Zeal without Knowledge

Call To Prayer

Title: Zeal without knowledge

By: Simon Maina Nuhu

Date: 20.01.2023

”For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth (Romans 10:2-4).

Zeal is a great energy that drives the desire to achieve an objective regardless of the paths (negative or positive). With zeal, one is motivated passionately to believe, act or trigger a thing, thus propagating it (rightly or wrongly) to a higher dimension. One can be zealous for the wrong thing, and also for the right thing depending on the influence of conviction. In one of his epistles to Romans, Apostle Paul was impressed by the passion and zeal of the Israelites by bearing record of their enthusiasm for God, nevertheless, the zeal was not according to the accredited scriptural knowledge. For whatever reason, they did not properly understand the principle of righteousness in the new covenant that comes through faith in Christ Jesus. They were apparently ignorant of the righteousness of God, thus believing the old ways of righteousness by the law of Moses. The consequence of ignorant zeal for righteousness is that it corrupts and renders the sacrifice of Christ futile (frustrating the grace).

They base their righteousness on self-assessment and observing the law. Most of them did not recognize that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes (Romans 10:4). The justification through Christ is purely by faith, Jews or Greeks (Galatians 3:28), the blood of Jesus has already atoned for divine debts (sins) of all mankind, therefore, the newly obtained righteousness is the righteousness of Christ that all who believe in Him, copy and paste it as witness. The Jews still hold firmly to the law of Moses and some Jewish practices that are not aligned with the new covenant; such practices as fleshly circumcision, observing the Sabbath days that hinder them from fully accepting, believing, and confessing  Jesus as the Messiah. Unfortunately, they zealously uphold them by making them a doctrine and ignorantly passing them to their younger ones.

In this present time, there is a similar pattern we see in different religious people who called themselves Christians. Zealously sustaining the mindset of justification by virtue of self-righteousness, establishing their yardsticks of righteousness different from that of Christ, they even teach others the wrong concept of Christianity. Dearly beloved, the Lord wants us to abound in sound knowledge of Him through the scripture and Holy Spirit so that we can serve Him fervently in truth, holiness, and purity by faith.

Prayer point:

Let’s thank God for the privilege of having His word. Let’s also ask Him to give us the knowledge to serve Him with wisdom.