
Frequently the excuse Christians make
So while they’re defending God and his favorite things (which coincidentally happen to be their favorite things, projection
Which only goes to show how Christian jerks don’t really know God as well as they imagine. The Spirit’s fruit is God’s character. You think his character’s not important? Not so important, he
And one of the things they slap Christian labels upon, is their impatience. Which they call zeal, and claim God wants ’em to be zealous. Wasn’t Jesus zealous
John 2.12-17 KWL - 12 After this, Jesus went down to Kfar Nahum with his mother, his siblings, and his students.
- They stayed there—not many days; 13 it was nearly the Judeans’ Passover.
- Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 and in temple he found cattle-, sheep-, and pigeon-sellers,
- and coin-changers taking up residence.
- 15 Making a whip out of ropes, Jesus threw everyone, plus sheep and cattle, out of temple.
- He poured out the money-changers’ coins, and flipped over the tables.
- 16 He told the pigeon-sellers, “Get these things out of here!
- Don’t make my Father’s house a market-house!”
- 17 His students were reminded it’s written,
- “The zeal of your house will eat me up.”
Ps 69.9
Look how zealous Jesus was for his Father’s house! Shouldn’t we be just as zealous for our Father’s house?—and for all the things in it, like orthodoxy and principles and standards? Shouldn’t we be willing to whip a few people if need be?
Here’s the problem: When Paul wrote about the Spirit’s fruit in Galatians, he first stated there are a few character traits we shouldn’t see among Christians, ’cause they indicate a person who’s not following the Holy Spirit. Instead they’re following their own selfish, fleshly impulses. And he provided a list—not a comprehensive one, but it gives us the general idea—of the behaviors we’ll find in such people.
Galatians 5.19-21 KWL - 19 Fleshly works are obvious in anyone who practices the following:
- Promiscuity. Uncleanness. Unethical behavior.
- 20 Idolatry. Addiction. Hatred. Rabble-rousing.
- Too much zeal. Anger. Partisanship. Separatism. Heresy.
- 21 Envy. Intoxication. Constant partying. And other people like these.
- I warn you of them just like I warned you before:
- Those who do such things won’t inherit God’s kingdom.
Now check out that item in the second line of verse 20: “Too much zeal.”
Sometimes fleshly… and sometimes not.
What’s it say in the original Greek text of Galatians?
- AMPLIFIED, CSB, ESV, GNT, ISV, MEV, NASB, NET, NIV, NLT, NRSV, TLV, VOICE: Jealousy.
- CEB: Obsession.
- GENEVA, KJV: Emulations.
- WYCLIFFE: Indignations.
Jealousy, y’notice, is the most popular translation. Because people don’t wanna translate zílos as zeal.
In part because of that quote from John, which is a quote from Psalms, “The zeal of your house will eat me up.”
Likewise Paul wrote it’s okay to be zealous in certain situations—and in the very same letter to the Galatians; in just the chapter before.
Galatians 4.17-18 KWL - 17 The legalists are zealous for you. Not for your good:
- Instead they want to isolate you, so you can be zealous for them.
- 18 Being zealous is good—when it’s for every good thing,
- and not only when I’m present with you.
He used the verb-form of zeal,
Yet Paul still called zeal a work of the flesh. Because, when misplaced or taken to extremes, it can go very, very wrong.
Same with jealousy. Y’notice those other bible translations turn zílos into “jealousy,” figuring zeal’s fine but jealousy’s not. Well, sometimes jealousy is fine. God is jealous. Straight-up calls himself jealous.
Now. When I point this fact out to certain Christians, it freaks them out. Because they like their lists of dos and don’ts to be absolute: Always do this; never do that. Makes it simple. Means you don’t have to think too hard. Means you don’t
But the reality is the bible was written for wise people. And if you lack wisdom, go get some; the Holy Spirit’s giving it out for free.
Improper zeal.
And of course improper zeal demonstrates most of the other works of the flesh. It’s unethical. Hate-filled. Rabble-rousing. Angry. Partisan. Separatist. Heretic. Envious. And when it’s hopped up on caffeine, sugar, alcohol, adrenalin, or (less likely, but it happens!) liquor and cocaine, yep it’s intoxicated.
Improper zeal ditches the Spirit’s fruit because that stuff gets in its way. It doesn’t bother to be patient and kind. It claims it’s
Proper zeal exhibits good fruit: More love, more patience, more grace. Those who demonstrate proper zeal are never gonna get called jerks by the people they interact with—or even the people who oppose them. Even their opponents will appreciate their zeal. They might totally think it’s misplaced—“Y’know, all that effort she puts into her ministry would make her far more money in the private sector”—but they’ll still appreciate it, and recognize she’s a good person regardless of their feelings about her ministry.
Improper zeal? Just the opposite. Their opponents don’t appreciate their enthusiasm; to them it just demonstrates how they’re dicks through-and-through. Any good which might’ve come from it, is wholly squandered.
So yeah, when the subject of zeal comes up, we gotta use our noggins. What kind of zeal are we talking about?—the good kind, or the evil kind? What kind of fruit is it producing? Pay attention. And be cautious, ’cause

