DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- HOT FOR GOD

DAD'S RAMBLING – HOT FOR GOD

"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." (Romans 10:1-2)

I believe the Apostle Paul was speaking from his own experience. In his past before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9), he was very zealous for God as he understood the Jewish religion. In fact, his own testimony was that, because of his zeal for the Mosaic Covenant prior to his conversion, he was persecuting the Christians believers (Philippians 3:6). There is no question that he was very zealous to keep the Jewish religion and the letter of the law. But he was without knowledge. He was ignorant concerning Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.

So when Paul was writing to the church at Rome, he was addressing those who were zealous for keeping the Jewish law. But he knew that they did not fully understand the Gospel – that salvation is by grace alone, not by keeping the law.

I know people who are very zealous for their religion, but they are ignorant of the truth of the Gospel. They think that by keeping the Sabbath, or faithfully going door to door to talk about to talk about their religion, or by going to church regularly, or by praying six times a day toward Mecca, that they will be saved. The Scripture is clear: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:5).

I do not condemn them for their zeal. Oh, that we who are truly born again by the Spirit into God's salvation had as much zeal for the Gospel of Christ. But I pray for them – that they would come to understand the Gospel of Jesus – that we are saved by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, not by our works, but by His grace. This is the heart of God. As it is written in I Timothy 2:4 – "who desires all men to come to the knowledge of the truth."

May God fan the flame of zeal in my life so that I would be red-hot for Jesus and for the Gospel.

Love, Dad