Brethren, my heart’s
desire and prayer to God
for Israel is that
they may be saved.
For I bear witness
that they have a zeal for God,
but not according to
knowledge.
For they being
ignorant of God’s righteousness,
and seeking to
establish their own righteousness,
have not submitted to
the righteousness of God.
Romans 10 1–3
Once again,
as in Romans 9:1–3, Paul shows his heart, that he had a great desire and
prayers to God that Israel, that nation that he was of nationality, that this
nation, his nation, would be saved. Paul does not say they salvation is theirs,
only that it was his desire. Is this not true of us; we desire that someone, a
family member, or even that our nation would be saved, but we may pray, and we
may desire, but, this does not mean that salvation comes to them. Why? Do they
not have the law? Yes! Do they not believe in Jehovah? Yes! Do they not have
zeal for God? Yes! Give me zeal and $2.50 and I can buy coffee at Starbucks.
Zeal is not either good or bad. Zeal has as its foundation our belief(s). The
Roman Catholic Church had zeal, so much zeal that they would put to death those
who opposed their doctrine. Islamic people will do the same and have much zeal,
enough to take time each day to pray five times facing towards Mecca. Mormons have
zeal, so much so that their young men travel on bikes propagating their faith.
Jehovah Witnesses have a zeal, so much so that they go from door to door
preaching and inviting people to come to believe as they do. It is good to be
zealous, but that zeal must be based upon truth. Our faith must be based upon
truth. So once again, what is truth? Paul makes mention that the Jews had a
zeal fo God, but their zeal was misplaced for they lacked a zeal according to
knowledge. They developed a theology outside of the truth because they were
ignorant of God’s righteousness. They sought to establish their own
righteousness, seeking that which they believed was pious and good. Yet, in the
end they did not submit to the righteousness of God. Their truth was their truth,
but not truth according to God and His righteousness. They had the law, and
this law not only pointed out to them their sinfulness, and their need for a
Savior, and yet, they missed what the law pointed to: “For Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). When
anything, or anyone, replaces the righteousness of God, Jesus Christ, and this
with any other belief or doctrine; then they are ignorant, and have missed
God’s righteousness. Many so–called Christian Churches have developed, preach,
teach, and practice doctrines that are not of God, rather they are that which
they have developed and have submitted: their own righteousness. Our faith, our
belief, cannot be truth faith or belief is it not based on truth. So what is
truth?
Pontius
Pilate governor of Palestine asked this question: “Pilate said to Him, ‘What
is truth” (John 18:38:a)? Many today ask this same question, only in a
sarcastic manner. Can you answer this question? Moral faith must have as its
basis truth, but not someone’s truth, rather actual truth. Jesus gave us the
answer: Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have
known My Father also; and for now on you know Him and have seen Him” (John
14:6–7). Faith, faith based upon truth, that is what is needed and that
truth is Jesus Christ who admitted that He was God in those passages, not some
representation of God, rather that a person who has seen Him has seen the
Father. Now, we cannot see Jesus physically, therefore we see Jesus, God, and
the Father through our belief and that belief has as its support, its basis on
the thing that Jesus said and did: “Jesus said to him [Philip} ‘Have I been
with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has
send the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father” Do you not believe
that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I
do not speak of My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does th
works. Believe in Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else
believe Me for the sake of the works themselves” (John 14:9–11). We do not
know all the works that Jesus did, but we do know from His words that those
works were due to the Father working in Him. Many use this passage to promote
the use of supernatural works, things like going about healing, raising the
dead, speaking in some gibberish language, etc., but is this what Jesus is
speaking about? NO! Jesus said: “Must assuredly, I say to you, he who
believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than
these he will do, because I go to My Father” (John 14: 12). Greater works?
HUH! How can this be, did not Jesus raise the dead? Yes! So how can a person do
greater than that? They can’t! Therefore, this passage cannot mean what
churches: i.e., Bethel Church of Redding teach, some form of supernaturalism,
no, context does not allow for this interpretation. Jesus did the will of His
Father, and we too, that is, if we have true faith, a true belief of God, and
this He did by giving a “new commandment.” “Little children, I shall be with
you a little longer. You will seed Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am
going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one
another” (John 13:33–35). Was there not a commandment to love God, and
ourselves? Were not Christians commanded before to love another? Yes! “Jesus
said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And
the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourselves” (Matthew
22:37–39). Jesus is going away to the Father to prepare a room for the
children of God and now those left behind until His return have a special
commandment to love, and to care for one another. This is the greatest that we
can do and while doing so we are witnesses for God, and this is what we witness
to, and that upon which our faith rests: Jesus Christ, the righteousness of
God.
I was sought by those who
Did not ask
for Me;
I was found by those who
Did not
seek Me.
Is said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation
that was not
Called by My name.
Isaiah 65: 1–2
Place You Faith In
The Truth
Richard L. Crumb
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