“ Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” [Matthew 19:16-22]
The Rich Young Ruler
This incident provides a study in contrasts. Having just seen that the kingdom of heaven belongs to little children, we will now see how difficult it is for adults to enter.
A rich man intercepted the Lord with an apparently sincere inquiry. Addressing Jesus as “Good Teacher” he asked what he had to do to have eternal life. The question revealed his ignorance of the true identify of Jesus and of the way of salvation. He called Jesus “Teacher,” putting Him on the same level as other great men. And he spoke of gaining eternal life as a debt rather than as a gift.
Our Lord probed him on these two points. In asking, “Why do you call Me good? There is no one good but One, that is, God.” Jesus was not denying His own deity, but was providing the man with an opportunity to say, “That’s why I call You good—You are God.”
To test him on the way of salvation Jesus said, “But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The Savior was not implying that man can be saved by keeping the commandments. Rather, He was using the law to produce conviction of sin in the man’s heart. The man was still under the delusion that he could inherit the kingdom on the principle of doing. Therefore, let him obey the law which told him what to do. Blind to his own selfishness, the man boasted that he had always kept these commandments.
Our Lord then exposed the man’s failure to love his neighbor as himself by telling him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. Then he should come to Jesus and follow Him.
The Lord did not mean that this man could have been saved by selling his possessions and giving the proceeds to charity. There is only one way of salvation—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
But in order to be save, a man must acknowledge that he has sinned and fallen short of God’s holy requirements. The rich man’s unwillingness to share his possessions showed that he did not love his neighbor as himself. He should have said, “Lord, if that’s what is required, then I’m a sinner. I cannot save myself by my own efforts. Therefore, I ask You to save me by Your grace.” .The Lord did not mean that this man could have been saved by selling his possessions and giving the proceeds to charity. There is only one way of salvation—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear friend, have you asked Lord Jesus to save you and give you eternal life?
"It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle..."
"..It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle..."
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” [Matthew 19:23-24 ]
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