By Pastor Greg
There’s a good chance we all know someone who has extraordinary passion. Some are passionate about becoming the best athlete. Others are passionate about a talent, or becoming rich and famous. Most people seem passionate about something. The video I just showed asks the question about whether we will decide to become passionate about the Kingdom of Heaven; passionate about serving, worshiping, speaking, and living for Christ. And I would echo that call. Why do we live as ordinary Christians instead of striving to be extraordinary Christians? Why can’t we show the same passion and zeal for Christ that we do for the other things of life? Yet with that passion and zeal, we must be careful that it is not misplaced. If we are going to passionately believe something, that belief must be directed in the Truth.
Misplaced passion (or zeal) was something that had plagued the Jews for a long time. When they returned from Babylonian captivity, they no longer struggled with idol worship. They learned their lesson. Their faith transformed, they became quite passionate in following all of God’s commands. They even came up with a few of their own. Yet this passion for God was misdirected and misunderstood. Many Jews, especially the Pharisees, felt that following all of God’s Laws and commands would earn God’s love and earn them eternal life. And just like the wealthy ruler we meet in Mark 10:19, many Jews believed that they would gain eternal life because they did not murder, did not commit adultery, did not steal, did not lie or cheat, and honored their father and mother. But in spite of all that passion and zeal, they had missed God’s lesson in Micah 6:6-8. “What can we bring to the LORD? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God”. The Jews were passionate about God, but searched for righteousness in the wrong way.
When Jesus began teaching, He often scolded the most religious for their misplaced passion. Talking to the religious leaders Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me” (John 5:39). And what He meant was that following a long list of rules and commands will not bring salvation. Salvation was not far from them. Salvation was right in front of them, yet they refused to accept the truth and be saved.
The Apostle Paul used this example to teach a valuable lesson to the Roman Christians. A person might believe something quite passionately, but they just might be passionately wrong. In Chapter 10 of Romans he teaches that being religious will not save anyone; that making up our mind to follow a long list of rules is not the method to gain salvation (Read Romans 10:1-13).
Quoting from Deuteronomy 30, Paul reminds his readers that even Moses understood that getting right with God begins in the heart (by faith), not by obeying a list of Laws and commands. Moses argued that the Jews had no reason to disobey the Word of God because it had been clearly explained to them and it was not far from them. In fact, Moses urged them to receive the Word in their hearts (see Deuteronomy 5:29; 6:5–12; 13:3; 30:6). It is the same with the Gospel of Christ. The Word of faith is available and accessible. The sinner need not perform difficult works in order to be saved. All he has to do is trust Christ.
Paul, a former Pharisee, would understand this. He too once had a passion for the Law. He had lived it for many years. But Christ came along and opened his eyes. And now, fully understanding the truth, Paul says that salvation has always been a matter of belief, not religious practices.
The church today does a pretty good job of teaching that salvation comes by believing. We often quote from Romans 10:9-10. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved”. But there are times when we don’t believe quite like we should. Oh, I’m not saying that we doubt that Christ paid the penalty for our sin, but I do believe we begin to doubt the depth of God’s love for us. There are times when we actually believe that God’s love is conditional; that as long as we behave like a Christian and act like a Christian and give up doing all those bad things, that God will love us. Of if we make sacrifices and become active servants that He will love us more. Some believe that God loves missionaries and pastors and nuns more than He loves the person who only comes to church once and a while. Some people believe that God loves the Christian more than He loves the atheist. But even though we might be passionate about this belief, it is misplaced. It simply is not true.
Just as we dare not categorize sin, neither should we categorize Good Deeds. An abundance of obedience might please God (compare Romans 8:8), but all our good deeds do not increase God’s love for us. Yet it seems to me that many Christians believe this. They work and serve and make sacrifices with great zeal, yet it is misplaced. They either puff themselves up or tear themselves down by comparing their work with the work of other Christians. These people believe quite passionately that they are either earning God’s favor, or are searching for excuses why their life is a wreck. They believe that they have either earned God’s love or deserve God’s anger. Both are wrong.
Paul claims that there was no distinction between Jew and Gentile (see verse 12). All have sinned, both Jew and Gentile (Romans 3:23). But all are loved (Romans 5:8). And all might be saved through faith (Romans 10:13). We give God the glory when we submit all of ourselves to Him. But we do not earn salvation, nor do we earn His love. He has already demonstrated His love while we were still sinners. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). You are already loved. Stop trying to earn the Father’s love and start living believing that you are loved.
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