Romans 10 (Pt 1)

Romans 10:2 (ESV)

[2] For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Paul is writing about the Jews of his day. They were zealous for God, but they didn’t understand God, nor his means by which people draw close to him. This is true of almost ever false religion, cult, or heresy. They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. Unfortunately their zeal often hinders them from seeing and accepting truth. Several years ago I had a conversation with a man who was a leader in his congregation. It was a congregation I would consider a cult because of their view of who God is. As we talked about our beliefs he agreed with everything I said. Finally I said that the real difference is that we have very different views of who God is. He agreed. If you have a different God then all the rest of the religious words mean nothing. More recently I had conversation with a different leader in a different cult. When we came to the end of the conversation I asked if he minded if I would pray. He did not want me to pray because, in his words, “We serve different Gods.” Both of these men were passionate about their faith. They were zealous for God, but their zeal was directed toward a different god. They had “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.”

So what was Paul’s attitude toward those who had “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge?” Did he fear them? Did he attack them? Did he avoid them? No. He wept for them and prayed for them.

Romans 9:1-3; 10:1

[1] I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— [2] that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. [3] For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

[1] Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved.

Yes, other passages of scripture warn against bringing false teachers into your home, 2 John 1:10 for example, “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting.” But that passage is often misunderstood. It does not mean that we shouldn’t say “Hi” when we meet them in Walmart. Nor does it mean that we cannot have a cup of coffee with them. That verse was written in the context of traveling preachers who would be welcomed into a home in typical mid-eastern fashion. The host would provide for the guest while they stayed there and give them supplies when they left. Christians are not to provide for false teachers to continue false teaching.

There are other passages that warn against the dangers of false teachers. False teaching in the church should not be tolerated. Listening to false teaching is dangerous. But in our fear of being contaminated by false teachers, do we forget to care about those who have been deceived by false teaching? Shaking the hand of cult member does not cause their false teaching to rub off on us. Do we pray for cult members who think they must earn their way into Heaven? Do we agonize over their ignorance of biblical truth? Do we care about those who do not know the truth? What if we prayed more and feared less? What if we had the compassion of Jesus and Paul for those who are lost? How might that change our attitudes and our actions?