Zeal is well and good, as long as it is tempered with knowledge. We who teach and preach must be careful not to call people to heart-felt commitment and excitement without explaining the need to go on to maturity via careful and adequate instruction. In fact, to challenge people to zeal and not provide the means to grow in their understanding is less than responsible. Too many people begin like a flame only to burn out with the passing of time or when things become difficult. Zeal and knowledge must walk hand-in-hand.
Part of the problem is a common opinion in the church that knowledge destroys or undermines faith. I have heard people say …
“If you study theology, you will loose your passion for God.”
“God looks on the heart more than the mind.”
“Doctrine only confuses a person.”
“Simple faith is the best faith.”
“Knowledge puffs up.
And while many of us would deny such a lopsided opinion, our emphasis on a commitment response in contrast to our lack of attention to and opportunity for discipleship and formation indicates what we really think.
And yet, Jesus clearly makes the point that we are to love God with more than the heart (Luke 10:27). His definition of love of God includes the mind (as well as soul and strength). I believe he did this for several reasons.
- We are more than one-dimensional beings, and thus, truly loving God requires more than an emotional response. Loving God requires more than a partial-person commitment. It demands our whole being.
- The heart can lead us astray. We can actually dishonor God through uninformed actions while all the while acting with fervor and passion. The heart is not to be trusted to act alone.
- An intellectual pursuit of God provides the necessary refinement of our misconceptions and development of our capacity to believe.
- When the circumstances of life become difficult and problems sap our emotions, it is knowledge of who God is and how he acts and the truths of the faith that can sustain us. Feelings wane, emotions come and go, and thus, we need more than a ‘heart-tether’ for faith.
Because it is convenient to measure commitment to God by emotion, passion, or fervor in worship, we assume that if people are not ‘excited’, or continually smiling, or animated in their worship that something is personally wrong with them or there is something lacking in their love for God. Emotions, at best, tell only part of the story, and, at worst, they can be deceptive. In the end, the ultimate proof that we belong to and follow hard after Jesus is our steadfastness and faithfulness to him in the best and worst of situations. Such faithfulness requires our whole person – heart, mind, and soul.
So, we must …
-actively and consistently read the Bible, both Old and New Testaments
-embrace life’s questions and not push them under the table
-avail ourselves of opportunities to gather with other believers in study, conversation, and questioning
-read the opinions of others (books, articles, commentaries)
-ask God to catch our mind up with our heart and vice-versa
If I am to faithfully face the challenges of the present day and be active in my witness of Christ to those around me, I must diligently pursue God in both my zeal and understanding.
