John Knox: Zeal
June 16, 2022•269 words
A friend of mine once ironically defined a legalist as someone who loved God more than He did. We might alter the definition somewhat to make John Knox's indefatigable zeal a little less convicting to us. A zealot, a fanatic is anyone who loves God and His Word in a way that embarrasses us.
It is not really possible to love God too much. It is not possible to take His Word to extremes, because His Word prohibits that use of it. If a man is careful to keep his conduct, motives, attitudes, and manner within the boundaries set by Scripture, how could we object to him without objecting to the Bible itself? If we really object to his behavior as Christians, we must do so because he was not conforming to the Scriptures in some way—that he is not scrupulous enough, not that he has gone overboard. This is why Jesus said that unless the righteousness of His disciples exceeded that of the Pharisees they would by no means enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5:20). The problem with the Pharisees was not that they were too righteous, but that they were hypocritical and unrighteous.
So we see a man who might certainly be extreme in the name of true religion, but this is a different thing altogether. Jesus warned of those who offered twisted service up to God in the name of God. "They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (John 16:2).
—Douglas Wilson, 'John Knox: Stalwart Courage' pg. 205–206