You cannot earn eternal life by keeping the law!

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 “On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”  He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ”   [Luke 10:25-29]

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You cannot earn eternal life by keeping the law!

The lawyer, an expert in the teachings of the Law of Moses, was probably not sincere in his question. He was trying to trick the Savior, to put Him thoroughly to the test. Perhaps he thought that the Lord would repudiate the law. To him, Jesus was only a Teacher, and eternal life was something he could earn or merit.

The Lord took all this into consideration when He answered him. If the lawyer had been humble and penitent, the Savior would have answered him more directly.  Under the circumstances, Jesus directed his attention to the law.  What did the law demand? It demanded that man love the Lord supremely, and his neighbor as himself. Jesus told him that if he did this, he would live.

At first, it might appear that the Lord was teaching salvation by law-keeping. Such was not the case, God never intended that anyone should ever be saved by keeping the law. The Ten Commandments were given to the people who were already sinners.  The purpose of the law is not to save from sin, but to produce the knowledge of sin. The function of the law is to show man what a guilty sinner he is.

It is impossible for sinful man to love God with all his heart, and his neighbor as himself. If he could do this from birth to death, he would not need salvation.
Eternal life is only for sinners who acknowledge their lost condition and who are saved by God’s grace.  Thus Jesus’ statement, “Do this and you will live,” was purely hypothetical. If His reference to the law had had its desired effect on the lawyer, he would have said, “If that’s what God requires, then I’m lost, helpless, and hopeless. I cast myself on Your love and mercy. Save my by Your grace!”
Saint Paul kept the law as none of us would, yet he says “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--and I am the worst of them all.”[1 Timothy 1:15].

Dear friend, Salvation is by Grace alone, in Christ alone, and not by works. Good works will follow you, once you are truly saved with a repentant heart.  But salvation is by Grace alone and not by keeping the law or doing good works.  No man can keep the law 100% and be perfect.

“God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering…in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us…” [Romans 8:3-4].




 

The Ten Commandments


" Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law..."

 “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, ... Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith... Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,”
[Galatians 3:10-13]