Commentaries:
Many profess faith in God but do not even know Him! Their worship is vain, not knowing whom they worship and learning the doctrines of man, not God. A belief imparted by parents or other authority figures that God exists is not sufficient to establish contact with Him. For example, the Pharisees, familiar with the God of the Old Testament and believing they were in good standing with Him, received Christ's rebuke that their faith was in vain. This is true of most people today who think they "know the Lord" and profess faith toward Him.
Martin G. Collins
Basic Doctrines: Faith Toward God
Related Topics:
Jesus says, "You worship what you do not know." Since the Samaritans used the Pentateuch, they had a measure of truth. They had the basis of the best system of morality ever devised! But even though one may discover bits and pieces of truth, he will still end up worshipping Satan. Unless God calls him (John 6:44), he approaches God with too many preconceived ideas absorbed from the world's system. This is why God demands repentance.
John W. Ritenbaugh
The First Commandment (1997)
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Genesis 25:22-23
Genesis 49:10
Romans 10:1-3
Library resources that contain this verse: