A Balancing Act
Romans 10:2
"For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge."
Have you ever watched someone walk a tight rope? I remember years ago watching someone walk a tight rope that was several stories high. The person has a long rod in their hand to help them stay balanced. Every time they felt like they were off balanced on one side, they would tilt the rod to add a little weight so they could stay balanced. It was little adjustments that kept this person balanced.
The Christian life is a balancing act. Paul said that Israel had "...a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge." Israel's mistake was that they did not balance their zeal with knowledge. Because they didn't balance their zeal, they made a foolish mistake of following false doctrine. If Israel would have balanced their zeal with knowledge, they would have understood that Christ was the end of the law.
Your Christian life is much like that person who walks a tight rope. You must be careful that you are not heavier on one grace, for if you are off balanced you will end up falling into sin or false doctrine. The Christian life will be successfully lived by small corrections in each area.
One of the areas where you must stay balanced is in the area of your zeal and knowledge. Paul condemned Israel for their lack of balance in this area. Most people would never think that you can have zeal and knowledge together, but the balanced Christian will have both.
When you think of zeal and knowledge, you can think of people who have one, but not the other. A person with zeal rarely has knowledge to balance out their zeal. You find people in churches all over the world who are zealous for God, but they often get themselves into unneeded situations because of their lack of knowledge.
On the other hand, you also find those who have knowledge without zeal. When you think of a preacher who has a lot of knowledge, you think of someone who has a very dry delivery in their sermons. You rarely find a knowledgeable preacher who is filled with zeal.
Zeal without knowledge is wasted. You can be very energetic and passionate for Christ, but if you don't have knowledge to balance your zeal, then you will waste your energy. I believe we need Christians who are filled with zeal. We need Christians who will become passionate about the things of God.
Furthermore, we also need Christians who are filled with the knowledge of the Word of God. A knowledge of God's Word will keep you from falling into false doctrine. However, if you don't add zeal to your knowledge, then your knowledge of God's Word will not help others. Zeal makes knowledge palatable. Zeal makes knowledge intriguing. Zeal makes knowledge desirous. You must be careful as you add zeal to also add knowledge.
Christian, I challenge you to walk a balancing act between zeal and knowledge. Be sure to be zealous in what you do for the LORD, but as you add zeal, be sure to add knowledge along with it. Likewise, be a student of the Word of God. The more you know about God's Word the more you can help other Christians. However, if you don't add zeal to your knowledge, then you will never be able to successfully transfer your knowledge to others. A balance of zeal and knowledge will help you reach your greatest potential.