Hey guys, this is Matt Powell with Way of Truth. I just wanted to do this quick response video to
Steve Burkson. He's one of the main leaders of the Hebrew Roots movement, and he put out a series
recently called, Are You Saved? And it's a 17-part series on salvation. And before I even get started
with this, I'd like to go to the Bible, because the Bible is where the power of God is, and the
Bible is where I get my foundation of faith and practice. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians
chapter 11 verse 3,
And so the Bible clearly tells us that there's simplicity in the Lord Jesus Christ. There's
simplicity in salvation. Well, Steve Burkson had to do a 17-part series on Are You Saved? was the
title of his series. And so that just shows that that is not simplicity. You know, simplicity would
be, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved, or sharing the word of God with
somebody. And so quite obviously, having a 17-part series is not simplicity. That is totally
complicated, and all those episodes that he did are an hour each. So if I had to do a 17-hour
teaching on salvation, that tells me that it's complicated, whatever I'm teaching, because it
takes forever to bring it forth to people. And so just right on the surface, Steve Burkson
gets the simplicity that we find in Christ wrong, and he goes on to say right at the beginning of
his series, he says, now I have to, I have to refer to my notes, because, you know, and I don't usually
write notes, but for this I'm just going to read my notes for the whole series. And so it's clear
that he's not using the Bible for his series, he's using his notes. Now you'll have to bear with me,
I've never written this much notes to read as I've written for this teaching, so I'll be reading
actually my notes. Saved is a very completed sounding term. After all, it's like I'm saved,
so that means I've arrived, it's over, it's done, it's complete. So that doesn't feel like, at least
in our minds, in our hearts, like there's really a whole lot that we have to do. Later on in his
message he said that saved is a very completed sounding term, as if it's bad to sound complete,
but all throughout the Bible God's word tells us that we should be complete in Christ, we need to
be saved, and the Bible even says in Colossians 2 10, it says, and you're complete in him, which
is the head of all principality and power. So we're complete in the Lord Jesus Christ, we don't
need anything else for our salvation, and we don't have to do any works to be saved, and in fact I
would think that Steve Burkson would know that, considering the Passover. If you celebrate the
Passover, you should at least know that you only had to apply the blood to the doorpost of the
house one time. Once saved, always saved. You know, you only had to cross through the Red Sea
if you were an Israelite back in the Old Testament one time. Once saved, always saved. God is trying
to bring forth a picture that, hey, once I've redeemed you, it's done, it's complete. The
Bible says you're complete in him. So when Steve Burkson says, oh well, you know, this idea of
being saved makes it sound like you're complete, well that's exactly what it is. And Steve, if
you're listening to this, I would encourage you to stop mocking God's word, and stop mocking
what it means to be saved. In Luke chapter 10 and verse 25, we have a very similar account. In Luke
10, 25, and see a certain one learned in the Torah stood up trying him and saying, teacher,
what shall I do to inherit everlasting life? And he said to him, what has been written in the Torah?
How do you read it? And he said, you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart,
and with all your being, and with all your strength, and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself. And he said to him, you have answered rightly,
do this and you shall live. You see? What do you need to do to be saved? What did Yeshua say?
Keep Torah. Okay. Oh, I know people want to go and tell me what Paul said and how they want to bend
and twist Paul. No, no. What did Yeshua say? Yeshua said, keep the commandments and you shall
live. Keep the commandments and you'll be delivered. Keep the commandments, you'll inherit
everlasting life. One of the verses that Steve Burksen rips out of context is Matthew chapter 19
verse number 16, where the Bible says, and behold, one came and said unto him, good master, what good
thing shall I do that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, why callest thou me good?
There is none good but one that is God. But if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
And Steve Burksen just stopped right here and he said, okay, see, if you want to go to heaven,
keep Torah, as they say in the Hebrew Roots movement. Well, what I think is so silly about
that is Steve Burksen did not finish the story. He just purposely left off the ending of this story
and if we read on, the Bible says, he saith unto him, which? So this rich young ruler saying,
Lord, which of the commandments do I have to keep to enter into heaven? And Jesus said,
thou shalt do no murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not
bear false witness, honor thy father and thy mother, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, all these have I kept from my youth up, what lack I yet? Jesus said
unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell all that thou hast and give to the poor and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven and come and follow me. I like to ask people, is there anybody that's
perfect out there? You know, is there anybody that's without sin that's just completely perfect?
Because Jesus said, if you want to go to heaven, he says, you got to keep the commandments, but
guess what? He says, you must be perfect. There's none righteous, no, not one, folks. Jesus is making
a point here that, hey, you know what, if you want to try to work your way to heaven, you want to try
to keep the commandments to go to heaven, go ahead and do that, but you got to be perfect. Steve
Burkson in his sermon deliberately left that off, and so that just shows that Steve Burkson is a
dishonest liar, and the Bible even goes on to say towards the end in First John, who is a liar but
he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? And so, liars leave off parts of stories, they leave off
certain things, and they twist scriptures and take them out of context, and it's clear here that
Steve Burkson had attempted to do that, and I just wanted to go ahead and correct him that, you know,
Jesus didn't just say you have to keep the commandments, Jesus said that you had to do it
perfectly. The Bible says, as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. The Bible also says,
for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Nobody shall be justified by the
works of the law. No one can be saved by the observance of the Torah, as they call it, and so
this is just a perfect example of the dangers of the Hebrew Roots movement and what these people
actually teach and believe, and on the surface they will lie and say that they believe in
salvation by faith alone, but when you actually ask them, or if you listen to Steve Burkson,
at least Steve Burkson just came right out and said it, and he even said in one of his articles
that salvation is a process, and that until you hear the words, well done thou good and trustworthy
servant, you're not saved, and earlier in that article he says, I hate to break it to you guys,
but no one is saved, and so that just goes directly against what the Bible says.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1 18, it says, for the preaching of the cross is to them that perish
foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God, and so those of us which are
saved, it doesn't say which are being saved or have yet to be saved, the Bible says that when
we've trusted in Christ that we are saved, and of course the carnal mind, Steve Burkson, can't
understand this, and so what does he have to do? He has to go write a 17-hour salvation message,
17 different parts, corrupting the simplicity that's in Christ, going against God's word,
taking passages out of context, and the Bible says that we are supposed to mark men like this
and avoid them, and in closing folks, you say, well why do you make such a big deal out of this,
brother Powell? Why are you so passionate about exposing the Hebrew Roots movement?
Well because I was in the Hebrew Roots movement for almost two years, from age 17 to 19,
and a lot of the stuff that they taught was very cryptic, and they would they would hide certain
beliefs on the surface until you got further into the cult, and then they would start revealing
things, well you know salvation, we say it's by faith, but it's really by works, and they would
hide certain teachings, but I'm thankful for guys like Steve Burkson that at least have the
gumption to just come out and say it, just come out and say, hey I believe in full-blown work
salvation, so thank you Steve Burkson for exposing yourself and the Hebrew Roots movement. The Bible
says that we have been born of incorruptible seed, the Bible says that we've been passed from death
into life the moment we believe, and Steve if you want to have your little opinion, your little
cultic Hagen opinion that says you can lose your salvation, just like the Muslims, just like the
Mormons, just like the Jehovah's Witness, you're welcome to do that, but as for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord, and we're going to follow God's word. So in closing folks, I just want to
encourage you to watch out for false teachers like this, because they exist, they're out there,
and they're out to deceive people, and to make people a two-fold more child of hell than
themselves, and so Steve Burkson, the only message that I have for you is what Jesus said, and Jesus
said if you offend one of these little ones, he said it'd been better that a millstone were
hung about your neck, and you were drowned in the deepest sea. So God bless folks, and I want to
encourage you to share this video with any of your friends that might be in the Hebrew Roots movement
that need to know the truth of what the Bible says about salvation.