We come this evening to a consideration of the third verse in the tenth chapter Paul's epistle to the Romans.

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness

have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.

That, of course, obviously follows on from what he has been saying in the first two verses,

for it's introduced by the word four.

Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved, for I bear them

record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant

of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto

the righteousness of God. Now, we've been dealing with the first two chapters, first two

verses, and we've been doing so in the sense that we have seen that there are certain big general lessons taught there by the

apostle not only concerning his contemporaries, the Jews, but certain lessons and principles

which are of universal application in the life of the church and which we have seen are as true

tonight as they were when the apostle first wrote these words 1900 odd years ago.

Now, we have drawn our general lessons, but after all, the apostle's particular concern here

was to show and to explain why the Jews

in the mass and in the main were outside the Christian church, whereas the Gentiles had

been coming in. And he goes on here to put it before us. The general trouble was that they had a zeal of God,

but it was not according to knowledge. Now, the word that he used here, which is translated,

knowledge, is a very interesting one and a most

important one in the understanding of what the apostle is saying here. It is the strongest

word that is used in the scriptures with regard to knowledge. It means a full, a correct, and a vital knowledge. It doesn't merely mean a general

acquaintance with something. It goes beyond it. It is a full knowledge. Indeed, it can be

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