Bible Verses About Religious Zeal

But I have not made use of any of these rights. Nor am I writing now to secure them for myself, for I would rather die than be deprived of my ground for boasting!

For I can’t boast merely because I proclaim the Good News — this I do from inner compulsion: woe is me if I don’t proclaim the Good News!

For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if I do it unwillingly, I still do it, simply because I’ve been entrusted with a job.

So then, what is my reward? Just this: that in proclaiming the Good News I can make it available free of charge, without making use of the rights to which it entitles me.

For although I am a free man, not bound to do anyone’s bidding, I have made myself a slave to all in order to win as many people as possible.

That is, with Jews, what I did was put myself in the position of a Jew, in order to win Jews. With people in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah, I put myself in the position of someone under such legalism, in order to win those under this legalism, even though I myself am not in subjection to a legalistic perversion of the Torah.

With those who live outside the framework of Torah, I put myself in the position of someone outside the Torah in order to win those outside the Torah — although I myself am not outside the framework of God’s Torah but within the framework of Torah as upheld by the Messiah.

With the “weak” I became “weak,” in order to win the “weak.” With all kinds of people I have become all kinds of things, so that in all kinds of circumstances I might save at least some of them.

But I do it all because of the rewards promised by the Good News, so that I may share in them along with the others who come to trust.

I treat my body hard and make it my slave so that, after proclaiming the Good News to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not looking out for my own interests but for those of the many, so that they may be saved;

try to imitate me, even as I myself try to imitate the Messiah.

I may speak in the tongues of men, even angels; but if I lack love, I have become merely blaring brass or a cymbal clanging.

I may give away everything that I own, I may even hand over my body to be burned; but if I lack love, I gain nothing.

Likewise with you: since you eagerly seek the things of the Spirit, seek especially what will help in edifying the congregation.

Now, brothers, I must remind you of the Good News which I proclaimed to you, and which you received, and on which you have taken your stand,

and by which you are being saved — provided you keep holding fast to the message I proclaimed to you. For if you don’t, your trust will have been in vain.

For among the first things I passed on to you was what I also received, namely this: the Messiah died for our sins, in accordance with what the Tanakh says;

and he was buried; and he was raised on the third day, in accordance with what the Tanakh says;

and he was seen by Kefa, then by the Twelve;

and afterwards he was seen by more than five hundred brothers at one time, the majority of whom are still alive, though some have died.

Later he was seen by Ya‘akov, then by all the emissaries;

and last of all he was seen by me, even though I was born at the wrong time.

For I am the least of all the emissaries, unfit to be called an emissary, because I persecuted the Messianic Community of God.

But by God’s grace I am what I am, and his grace towards me was not in vain; on the contrary, I have worked harder than all of them, although it was not I but the grace of God with me.