"Not According to Knowledge"
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Romans 10:1-4
Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.”
I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
There are many factors which affect our standing with God: attitude, doctrine, response to information, level of commitment, setting priorities, etc.
This fact reminds us we cannot afford to focus on one “necessary” feature as THE road to approval.
Example: In the area of “doctrine”, many emphasize “love” over “truth” – “love” is the one essential which when exercised overrides the need for truth in general.
It also helps us to understand the consuming nature of true discipleship. Our whole life is involved in developing the various “essentials” that lead to final salvation.
We ourselves are not in a position to declare “essential” vs. “non-essential”, and we must be careful not to assert a finished version of God’s list of such without due and diligent notice of ALL that the scriptures have to say about each particular one.
While we should be thankful that God does not judge us according to a slavish adherence to all the “do’s” and “don’ts” of true religion, we must not be blinded to the fundamental building blocks of character and conduct which we are expected to acquire and use.
Everything God says is important, and even the “least command” must be respected. At the least, this should be one lesson we gain from the above text.
Context:
Previously in Romans Paul had established “faith” as the action, and “the gospel” as the basis for divine approval, and had taught that God offered salvation to both Jew and Gentile alike on that basis.
True “Judaism” (For those who were God’s “Jews” at heart), required full acceptance of Christ’s gospel, and any other kind was rejected.
This left the question of the standing of fleshly Jews, and required an explanation of how the gospel of the spiritual kingdom affected them (that gospel of the kingdom being true “righteousness”) – Paul deals with this in chapters 9-11.
In Chap 9, he had identified them as “cursed of God”, DESPITE their special standing under the system given by Moses.
He begins Chap 10 by showing the basis of that “curse” – they had rejected God’s system of righteousness, while attempting to establish their own.
God Commends Zeal
God Commends Zeal
Zeal is good.
“I witness that they have an enthusiasm for God, but it is an unenlightened enthusiasm” – Weymouth’s New Testament.
“Enthusiasm” (zeal) is a good, even a necessary thing. Also defined as an “eager rivalry”.
Thayer’s: “ardor in embracing, pursuing, defending anything”
Acts 18:25 , Apollos
This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Romans 12:11, fervent in spirit
not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
James 5:16 , fervent prayer
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
1 Peter 4:8 , fervent love.
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
God condemns a lack of zeal.
“I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
They lacked the zeal to stand for God or against Him.
Sometimes this makes us think of times when we have been lukewarm - neither cold nor hot in terms of our lives before God.
The result was our blindness and true depravity, even in times when we thought we were “rich”.
The answer to a lack of zeal is to challenge ourselves to be more rich in faith, more pure in our lifestyle, more willing to look at what is lacking and allow God to make us whole.
God associates zeal with righteous action.
But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
“From the heart” indicates this was a genuine, zealous action!
They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you.
Zeal must be properly directed toward good works, as defined by God.
God tells us Knowledge is Vital.
God tells us Knowledge is Vital.
A lack of knowledge destroys us.
Hear the word of the Lord,
You children of Israel,
For the Lord brings a charge against the inhabitants of the land:
“There is no truth or mercy
Or knowledge of God in the land.
By swearing and lying,
Killing and stealing and committing adultery,
They break all restraint,
With bloodshed upon bloodshed.
Therefore the land will mourn;
And everyone who dwells there will waste away
With the beasts of the field
And the birds of the air;
Even the fish of the sea will be taken away.
“Now let no man contend, or rebuke another;
For your people are like those who contend with the priest.
Therefore you shall stumble in the day;
The prophet also shall stumble with you in the night;
And I will destroy your mother.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s crib;
But Israel does not know,
My people do not consider.”
This does not mean we have to literally know everything! Only that we embrace and absorb the knowledge God gives us, and not reject it.
Knowledge of the truth frees us.
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
KNOWING GOD is a condition of becoming a citizen of the kingdom.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.
“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
Knowledge should never be a matter of personal pride.
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
We must GROW in knowledge.
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
Ignorance is dangerous.
One cause of the crucifixion
“Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
No longer tolerated
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
Leads to man’s righteousness
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
We should never be ignorant of:
Old Testament examples
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,
The truth about spiritual gifts
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
The devices of Satan
lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.
The state of the dead
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.
The second coming of Jesus
For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
Knowledge on its own is not enough.
APPLIED knowledge is what we need.
Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
Knowledge gives confidence.
So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
Knowledge motivates to teach others
Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.
Knowledge leads us to accept Christ over Moses.
knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
Knowledge helps us to patiently submit to masters, deal fairly with servants
knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Knowledge that sees the values of patience through trials –
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
Knowledge that restrains us as teachers –
My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
Knowledge that informs our treatment of our wives –
Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
Zeal Together with Knowledge
Zeal Together with Knowledge
Both zeal and knowledge are needed.
A consciousness and application of both are needed for God’s approval.
We bear a responsibility for zeal and knowledge.
We must be zealous (enthusiastic), but always “under control”, and always from the perspective of an “informed zeal”.
We must continually add to our knowledge, realizing that it is the “key” to proper living and discipleship.
It is always in order to remember: “Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies” (1 Cor 8:1)