Bible Answer

What are Sacred Name movements?

What is the House of Yahweh group? I've heard they are part of a quasi-Jewish movement in the church, and they seem to teach unbiblical views.

The group you mentioned is part of a larger movement outside the church called the “Sacred Name” movement. 

Sacred Name thinking teaches numerous theological errors; chief among them that by a verbal pronunciation of a certain version of Jesus' name is the only true way to salvation and to accomplishing spiritual work. This movement twists an ancient Semitic cultural tradition of associating a person’s name with their authority, power, and character into a false belief that we can appropriate Jesus' power and authority merely by invoking His name in a certain, mystical way. 

This cult (and others like it) typically cite support for their views from the following verse:

Acts 2:21  ‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ 

The proper interpretation of this verse understands that to “call on the name of the Lord…” means to cry out to Jesus with a heart of repentance seeking His mercy and His free gift of salvation, but the sacred name cults distort this verse through a hyper-literal interpretation that claims a person need only state the name of the Savior or the Father to receive personal salvation. In other words, these groups believe that everyone who pronounces the name of the Lord will be saved.

This heresy reduces the Gospel to a magic incantation. Even more bizarre, most sacred name groups teach that a person must pronounce the name in a certain, special way using an ancient language if they are to qualify for this salvation. These cults are a modern-day form of Gnosticism offering a "secret knowledge" necessary for salvation. 

Often, they teach strict adherence to certain laws within the Old Covenant and other man-made restrictions and observances. In the end, these movements are merely another form of works salvation, which is always a false gospel regardless of what form it takes. Anyone who has placed his or her hope for salvation in works (including pronouncing names or observing the Mosaic Law) are not saved.

Sacred Name groups share similarities with other false movements like Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons, which can all be classified as cults that control members by strictly limiting members' access to unapproved teaching materials outside the movement and by demanding compliance through intimidation and peer pressure. Once a person is captured in one of these movements, it can be very difficult to rescue them. A few individuals within these movements may be true believers having been led astray by false teaching, but we assume the vast majority are not born again.

If you are interested in learning more about Sacred Name cults, you can find additional resources at another ministry dedicated to debunking the sacred name movement. That website offers recommendations on books, articles, and resources to counter the errors of the Sacred Name movement.