'A Zeal For God'

The apostle Paul prayed to God for the salvation of those who had a misunderstanding of what it means to have a proper Godly zeal.
In Romans 10:1-3 we read, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God."

The apostle Paul was showing his concern for his own people who in their religious zeal had rejected God's righteous provision for their own self- righteousness.

In their own eyes they were very religious, but they did not have the true knowledge of God. They were running, religiously speaking, but they were running in the wrong direction.
They worked and struggled to do good deeds, but they had the wrong goal in mind. They were religious, they were sincere, they were even dedicated, but in all the effort they put forth, they would miss their eternal reward.

"They have a zeal for God." You and I have met people like this in our own lives. In their religious zeal, they may knock on your door with good intentions but very poor knowledge as they have been misled.

Paul knew religious zeal and enthusiasm as good things. However, many are zealous in their religious ceremonies, prayers, observances, holy days, fasts, visitation, teaching, etc., but far too often this is "not in accordance with knowledge" from The Holy Word of God. 

There is no use being zealous if you are zealous for the wrong reason or with the wrong knowledge. It will not help you if you are going in the wrong direction spiritually.

The apostle Paul was writing from his own personal experience. He had been very zealous for the Law, and in his enthusiasm for the law he knew and believed, he killed men and women who had a different 'knowledge' than his.

He had a mistaken zeal. He believed sincerely, but he was sincerely wrong. He had been zealous, but his zeal was focused in the wrong direction with false knowledge.

Then there came a day when he gained true knowledge of the righteousness of God, and he counted all his self-righteousness, in his own words, 'as dung' and received salvation by grace through his active, obedient faith in God.

Paul's zeal began to be refocused 'with knowledge' when he met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus and was told by Christ to go speak to one of God's messengers who would tell Paul what to do to be saved.

Before Paul learned of Christ he did not know about God's righteousness and he was out to establish his own. In Philippians 3:4-6 he tells about that self-righteousness.

In Philippians 3:8 he said, "Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

He gave up his self-righteous zeal that he might "be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;" (v. 9).

It's easier to get a sinner out of sin than it is to get a self-righteous man out of his self-righteousness.

Any form of self-righteousness will not save you. Simply believing something very strongly will not mean heaven as your eternal home.

Many people will say at the death of someone famous or 'liked' by public opinion, "They are in heaven now, standing at the pearly gates..." All that person's life there was never a mention of God or giving of glory to Him.

Just the opposite, that person is often completely ungodly in their speech and life and activities. But at their death, as though heaven is privileged to have them, they are raised by false knowledge to be where they never aimed to go. They had a self-righteous attitude, but many believe they now have and share the righteous of Christ! 

How sad and how disrespectful toward God and all He has spoken.
"Going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."

If you need to be properly lead to Christ, look to God's Word for every answer. God bless...