BY Argie Simonis
Today I will answer a question that concerns many people:
"How can I gain eternal life?"
This is actualy the question that the rich young ruler asked Jesus:
"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
And Jesus said to him, Why call you me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
You know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor your father and mother.
And he answered and said to him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said to him, One thing you lack: go your way, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions." Mark 10:17-22
We see someone running to Jesus and publicly kneeling before Him. He did something very bold for the society of the time. Today such a person with such behavior would be welcome in any church. But Jesus, knowing the heart of every man, saw beyond the actions of this man:
"But the LORD said to Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart." 1Samuel 16:7
Historically, Jesus has been the most central figure in the world, and even secular historians recognize this. Muslims recognize Jesus simply as a prophet. From other religions Jesus is recognized as a great teacher. Even by the New Age and atheists Jesus is recognized as a good man, who through his teaching and his way of life, showed us love and how to treat others the same way we want them to treat us. But none of these people were willing to elevate Him to His rightful place as God.
This is what we see here in the story with the rich young ruler. Jesus used this young man's love of money to expose his unbelief. Not only was his heart in the wrong place, but so was his question. And I will explain it.
"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Mark 10:17
Here is his first mistake.
It is not what we do for God that produces eternal life, but what He has done for us. This man was trying to earn his way to God by his works. But it doesn't work that way. We just need to humble ourselves and receive what Jesus did for us with His sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection as a gift:
"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast." Eph. 2:8-9
Remember the parable of the publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:10-14) who went to pray in the temple. Which of the 2 walked away justified? The Pharisee who put his trust on his good works, or the publican who recognized his sinfulness and asked God for mercy?
"O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you, Received you the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?
Have you suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
He therefore that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, does he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" Gal. 3:1-5
Let's go back to the rich young ruler. This young man had a wrong conception of eternal life. Many believe that eternal life is to live forever. But God's word teaches us that everyone lives forever. When someone dies, they do not cease to exist. The spirit and soul return to God and the body ends up in the grave.
Jesus Himself gives us the definition of eternal life:
"And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." John 17:3
He tells us that eternal life is to know the true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. The word know here does not simply mean brain knowledge, but has the meaning of awareness, of a deep and familiar relationship with someone. The same word is used in the book of Genesis, when Adam "knew" Eve and bore him Cain:
"And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD." Gen. 4:1
All who have passed from the face of the earth will continue to live in spirit form, some eternally with God, and some eternally away from Him. This verse clearly shows us that eternal life with God is not automatically given to everyone. The real purpose of salvation is not to live forever in heaven, as good as that sounds, but to have a personal and indimate relationship with God.
Notice Jesus' response in verse 18:
"And Jesus said to him, Why call you me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." Mark 10:18
Some have used what Jesus says here to support the view that Jesus humbles himself and admits that he is not equal to God. But what He actually does here is the exact opposite. What he is really telling the rich young ruler is to either call Him God or stop calling Him good. Thomas made the right decision, even if he had to feel Jesus' wounds to be convinced:
"And Thomas answered and said to him, My LORD and my God.
Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." John 20:28-29
Jesus answered this man's question according to the way he asked it. Notice that he did not ask how he might receive eternal life, but what he must do to earn it. If we rely on our works, then we must keep all the commandments perfectly, which is impossible, and that is exactly why God gave us the Law. It was to show us firstly that we cannot earn our salvation, and secondly to lead us to faith:
"But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up to the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Why the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." Gal. 3:23-24
Therefore, because the rich young man sought to gain eternal life, the Lord referred him to the Law:
"You know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor your father and mother." Mark 10:19
Now notice the young man's answer:
Earlier I explained that what Jesus is really saying to the rich young man is to either call Him God or stop calling Him good. Here the young man leaves out the good, and refers to Jesus only as a teacher. This clearly shows that he was not willing to worship Jesus as God, because apparently just as Nicodemus visited Jesus at night, it was because he was afraid:
"These words spoke his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue." John 9:22
And of course by recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, it means recognizing His equality with God:
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:18
"The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone you not; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God." John 10:33
Here comes the question:
Why would a person who was unwilling to accept Jesus as God come to Him to be taught? It is the same reason why people come to God for help, but they will not commit their lives to Him. This man recognized his need for more, but was not willing to give himself completely to Jesus.
He saw Jesus as the icing on the cake of his good and successful life and just wanted a little boost. But it doesn't work like that:
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Matt. 16:26
Check out what else this young man is missing:
"And he answered and said to him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth." Mark 10:20
He believed that he had kept all the commandments since he was a child. This was not true. No one has kept all the commandments of God, it is impossible to do so. He may have done it to a better degree than others, but who wants to be the best sinner who ever went to hell?
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" Rom. 3:23-24
Paul also tells us that it is foolish to compare ourselves with others:
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2Cor. 10:12
Even if he honestly believed that he had not broken any of God's commandments, he was honestly wrong. That was why Jesus told him to sell everything he had and give it to the poor. Jesus in other words was showing him that he had broken the first commandment,
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3),
as well as the tenth commandment,
"Thou shalt not covet" (Exodus 20:17).
This man's money had become his god, and this is shown by the fact that he chose to reject Jesus' instructions if it was going to cost him his possessions.
Let me explain something here:
Jesus did not ask Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) or other rich people to sell all their possessions before they could become His disciples. Indeed, one of the Lord's blessings to godly people was wealth (Abraham - Genesis 13:2 and 24:35; Isaac - Genesis 26:12-16; Jacob - Genesis 36:7; Joseph - Genesis 49:26 · David - 1 Chronicles 22:14-16 and Solomon - 1 Kings 3:13, 2 Chronicles 1:12 and 9:27). Jesus told this man to sell all his possessions and give to the poor, because he trusted in his riches (Mark 10:24).
It's not bad to have money. But the love of money is:
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." 1Tim. 6:10
The only thing this young man lacked was faith in Jesus as his Savior. He saw eternal life as a reward for his good works and not as a gift that Jesus offers and is received by faith.
Some may think that Jesus spoke harshly to this young man, but it must be noted that Jesus loved him. True love will tell a person the truth. So Jesus spoke the truth to him not to turn him away, but to turn this young man to Him, who is the way, the truth and the life.
Eternal life has already been made available to us by God, by grace, and is received through faith, when we accept Jesus Christ as Lord into our hearts (Rom. 10:9) Jesus loves you and wants to know you personally :
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Rev. 3:20
When we present eternal life and the salvation of our souls as something only to do with spiritual things that will benefit us in the future, we are not helping people. There are many who live a real hell everyday. Fear, depression, poverty, strife, rejection, pain, broken marriages. They try to survive in a daily torture. By making salvation something future, to come sometime later, many people put off making that decision because daily survival is their priority.
Eternal life begins here and now:
"And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life." 1John 5:11-12
Amen?
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