [(1)](#ref-1)

## God, Yeshua, and the Spirit

The MJAA and the UMJC confess the Trinity in their statements. [(4)](#ref-4) [(2)](#ref-2) Congregations outside them vary, as [Do Messianic Jews Believe in the Trinity?](/messianic-judaism/do-messianic-jews-believe-in-the-trinity) shows.

Hebrew Roots has no common confession. The Christian Century reports that critics inside the Torah movement count “a rejection of the Trinity” and “Sacred Nameism” among Hebrew Roots teachings they oppose. [(1)](#ref-1) Not every Hebrew Roots teacher holds those views. Two Sacred Name statements show the non-Trinitarian position in their own words:

- Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry: “the Holy Spirit is an invisible force proceeding from the Heavenly Father.” [(5)](#ref-5)
- The Assemblies of Yahweh: “YAHWEH The Father is the Supreme Deity.” [(6)](#ref-6)

## The Sabbath

Both movements keep the seventh day, for different reasons. The UMJC ties practice to Jewish covenant identity. [(2)](#ref-2) The Assemblies of Yahweh say the seventh-day Sabbath runs “from sundown Friday night until sundown Saturday night” and is “a sign between Yahweh and the Children of Israel.” [(6)](#ref-6) Seventh-day Adventists also teach a Sabbath “for all people,” [(7)](#ref-7) but they are a separate Trinitarian church with their own history, on the [Seventh-day Adventist](/seventh-day-adventist) shelf. They are not a Hebrew Roots or Sacred Name group.

## How This Site Evaluates It

This site confesses one God in three persons and Jesus as God. The MJAA and the UMJC share that confession. A group that calls the Spirit a force or the Father alone the Supreme Deity does not, whatever name or calendar it uses. On the Torah, [Galatians 3:28–29](/bible/galatians/3) says those in Christ are Abraham’s seed and heirs, and this site’s reading of the Law is [Did Jesus Abolish the Law?](/christianity/did-jesus-abolish-the-law)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Does the Hebrew Roots Movement Believe in the Trinity?

There is no single answer. Some teachers do and some do not. The Sacred Name statements quoted above do not confess it. [(1)](#ref-1) [(5)](#ref-5) [(6)](#ref-6)

### What Is the Sacred Name Movement?

Groups that insist on Hebrew names for God and the Messiah. Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry says the Messiah’s “true Name” is Yahshua. [(5)](#ref-5)

### Can a Gentile Be a Messianic Jew?

The UMJC says Messianic Jewish groups “may also include those from non-Jewish backgrounds who have a confirmed call.” [(2)](#ref-2)

## Keep Reading

- [What Is Messianic Judaism?](/messianic-judaism/what-is-messianic-judaism)
- [Do Messianic Jews Believe in the Trinity?](/messianic-judaism/do-messianic-jews-believe-in-the-trinity)
- [Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday?](/judaism/is-the-sabbath-saturday-or-sunday)

## Passages Quoted on This Page

### Acts 15:19–20

King James Version.

> [15:19] Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: [15:20] But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

### Galatians 3:28–29

King James Version.

> [3:28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. [3:29] And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

## Sources
Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site.

1. [The Roots of Hebrew Roots, Dawn Araujo-Hawkins, The Christian Century, September 2024](https://www.christiancentury.org/features/roots-hebrew-roots)
2. [Vision, Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations, Basic Statement and We Believe](https://www.umjc.org/vision)
3. [What We Believe, International Alliance of Messianic Congregations and Synagogues, “Messianic Judaism”](https://www.iamcs.org/beliefs/)
4. [Statement of Faith, Messianic Jewish Alliance of America, “God”](https://mjaa.org/statement-of-faith-2/)
5. [What We Believe, Yahweh’s Restoration Ministry, “Obedience to Law,” “Holy Spirit,” and “Clean Food Laws”](https://yrm.org/what-we-believe)
6. [Statement of Faith, Assemblies of Yahweh](https://assemblyofyahweh.com/statement-of-faith/)
7. [Fundamental Belief 20, The Sabbath, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists](https://www.nadadventist.org/beliefs/the-sabbath/)
8. [Acts of the Apostles, 15:19–20](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/15). King James Version
9. [Letter to the Galatians, 3:28–29](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/galatians/3). King James Version

## See Also
- [What Is Messianic Judaism? What Messianic Jews Believe](https://apologetics.wiki/messianic-judaism/what-is-messianic-judaism) — Messianic Jews are Jewish believers in Yeshua as Messiah. Their main alliances and union confess the Trinity, keep Jewish holy days, and differ on Torah.
- [Do Messianic Jews Believe in the Trinity?](https://apologetics.wiki/messianic-judaism/do-messianic-jews-believe-in-the-trinity) — The MJAA, IAMCS, UMJC, Jews for Jesus, and Chosen People confess the Trinity. The movement has no single creed, and some groups called Messianic reject it.
- [What Do Seventh-day Adventists Believe?](https://apologetics.wiki/seventh-day-adventist/what-do-seventh-day-adventists-believe) — Seventh-day Adventists confess one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and Jesus as truly God and truly man. They also teach a binding Saturday Sabbath, an investigative judgment from 1844, unconscious death, and Ellen G. White’s prophetic gift.
- [Messianic Jews vs Christians: Are Messianic Jews Jewish?](https://apologetics.wiki/messianic-judaism/messianic-jews-vs-christians) — The main Messianic Jewish bodies share the Christian creed but keep Jewish identity. Most Jewish bodies and Israel’s Supreme Court treat it as another religion.
- [Are Mormons Christians?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/are-mormons-christians) — Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ and use his name. Their teaching of God, of Jesus, and of salvation is not the Nicene confession, so they are not a denomination inside Trinitarian Christianity.