A Zeal for God

Joshua West

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them 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).

The Jews could not be saved by the righteousness they perceived they were gaining by following the law of Moses. In Romans, Paul urged them to understand they could be saved if they removed the veil from their eyes that was blinding them.

Many legalistic people have a zeal for God, but they do not have that zeal according to the knowledge of God’s Word. Conversely, some believe they can live however they want because of God’s grace. They form Christ into their own image, and their zeal for God is a god of their invention. However, unless both groups follow the God of the Bible, their zeal is in vain.

Likewise, today, there are people with vague spiritualism. They say the gospel is about a relationship, not about a religion. This is wrong. It is definitely about religion and also about a relationship. It is about a God we have a relationship with, but his words dictate the terms of that relationship. To think that we have some relationship with God apart from his Word is utterly foolish, blasphemous, and wicked.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “I did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it” (Matthew 5:17). Christ has fulfilled the law and conquered death. He justifies us before God if we believe in his name, evidenced by a life that lives according to his Word.

There is only one way to be right with God: through true belief and surrender to the gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed in the scriptures.

The Jews ignored God’s righteousness. The law is God’s character, and we are not like God. That is what the law was meant to show us: to produce deep dependence and gravitation toward the salvation of the Messiah. Scripture says, “None is righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Yet the good news is that the narrow road to redemption is found in Christ alone.

Joshua West serves as the Pastors Network Director at World Challenge helping equip and empower pastors all over the world. Joshua’s desire is to raise up ministers who will correctly and boldly preach the Word with passion and integrity. The point of all his work and writings is to preach the gospel, glorify God and to teach sound doctrine.