A zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

Rom 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
Rom 10:3 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.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.


Do you know someone that is 'godly', someone who is 'religious', someone who you might label a 'Jesus freak'? I'm not going to super extremes here, or maybe I am. Do you know anyone you can point to and say they're a 'God-fearing' person? No matter their passion whether it's great or small? There are plenty of people the media presents we can point to and say they're 'God-fearing', in fact there are famous 'God-fearing' people and not all of them are evangelists, or preachers, or leaders of some religious television show.


Do you believe that where there is something real there can be something unreal? Where there is a genuine there can be a counterfiet?


This Bible verse above states- 'For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.' People can have a ZEAL of God but it won't necessarily mean they have that zeal according to knowledge. That zeal could be based on one or two feel-good verses in the Bible while the exacting verses revealing God's true nature are ignored. It's not atypical for people to pick out the supposed good bits - bits they approve of and like - and then leave the undesireable bits alone forming their own religion and not God's but using God's name just the same. Unless the zeal we have for God is based on knowledge, based on ALL the truth of the Bible then our zeal means very little to God.


The verses above go on to say this --


Rom 10:3 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.
Rom 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.


Being ignorant of God's righteousness. Our righteousness means nothing and when we point to ourselves and the things we've done *FOR* God we are pointing in the wrong direction. It's so easy to tell others to look at us and see this is how it's all supposed to be done. We like to point people to our righteousness when in truth the only way we should be pointing is towards Christ and Christ alone. Yes, we have our part in the grand scheme of things and that part is to surrender to Christ, repent and accept His forgiveness, accept His righteousness for us. There is such a real danger of getting caught up in self-righteousness that we can't be too careful. We have to fully submit ourselves to the righteousness of God admitting that Jesus Christ is ultimately the One the law of God was made upon. Jesus broke none of God's law when He walked as a human among us, none. It's because of this we can cling to Him and His righteousness. He embraced all of the laws God intended to be eternal and not simply sacrificial or ceremonial but kept every law as God commanded. The whole law was summed up in two- love God and love your neighbor. And while we can keep the laws until we die they won't save us, it's claiming Christ's righteousness- not ours, claiming His ability to perfectly keep the law- not our ability to keep it perfectly, that will save us.


By the grace and mercy of our Lord and all marvelous, wondrous Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord.


Amen.