Do you have a zeal for God? I believe all true followers of Jesus do. However, many people have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge. What does it mean to have a zeal for God but not according to knowledge?
Knowledge is understanding while zeal is intense excitement or emotion for a person or a cause, in other words, to be on fire. Zeal without knowledge is like running, but running in the dark; it’s excitement without understanding. This kind of zeal caused the death of Christ. Jesus didn’t die because he was a criminal; he never violated the laws of God or man. But sometimes Jesus violated human tradition. When a person lacks spiritual understanding but has zeal, they end up promoting everything from legalism to religious terrorism. Worse still, if the person continues living as an ignorant zealot, they will remain alienated from Christ Jesus and on the path of destruction.
Jesus had zeal according to knowledge because he knew his God.
“One day when Jesus went to the God’s temple in Jerusalem, he found people selling oxen, sheep and doves and he found the money changers sitting there. He made a whip out of cords, and drove everyone out of the sheep and temple. He also poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned the tables. He told those who were selling doves, “Get these things out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace. And his disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” (John 2:13-17 CSB)
The Pharisees also had a zeal for God and His Law, but they couldn’t see the difference between God’s law and their human tradition. Human traditions are never equal with God’s law. Those leaders failed to see that Jesus was the promised Messiah, even though the Holy Writings prophesied his coming fifteen centuries before. The Jewish leaders wanted to avoid God sending them into exile a second time, so those who returned from exile emphasized the study and practice of God’s law. This was commendable but they instituted a system of legalist rules. Many of these leaders became preoccupied with only keeping the right rules and didn’t practice mercy. They justified themselves before men; made showy displays of their works and claimed to be righteous. Jesus told those misguided men that they had overstepped the commands of God in order to keep the doctrine of men. “For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” (Romans 10:3 ESV) They believed their own pursuit of righteousness was a valid reason for God to declare them as just. But true zeal for God is based on knowledge of God’s righteousness and will, which is gained by faith in His Son.
Jesus showed that a person’s zeal can be misdirected or founded in misunderstanding. Before Saul became a believer in Christ, he was so zealous for God that he persecuted the true followers of Christ. He really believed he was doing what God wanted. Saul thought he was passionately serving God but Jesus showed him that he was actually persecuting the one he claimed he loved. Jesus literally called out to him saying “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me.” (Acts 26: 12-23 CSB)
Paul affirms that Israel can continue to be God’s chosen people, but not because of their fleshly bloodline. The Jews, as the Gentiles, had to accept Jesus as the Messiah upon the conditions that God established.
Jesus spoke some of the saddest words in Scripture to the Laodecian church: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were either cold or hot. But because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15, 16 NKJV).
The Laodicean church knew what was right; they had enlightenment, but they had no excitement, no zeal. And Jesus is telling them and us, “I wish you were altogether for Me or against Me. I would rather you be completely cold or hot, than lukewarm.” The person who makes no profession of following Jesus would do less harm to the cause of Christ than the person who says they follow Christ but has no real interest in doing his will. This is knowledge without zeal.
Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 NKJV).
It’s absolutely essential that our service to God comes from an honest and sincere heart. But is honesty and sincerity enough? Is God obligated to accept our worship just because we are sincere?
Many people are sincere in their convictions and beliefs but God tries to help us understand from Romans chapters 9 through 11 ,which deals with the unbelief of the Jewish nation as a whole, that sincerity isn’t enough. Paul goes on to tell us that not all who are physical Israelites are the true Israelites. The Bible says that the true nation of Israel is a spiritual nation. And to belong to this nation, we must know the correct way to God and keep all of His Commandments. After having discovered what is right, we must have enough interest in it to continue walking in it.
“This is eternal life; that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent, ― Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3 CSB) We owe it to ourselves and to God to search His Word and allow His Spirit teach us what is right. And once we’re on the road to life, we must:
“Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully guard the path for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot away from evil.” (Proverbs 4:25-27)
Loving Yahweh with Heart, Soul and Strength 