1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “THE MAN WHO DOES THOSE THINGS SHALL LIVE BY THEM.”
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, ” ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?”
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “THEIR SOUND HAS GONE OUT TO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD.”
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I WILL PROVOKE YOU TO JEALOUSY BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT A NATION, I WILL MOVE YOU TO ANGER BY A FOOLISH NATION.”
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME; I WAS MADE MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME.”
21 But to Israel he says: “ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND CONTRARY PEOPLE.”
There is a difference between hearing and retaining a great deal of information and responding in obedient faith to the saving knowledge of Jesus’ work on the cross. The first kind of knowledge can actually be a barrier to salvation when dependence on it disables simple belief in something that doesn’t fit into doctrinal restraints. It doesn’t matter how strong the motivation is to know God in acquiring knowledge; knowing Him will never be found until it is written on the heart and released from the mouth in life-transforming faith. When knowledge of the Word is only serving to puff up in pride and disunity, it completely undermines any walking in the new life available to anyone with far less volume of information but responding in obedience to it. The preaching necessary for knowing God is not alignment with every seemingly important perceived tidbit. It is the hearing, reception, and reciprocation of love from the heart of the Father with evidence in a life that is no longer bound by fear of failure as it is liberated by faith and freedom. In the heart that responds to the Gospel there is, then, increased belief and enablement of faith in the expanse of information from the Word, but only as it is truly knowing Him in love.
With the wealth of information available to us from innumerable sources, there can be an assumption in our zeal for God that this knowledge itself is setting us apart in our knowledge of Him, that knowing the information is knowing Him. Separations are made in this assumed ascension, yielding something quite apart from Jesus’ passionate purpose, unity as one body. Where knowledge of the Gospel effectively transforms the heart and the mouth, it will be a binding rather than a dividing force as humility positions for further reception of faith-producing knowledge of Him.
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