Zeal Without Knowledge


“For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.” (Romans 10:2)


Zeal without knowledge is a dangerous thing. It's just like speeding in the wrong direction. The renowned English Presbyterian Minister and Bible Commentator, Matthew Henry, once said, "Zeal without knowledge is like a sword in a madman's hand.”


During Paul's time, many Jews were zealous for the law and traditions, but rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Paul argues that their zeal is misguided because it's not grounded in a correct understanding of God's plan.


Paul is talking from experience. Before his conversion, he was a zealous Pharisee who persecuted early Christians, believing he was serving God (Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-2). His passion for his faith led him to commit terrible acts, but once he encountered Jesus and gained knowledge, he became a powerful apostle for the Gospel.


As we read about Paul and the Israelites, we must bear in mind that we may well encounter similar situations in our everyday lives. 


Do we gather enough information about issues before we dive into actions and decisions? Do we balance passion with knowledge and ensure that our zeal is tempered with a deep understanding of issues?


May God help us not to become victims of zeal without knowledge. Instead, may we study to show ourselves approved.


Remain inspired!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eyes are watching

Eyes are watching!!!!!!! Most things when done out of the sight of others, especially, things that are not worthy, what do we most of the times hear the perpetrators say; “nobody saw us or nobody was around”. Yes indeed, to them nobody saw them. But the most appropriate thing to be said is, “we did not see anybody around”, for all you know eyes are watching. The eyes that watch us one way or the other affect us, because a time will come when these same eyes are going to make decisions about us and pass out judgments. Yes, a time will come when the eyes that are monitoring and watching us will determine our future. One may ask in what way will these eyes determine our future? Let’s go to scripture and read something from there, ACTS 1:23, when the disciples had to replace Judas Iscariot, the bible says “so they proposed two men: Joseph called Barsabbas and Mathias”. But before that, they had their criteria for choosing these two men. So you ask yourself how were the disciples able to c
Read more

A Punctuation in History

 #BeInspiredToday 20-12-2022 A Punctuation in History The birth of Jesus has permanently altered the course of history in many ways, including how dates are recorded. The current global standard for the measurement of dates is known as the Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII, under whose tenure it was instituted. Both the Gregorian calendar, and its predecessor - the Julian calendar - are based on the supposed birth date of Jesus Christ. It was Dionysius Exiguus, a Christian monk, who first proposed in the year 525 that dates be recorded in reference to the birth of Jesus Christ, hence the invention of the acronyms BC ("Before Christ") and AD ("Anno Domini" - Latin for "In the year of the Lord"). In relatively recent times, some have tried to change this with the excuse that it is not fair to other religious faiths. But no matter who likes it or not, the birth of Jesus has become a globally accepted reference point for the reckoning of dates.
Read more

IS GOD SILENT OR WE ARE DEAF?

Erwin W. Lutzer in his book, Seven Reasons Why You Can Trust the Bible, narrates the story of Ingmar Bergman, a Swedish film director who one day stood next to a portrait of Christ in a cathedral in Europe and whispered, “Speak to me!” He only encountered dead silence after waiting enough while. It has been said Bergman was motivated by this experience to come out with a movie entitled Silence, which portrayed people who despaired in their attempt to seek God. Bergman’s frustration was evident in his words: “In our world, we hear only ourselves. No voice comes to us from outside the universe. When we seek a word from God, we are confronted with dead calm”. Well, a portrait of Christ cannot speak. It is only Christ himself who can speak. Imagine I take a photogragh of the prime minister of Britain and pose a question to it. I will certainly be confronted with dead silence. Does that mean Britain’s prime minister never speaks? If we cannot hear from God, the most logical conclusio
Read more