When Jonathan Edwards was nineteen years old, he wrote a series of life resolutions. Decades ago, as a young man, I read them, and number six lodged itself in my mind and heart as something I very, very much wanted to make my own. And I have tried to.

Edwards wrote, “Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.” My hope is that your years here at Bethlehem College and Seminary have kindled in you this fervent disposition of mind. While you live — all the way to the end — you live with all your might. All your life, with all your might. There’s a biblical name for that. It’s called zeal. And that’s what I want to talk about: your zeal, for the rest of your life.

God’s Will for God’s Will

I was sitting beside my wife while reading Romans 12 a few weeks ago, and I read these words in verses 6 and 8: “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them . . . the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

I turned to my wife and asked her, “What’s the common denominator between contributing generously and leading zealously and showing mercy cheerfully? What’s the basic point in saying, ‘Do what you do generously; do what you do zealously; do what you do cheerfully’?” And she said, “You really want to do it. You’re not being forced. You’re not half-hearted. You’re all in.”

And I thought, “That’s it.” When, six verses earlier, Romans 12:2 said, “Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that [you can prove] what is the will of God,” the point was not only that God wills for us to do certain things, but that we do them in a certain way.

Once you have found God’s will for what to do, now the question becomes, What is God’s will for how to do God’s will? And one answer is this: with all your might, while you live. That is, with zeal. All in. Nothing half-hearted. Therefore:

If God’s will is for you to contribute, you do it generously. You divert all the tributaries of grace and goodness and kindness in your heart into that one river, and you give generously. Not begrudgingly.

If God’s will is for you to lead, you lead zealously. You corral all your energies and all your skills and all your creativity and all your desires, and you harness those horses to the wagon of your leadership, and you lead with zeal. Not sluggishly or carelessly.

And if God’s will is for you to show mercy, you do it cheerfully. You gather all the kindling of God’s promises, and you throw it on the fire of your joy, and you give cheerfully. Not reluctantly or under compulsion.

God’s will is not simply that we do the right thing. His will is that we do the right thing in the right way — that we do it with zeal.

Then, as if to confirm that we are on the right track, the very next verse says, “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil” (Romans 12:9). In other words, it’s not enough to love. We need to love in a certain way: genuinely, deeply, really, zealously. It’s not enough to hate evil. We need to hate evil in a certain way: with abhorrence. Be all in with your love for people. Be all in with your hatred of evil. Nothing phony. Nothing half-hearted. Nothing ho-hum about love or hate. Love people zealously. Hate evil zealously.

Intensified, Clarified, Focused

To make crystal clear what Paul is so concerned about here, one verse later (in Romans 12:11), he says, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” So, he intensifies the zeal of zeal. He defines the meaning of zeal. And he focuses on the goal of zeal.

First, he intensifies the zeal of zeal. He says, “Do not be slothful in zeal.” In other words, be zealous about being zealous. Don’t be lackadaisical about not being lackadaisical. Don’t be half-hearted in your repudiation of half-heartedness. He intensifies the zeal of zeal.

Then he defines zeal. He says, “Be fervent in spirit.” The Greek verb literally means “boil.” “Boil in spirit.” In fact, the Latin word fervens, from which we get the word fervent, means “boil.” Christian zeal is a flame ignited by God’s Spirit in our spirit to live with all our might while we do live.

This is not a personality trait. It is a spiritual duty. Your personalities are all over the map: some are high-strung, and some are phlegmatic and passive. Nobody gets a pass on zeal. It is not a personality trait. It’s a spiritual response to the King of kings. “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).

“What is God’s will for how to do God’s will? One answer is this: with all your might.”

And third, he focuses our zeal on the ultimate goal of zeal. He says, “Serve the Lord.” Here’s the entire verse again: “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” Zeal for the sake of zeal is atheism — energetic atheism. Paul is not aiming at zeal for the sake of zeal. He’s aiming at zeal for the glory of the Lord Jesus: “Serve the Lord” — the Lord! Let your unflagging zeal serve the Lord. Let your boiling spirit serve the Lord.

In other words, gather all the streams of your heart, and harness all the horses of your creative energies, and pile on all the kindling of God’s promises, and live with all your might to make Jesus look great.

All Your Might for All Your Life

From those biblical reflections, I draw out this doctrine:

It is the will of God that the graduates of Bethlehem College and Seminary do the will of God with zeal.

Or:

That you live with all your might while you do live — for the glory of Jesus Christ.

To clarify and support this doctrine, consider these realities.

1. Consider the example of zeal in the Lord Jesus.

His passion for the purity of his Father’s house moved him to drive out the money-changers and say, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” And “his disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me’” (John 2:16–17).

2. Consider the reward of zeal in heaven.

Colossians 3:23–24: “Whatever you do, work heartily [zealously!], as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward.”

3. Consider the camaraderie of zeal.

Hebrews 10:24–25: “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together.” The word for “stirring up” is paroxysmon, from which we get paroxysm. It means “arousing a person to activity” — provoking, awakening, kindling, bringing alive. This is what Christian friends are for. This is what the church is for. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Your zeal has stirred up most of them” (2 Corinthians 9:2). Zeal is contagious. This is what we do for each other — the camaraderie of zeal.

4. Consider the loneliness of zeal.

Jesus warned in Matthew 24:12, “Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” You may have to stand alone (or with the few), surrounded by lukewarm, indifferent people. God will help you.

5. Consider the danger of zeal.

Paul never ceased to think of himself as the chief of sinners largely because, before he was a Christian, his zeal was so great and so evil. Philippians 3:5–6: “as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church.” And he called all of it “refuse,” garbage (verse 8). So, he warned the churches: there is a zeal that is not according to knowledge (Romans 10:2). Measure your zeal by biblical knowledge and biblical love.

6. Consider the price Christ paid for your zeal.

Titus 2:14: “[He] gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Christ died to make you zealous for good works. Christ gave his life so that you would not just do the will of God, but that you would do it in a certain way — with zeal.

Therefore, graduates of Bethlehem College and Seminary, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.” Say from your heart over the rest of your lives, “Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.”