Zeal Without Knowledge: Discerning True Revival from Emotional Fervor
By Elizabeth Prata
SYNOPSIS
In a time of heightened emotion and spiritual activity—such as the Asbury Revival and recent cultural flashpoints like the Charlie Kirk memorial—Christians are often stirred to act. But is all zeal for God genuine? Drawing on Scripture, historical revivals, and the powerful preaching of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, this essay explores the critical distinction between true zeal rooted in knowledge and false zeal fueled by emotionalism, activity, or crowd-driven momentum.
“Carnal zeal is living on our own activities and busyness rather than true understanding and growth. It relies on atmosphere and momentum rather than the Spirit. We must avoid extremes and follow Christ’s balanced example.” ~Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Two years ago I posted an essay about real versus false zeal. The Asbury ‘revival’ was going full blast, and people were getting mixed up with what a real move of God is or isn’t, what revival is or isn’t.
Paul noted in Romans that there is a kind of zeal absent of knowledge,
Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. (Romans 10:1-2).
By this verse we see there is such a thing as a zeal that is not of God. There can be zeal, or fervor, or energy around religious things, but not according to what we know from the Bible. AKA knowledge. True zeal must always come from a place of knowledge first, which involves the mind.
I was prompted to write about zeal in 2023 because the “Asbury Revival” was a week-long event that had occurred at a college in Kentucky where a seemingly spontaneous move of God spread across the campus, drawing hundreds of matriculated students, then busloads of students from other campuses, then rubber-neckers. The event seemed to indicate a spiritual move of the Spirit to awaken dead sinners. Or was it? There certainly was an abundance of zeal present. Was it real or false? How to tell? At the very beginning it was especially hard to tell.
Zeal: great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective. Synonyms: passion, fervor, enthusiasm.
The Charlie Kirk Memorial sparked a similar momentum, emotion, and energy.
But how can we discern if we are observing a true zeal or a false zeal? How do we know if our own zeal is false or true? Let’s turn to the scriptures.
As Paul finished Romans 9, before he went on to mentioning false zeal in Chapter 10:1, he had reminded the Roman Christians that Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not attain that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. (Romans 9:31-32).
Israel/Pharisees appeared to be doing a religious effort, they looked like they were on the right track, and part of that appearance of devoted religiosity was because of their fervent energy.
They went across the world to make one proselyte, but wound up making him twice the sons of hell they were. (Matthew 23:15). So much zeal! Yet that verse is the example of zeal without knowledge. And it shows how dangerous the wrong kind of zeal can be. They were sons of hell and they were making sons of hell. This is why we MUST be diligently careful to ensure our own zeal is with knowledge and properly controlled.
Saul/Paul had zeal. You can be passionate, you can be busy making disciples, but a false zeal will make disciples who miss the mark completely.
Some devout men buried Stephen, and mourned loudly for him. But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison. (Acts 8:2-3).
True zeal: being brave enough to stand for Christ in the face of persecution in order to mourn Stephen publicly and to bury him.
False zeal: Saul/Paul jailing and killing Christians. His religious zeal was misplaced. He came to deeply regret this later (1 Corinthians 15:9). It was a zeal without knowledge.
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached on the Romans 10:1-2 verse in a sermon called False vs. True Zeal. The sermon is stunning, relevant, and informative. He laid the foundation as he always does, logically, then laid out tests to determine of someone is exhibiting false zeal. Then in the later part of the sermon he laid out how to determine if a person is exhibiting true zeal. I’ll excerpt his sermon.
Lloyd-Jones’ sermon can be heard here, for free: True Zeal and False Zeal: A Sermon on Romans 10:1-2. Or on Youtube with closed captions (which might help due to his accent).
[Some people say] nothing matters except that Christian people get together and act together and do something to stem the tide of communism or of immorality or any other reason that may be threatening. They say, “What’s it matter what you believe? If you can get hold of a body of sincere, zealous people who are anxious to do something, this is no time to be questioning as to what they believe about this doctrine or that doctrine.” They say, “When the whole house is on fire, isn’t it being rather ridiculous to be paying attention to particular pieces of furniture? The thing to do is to do something to put out the fire and not to be quibbling with one another about particular articles of the Christian faith. Now you are familiar with that. That is more or less what is being said in terms of what is called the ecumenical movement. So the tendency now is to exalt sincerity and to exalt zeal and activity.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Test of False Zeal
by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, paraphrased & quoted from his sermon
MLJ preached 9 tests of false zeal but I’ll only post a few here that seem relevant to me in the emotion and turmoil after the Memorial. One is to test if you find that you put greater emphasis upon doing than upon being, it’s always an indication. You should be careful if you are more anxious to do things than to be a saint. You better examine your zeal again.
Another way of putting it is this- the activity is always very prominent and at the center of the life rather than the truth. The thing you are hit by all along is the activity, this energy that’s being put forth, rather than by the truth.
An example here is Beth Moore. People always have remarked on her energy, fervency, urgency. But all that charisma and energy hides the fact that she does not teach with knowledge. Lots of energy and emotion can mask a lack of substance.
Let’s go on to another test from Lloyd-Jones – false zeal is always impatient to the examination. It dislikes being examined. It dislikes being questioned.
It resents scrutiny- it says ‘Can’t you see that I’m zealous … I’m enthusiastic … I’m sincere … I want to do …’ But you say ‘Well but let’s make sure, because of the teaching.’ No, no, it’s impatient of all that. It wants to get on with things, must be doing something. False zeal dislikes slowing down long enough to be examined.
An example here is when podcaster/influencer Alisa Childers changed her position & practice from declining invites to speak on platforms with false teachers to accepting invites to be with false teachers, because she feels we have to capture this emotional moment after the Kirk Memorial where people’s hearts are soft. Deciding to do an activity based on capturing an emotion while abandoning knowledge (in this case separating from false teachers) is misplaced zeal. Accompanying that is the outcry from people who agree with her new stance,with cries of ‘We have to get the gospel out NOW, we have to DO rather than BE!’
There is a danger of setting up zeal or sincerity to the supreme position.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
True zeal is always the result of knowledge. It is always the outcome of knowledge. It aligns with knowledge. With the Apostle is really put this very wonderfully for us already in chapter 6 in verse 17, (KJV), says Lloyd-Jones-
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
There is a difference between a proper emotional response to a scriptural truth, and emotionalism.
Notice the order. He actually puts the obeying first. This is what he says has happened to you – he says the first thing was this a form of doctrine was delivered. The gospel was preached to them and they received it and believed it with their minds. But it wasn’t only in their minds, the heart was involved. After receiving the knowledge, they were moved by it. They gave obedience to the knowledge by changing their practice, rather than changing their practice due to emotion and abandoning the knowledge.
Their will came into action but that was the order they received it with the mind first, it THEN moved the heart it prompted them to action.
We all want the Gospel to get out widely. We would love a revival to happen. But Jesus said that many turned away from the hard teaching and few walked with Him. The crowds wanted a spectacle, miracles, and personal boons and gifts. Once those dried up, they weren’t interested. Whenever you see crowds of Christians, be wary if they are there for the spectacle or the knowledge.
I am inspired by the reaction to the Charlie Kirk killing. It genuinely did motivate many to re-think their positions, revise their practices, and to bring the Gospel forward as primary. But within that, is also the danger of emotional zeal absent of knowledge. When Stephen was killed, there was a mixture inteh crowd of genuinely zealous beleivers and false beleivers zealous for satan (unknowingly, Saul.)
Even Jonathan Edwards was wary of the creeping emotionalism he saw soon after the Great Revival started, a Revival sparked by him, no less.
MacArthur writes of Edwards’ cautions around the Great Awakening. citing Iain Murray, Iain Murray writes that some observers-
began to encourage the idea that the greater the outcries and commotion, the more glorious was the evidence of God’s power, and once this idea was accepted the door was open to all manner of excess. . . . Far from attempting to restrain themselves, people sometimes willfully gave way to sheer emotion. [5]
“At this point division crept into the revival. Many who were swept up in the emotion and excitement of the phenomena began to distrust any voice of caution. Pastors who warned that mere noise and excitement were no proof of the Spirit’s working often found themselves the targets of backlash. Wise words of friendly caution were discarded as if they were hostile criticism,” writes John MacArthur, paraphrasing Murray.
Emotion accompanies zeal. Emotionalism is emotion without thought. It is wonderful to be emotionally moved to action, to rekindle one’s fervency and love for Christ. Zeal must always accompany knowledge, however, and be self-controlled. I recommend Lloyd-Jones’ sermon on true zeal and false zeal, linked at the top and below.
Further Reading
True and False Zeal- a Semon on Romans 10:1-2
Article from Expositors: Turning information into knowledge discusses the difference between gainign information about God and turning that information into knowledge.
