ZEAL WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE

by Jim Carmichael

When Sincerity Is Not Enough

Target Text: Romans 10:1-17

Central Truth

It is possible to be sincere, religious, and zealous for God and still be wrong about what God has said. Biblical faith is not measured by the strength of our feelings or the sincerity of our traditions. It must be grounded in a correct knowledge of God’s revealed Word and must lead us to submit to Him.

Introduction: A Dangerous Kind of Sincerity

We often hear the statement, “It does not matter what a person believes as long as he is sincere.” Romans 10 will not allow us to say that. Paul is speaking about people he loved deeply. He was not attacking outsiders or irreligious people. He was speaking about Israel – people who believed in God, possessed the Scriptures, worshiped, prayed, and were zealous about religion.
Paul begins with compassion: his heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel was that they might be saved (Romans 10:1). Then he identifies the tragedy: “they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2). Their problem was not that they did not care about God. Their problem was that their zeal was not governed by correct knowledge.
That makes this passage a mirror. Before using it to examine anyone else’s religion, doctrine, denomination, or tradition, we should use it to examine ourselves. Am I following what God has actually said, or am I asking God’s Word to support what I already believe?

I. Zeal Is Not the Same as Truth

Romans 10:2 acknowledges something good about Israel: they had zeal for God. Paul knew this kind of zeal personally. Before becoming a Christian, Saul of Tarsus was intensely devoted to what he believed was God’s cause. He later said that he had thought he “must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9). He acted with conviction, yet his conviction was wrong.
This teaches a sobering lesson: sincerity can describe the person who believes something, but sincerity cannot establish whether the belief is true. A person can sincerely misunderstand a road map and still travel in the wrong direction. In spiritual matters, good intentions cannot replace God’s revelation.
Application: We should never ridicule sincerity or zeal. Zeal is valuable when directed by truth. But zeal without knowledge can make error more dangerous because it gives error energy, confidence, and persistence.

II. We Must Know God’s Word – and Know It Correctly

Paul does not merely say Israel lacked information. He says their zeal was “not according to knowledge,” and verse 3 explains the consequence: they were ignorant of God’s righteousness and sought to establish their own. They had Scripture, but possession of Scripture did not guarantee correct understanding.
Matthew 4 provides a striking warning. In the temptation of Jesus, Satan quoted Scripture. The words came from Scripture, but Scripture was being used wrongly. Jesus answered by placing God’s Word in its proper meaning and context. Quoting a verse, therefore, is not the same as correctly understanding or applying it.
This is why careful Bible study matters. We must ask: Who is speaking? To whom? Under what covenant? What is the context? What do the words mean? How does the passage fit with the rest of Scripture? We are not studying merely to collect verses; we are seeking to understand what God intended to communicate.
A belief does not become biblical simply because we can attach a Bible verse to it. The question is whether the verse actually teaches what we claim it teaches.

III. Incorrect Knowledge Can Lead Us to Establish Our Own Righteousness

Romans 10:3 moves from knowledge to submission. Israel, “being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.” This is more than an intellectual mistake. Wrong understanding can become a problem of authority.
When I decide beforehand what must be true and then force Scripture to agree with me, I have reversed the proper relationship. I am no longer submitting my thinking to God’s Word; I am asking God’s Word to submit to my thinking.
Our own righteousness can appear in many forms: inherited religious traditions, denominational assumptions, personal opinions, cultural values, emotional reactions, pride, or simply the conviction that “this is what I have always believed.” None of these is automatically wrong, but none of them has the authority to overrule what God has revealed.

IV. Correct Knowledge Must Lead to Submission

The goal of Bible study is not merely to know more facts. Romans 10:3 uses the word “submitted.” Correct knowledge confronts us with a decision: will I allow God’s truth to correct me?
This is one of the hardest parts of looking into the mirror of Scripture. We may discover that something we have believed for many years does not accurately reflect God’s Word. At that moment, spiritual maturity is not demonstrated by defending our former position at all costs. It is demonstrated by submitting to God.
The proper response to Scripture is therefore not simply, “I understand it,” but, “Because God has said it, I will trust it and order my life accordingly.”

V. Christ Is the Goal, Not Our System

Romans 10:4 turns attention to Christ: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Paul’s concern is not the construction of a better human religious system. God’s redemptive purpose points to Christ.
This protects us from another danger: replacing one human system with another. Our goal is not to win an argument, defend a label, or prove that our group is superior. Our goal is to hear God correctly, trust His Son, and submit to His revealed will.

VI. Biblical Faith Comes From Hearing God’s Word

The chapter eventually brings us to Romans 10:17: “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” This completes the thought that began with zeal without knowledge. Genuine biblical faith must have a reliable source.
Faith is not simply believing something strongly. A person may strongly believe something God never promised, never commanded, or never taught. Biblical faith comes from hearing what God has actually revealed.
This gives us a necessary order: God’s Word is heard; God’s Word is understood; God’s Word is believed; and the believer submits to what God has said. Obedience does not purchase salvation. Rather, submission and obedience reveal a faith that has accepted God’s authority.

The Progression in Romans 10

• Zeal – A person may be passionate and sincere.
• Knowledge – Zeal must be directed by a correct understanding of God’s revelation.
• Submission – Correct understanding requires us to yield our beliefs and lives to God.
• Faith – Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
• Obedience – Genuine faith accepts God’s authority and acts accordingly.

Looking in the Mirror

Romans 10:2-3 should first be applied personally. It is easy to recognize someone else’s traditions and assumptions while remaining blind to our own. The purpose of the mirror is not to admire ourselves or inspect the person standing beside us. It is to see ourselves clearly.
• Do I read Scripture to discover what God says, or primarily to prove what I already believe?
• If a careful study of Scripture contradicts something I have always been taught, which one will I allow to change?
• Have I confused sincerity with truth?
• Have I mistaken religious zeal for biblical faith?
• Am I submitting to God’s righteousness, or attempting to establish a righteousness built upon my own understanding?
• Can I say, with humility, “If God’s Word shows me that I am wrong, I want to change”?

Practical Principles for Studying God’s Word Correctly

• Begin with humility. Approach Scripture expecting that God may correct you.
• Read the context. Do not isolate a sentence from the argument surrounding it.
• Allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. Compare related passages rather than building doctrine on a single isolated statement.
• Distinguish God’s Word from tradition. Ask where a belief actually comes from.
• Recognize emotions and presuppositions. Strong feelings can influence what we think a passage must mean.
• Study words carefully when necessary, but do not allow word studies to override context.
• Ask what the original writer was communicating to the original audience before asking how the passage applies today.
• Be willing to obey what you learn. Bible study without submission can become merely an intellectual exercise.

Supporting Examples for Discussion

Saul of Tarsus (Acts 22:3-4; 23:1; 26:9): Saul’s conscience and zeal did not make his persecution of Christians right. When confronted with Christ, he had to change.
The temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11): Scripture itself can be quoted incorrectly. Jesus demonstrated that God’s Word must be understood and applied faithfully.
The Bereans (Acts 17:10-12): They received the message eagerly but also searched the Scriptures daily to determine whether what they were hearing was true. Open-mindedness and careful verification belong together.
Apollos (Acts 18:24-28): He was eloquent, mighty in the Scriptures, and fervent in spirit, yet his knowledge was incomplete. When Priscilla and Aquila explained the way of God more accurately, greater accuracy strengthened rather than destroyed his usefulness.

Conclusion: Sincerity Must Bow to Truth

Romans 10 does not condemn zeal. It corrects zeal that is disconnected from accurate knowledge. Nor does Paul condemn knowledge. He shows that knowledge must lead to submission. And he does not present faith as a private feeling created within ourselves. Faith comes through hearing God’s Word.
The warning is therefore personal: I can be sincere and wrong. I can be religious and wrong. I can quote Scripture and still misunderstand it. I can defend a tradition so strongly that I fail to submit to what God has actually said.
But the solution is equally clear. We open God’s Word with humility. We examine our assumptions. We seek to understand His revelation correctly. When His Word corrects us, we submit. Then our zeal is no longer zeal without knowledge; it becomes zeal directed by truth and expressed through genuine faith.
Invitation / Closing Challenge
Before asking whether someone else is wrong, look into the mirror. Ask one question with complete sincerity: “Father, is there anything I believe, teach, or practice that comes from me rather than from You?” Then have the courage to open His Word, search it carefully, and accept the answer.
The issue is not whether we have enough zeal. The issue is whether our zeal is according to knowledge – knowledge that comes from God’s Word, produces faith, and brings us into submission to Him.
Suggested Key Scriptures
Romans 10:1-4; Romans 10:14-17; Acts 17:10-12; Acts 18:24-28; Acts 22:3-4; Acts 23:1; Acts 26:9; Matthew 4:1-11; James 1:22-25.
Key Words
Zeal, Knowledge, Ignorance, God’s Righteousness, Our Own Righteousness, Submission, Scripture, Truth, Sincerity, Presuppositions, Tradition, Christ, Hearing, Faith, Obedience, God’s Word, Looking in the Mirror.