Daily Devotion

God's Righteousness Not Our Own

Rom 10:2,3 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.

Pr 19:2 "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way." There's a sort of indoctrinated zeal whereby one is zealous about one's preconceived notions or zealous about institutional/denominational dogma of which one has not really personally thought through. Such zeal discards knowledge before really examining it. But consider the Bereans. "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11 For they neither offhandedly discard what Paul said, as had so many unbelievers, nor presumptuously accept what Paul said without examining it in light of scripture, as had others. Yet those others were equally susceptible to false teachings, as was indicating in the book of Galatians. Among believers, the Berean of spirit are most noble in their handling of knowledge, and consequently least susceptible to false teachings. "But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always" Gal 4:18 So long as one's zeal does not interfere with one's objectivity.

Being righteous on God's terms is most frequently not the same as being righteous on our own terms. Indeed many have their own concept of righteousness or the obtaining of a righteous standing with God which is at odds with God's. For example notice the contrast in chapter 3 Paul makes between the righteousness of law versus that of faith where he says, "No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe." Rom 3:20-22

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources