A Dangerous Zeal

Desire without knowledge is not good — how much more will hasty feet miss the way! – Proverbs 19:2

It is good to be zealous (passionate), but only if that zeal is rooted in and emerges out of biblical truth. For example, no one is more zealous than an Islamic Jihadist but look at the destruction they produce. Paul the Apostle, who was first Saul the Pharisee, was zealous for the Law of God and it led him to persecute Jesus’ church and stand aside as Stephen was martyred. He desired truth but did not possess the Spirit of Truth until the Savior personally intervened on the road to Damascus.

I once heard an evangelist say that he might be wrong, but he was never in doubt. It is possible for well-meaning believers and Christian leaders to adopt unyielding attitudes on issues that have no biblical root. To put it another way, it is entirely possible to be passionately wrong and lead others in the same direction.

Like the sailor who must constantly check his bearings to ensure he reaches port, we must all continuously align ourselves with God's truth in order that we might consistently reach our goal of glorifying Him alone.

Be zealous but inform that zeal with God’s Word and you won’t miss His “way.”

Zeal without knowledge is like a mettled horse without eyes, or like a sword in a madman's hand; and there is no knowledge where there is not the Word: for if they reject the Word of the Lord, and act not by that, “What wisdom is in them?” says the prophet (Jer. 8:9; Isa. 8:20). – John Bunyan