Creator, Father, King #210

No one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

JESUS MET ALL SORTS of interesting people with various questions and needs during his earthly ministry. One day, he met a rich young ruler. The man ran up to him and fell at his feet. Clearly, the man had much on his mind.

“Good Teacher,” he said, breathlessly, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Problem alert! The way the man addressed Jesus revealed a deficiency in his knowledge of the Savior’s divine nature. Jesus subtly pointed out the man’s error.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.” (You’ve got to wonder if the man’s parents would agree with that statement!)

“There is still one thing you haven’t done,” Jesus said. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Sadly, the man left for good. He couldn’t bear to part with the idols of worldly riches.

What’s It Mean?

The rich young ruler had a warped sense of righteousness. “What must I do?” he asked. He thought salvation was based on human merit, as if piling up enough good deeds to impress God could somehow atone for his sins.

But deep down, it seems he knew better. When Jesus initially played along by listing the Ten Commandments to reveal his flawed thinking, the ruler replied, “What else must I do?” (Matthew 19:20). The man had a gnawing feeling that merit-based righteousness wasn’t sufficient.

It’s not. Righteousness isn’t about what we do; it’s about what Christ has already done for us. The Savior who was about to die to provide the rich young ruler eternal life was standing before him. Tragically, the man had no idea.

Today, a choice is before you: God offers you eternal life through his Son. As today’s verse says, you can’t be made right with God by moral living. You must turn from heart idolatry, receive Christ’s righteousness, and follow him.

Will you?

Now What?

Prayerfully ask God where you need his help to root out moralistic or idolatrous tendencies in your heart.

Did You Know?

You can read about this story in all three synoptic gospels: Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; and Luke 18:18-30.