Religious Zeal

/ree-LIJ-us ZEEL/

Summary

Religious zeal is fervent devotion to God and His cause, commended when rightly directed but capable of becoming destructive when misguided.

☩Commendable Zeal

Scripture commends zeal for God's glory. Phinehas's zeal stayed a plague in Israel and earned him an everlasting priesthood. Elijah was 'very jealous for the LORD God of hosts.' Jesus' disciples remembered 'the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up' when He cleansed the Temple.

Key verses:Numbers 25:11-131 Kings 19:10John 2:17

☩Misdirected Zeal

Zeal without knowledge can be destructive. Paul testified of Israel: 'They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.' His own former persecution of the church arose from misguided zeal for ancestral traditions. True zeal must be governed by truth and love.

Key verses:Romans 10:2Galatians 1:13-14Philippians 3:6

Related Verses327 mentions

Acts· 56 verses

4:2 4:8 4:18 4:31 4:33

2 Corinthians· 29 verses

1:12 1:17 1:24 2:12 4:1

Psalms· 17 verses

9:19 9:20 40:7 60:4 69:7

Philippians· 17 verses

1:12 1:15 1:17 1:18 1:20

References

1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Zeal," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
2.James Orr (ed.), "Zeal," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).