Romans 10:1-4
There are two reasons many Jews rejected Jesus: ignorant zeal and DIY righteousness.
1. Ignorant Zeal
For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. (v.2)
They had a rich lifestyle of God-ward zeal. They had daily, weekly, monthly, annual religious customs. But their zeal was based on ignorance rather than knowledge.
Zeal is the gas pedal; knowledge is the steering wheel. Speed is only good if properly directed. Paul’s ignorant zeal led to persecuting Christians. Many Jews’ ignorant zeal led to their own damnation. What about us? What are we zealous about? Upon what is that zeal based? And what is that zeal producing?
People who picket military funerals with hateful signs are zealous. People who strap bombs to their chests are zealous. People who post furious tweets and Facebook comments are zealous. But how much of that zeal is guided by accurate knowledge of God?
But Israel missed something very specific: the righteousness of God.
2. DIY Righteousness
For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. (v.3)
People naturally think of righteousness as a continuum, with really evil people on one side, God on the other, and most of us somewhere in the middle. If we work our way closer to the God side of the continuum, we’ll be okay. If we slide too far down to the evil people side, we’re in trouble. This ignorance tricks many of us into attempting a do-it-yourself righteousness that will never work.
The power of the gospel is that it reveals the righteousness of God (Romans 1:17) to a hopelessly unrighteous people (Romans 3:9-25), exposing our naked need for help.
When the Day comes, no one will stand before God and attempt to justify themselves. When the prophet Isaiah saw God’s righteousness, he fell on his face and said “Who is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” (Isaiah 6:5) When Simon Peter realized who Jesus was, he fell to his knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” (Luke 5:8)
Conclusion: Submitting to God’s Righteousness
Ultimately, their ignorance caused them to reject God’s righteousness. The phrase they did not submit to God’s righteousness can be confusing. You would think that submitting to God’s righteousness would mean working really hard to obey his rules, which Israel did. But Paul is saying that submitting to God’s righteousness means something else.
You see, the rules always pointed to Jesus. Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to everyone who believes. Submitting to God’s righteousness isn’t submitting to a list of rules but to a gift, the gift of God’s righteousness offered to us in Jesus.
Submit to God’s righteousness, the gift of Jesus Christ. And let this knowledge guide your zeal.
