Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

[reddogs]

One day a young ruler came to Jesus and fell on his knees before him. He said, "Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus told him 'if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments' and started quoting the 10 commandments; "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother."

The young man said he had kept them from the time he was a boy. He had lived a good life. But the Bible says that Jesus looked into the man's heart and saw something that was keeping him from becoming a follower.

Jesus told him that he still lacked one thing, he must sell the things he owned and give the money to the poor. Then he would have treasure in heaven, and he could follow Jesus. The young man's face fell and he went away sad because he had great riches that he would not part with.

So what does this mean to us today, what must we do to inherit eternal life?

 

[JohnDB]

One day a young ruler came to Jesus and fell on his knees before him. He said, "Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus told him 'if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments' and started quoting the 10 commandments; "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother."

The young man said he had kept them from the time he was a boy. He had lived a good life. But the Bible says that Jesus looked into the man's heart and saw something that was keeping him from becoming a follower.

Jesus told him that he still lacked one thing, he must sell the things he owned and give the money to the poor. Then he would have treasure in heaven, and he could follow Jesus. The young man's face fell and he went away sad because he had great riches that he would not part with.

So what does this mean to us today, what must we do to inherit eternal life?

The rich man claimed to have followed the Law perfectly...that he kept all 613 laws of Moses.

Jesus showed by demonstration that he broke the tenth commandment. (Thou shalt not covet)
And the more obvious thing...
What would you do to get a little time living with Jesus in the flesh like the rich man was offered? Would you pay the price He asked for?

 

[WIP]

I think Jesus was calling the young ruler out on his sins for idolatry and covetousness and the lesson applies to us in the same way. We must ask ourselves if our possessions are worth more to us than living for God. Would we truly be able to give up everything including our very lives for the Kingdom?

 

[for_his_glory]

Matthew 19:29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 30 But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.

The parable is not about the man being rich, but what a rich man needs to give up in order to follow Christ. Jesus was trying to show Him that man needs to forsake all as placing God first above all else of what would be considered an idol (riches and family) to us as in order to inherit the kingdom of God. God has to be first in our heart through regeneration. We follow Christ by being obedient to God's commands as we humble and submit our self to God's will then will we learn how to be a submissive servant unto Him that brings health to our finances and family.

 

[ByGraceThruFaith]

Matt 19:16-17
Source: Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: Good

(Strong's #18 — Adjective — agathos — ag-ath-os)

<A-1,Adjective,18,agathos> describes that which, being "good" in its character or constitution, is beneficial in its effect; it is used:

(a) of things physical, e.g., a tree, Matt. 7:17; ground, Luke 8:8;

(b) in a moral sense, frequently of persons and things. God is essentially, absolutely and consummately "good," Matt. 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19.

Matt 19:
16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, """what good thing shall I do""" """that I may have eternal life?"""
(NOTE: What shall ""I DO"" that ""I"" may have eternal life)

POINTE 1: The young ruler believed ""HE"" could ""DO"" something to earn eternal life. As if eternal life could be inherited by some act of goodness. A common error of his whole upper class. Here the young ruler LITERALLY stumbled at that stumblingstone;

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

POINT 2: No Jewish Rabbi/Teacher/Good Master/Doctor of the Law. Was called ""good"" by their pupils in direct address. Traditionally, the adjective ""good"" was retained for speaking about God. Reread Vines definition above .

Romans 9:31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.

32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;

POINTE 3: Again, young ruler LITERALLY stumbled at that stumblingstone;

33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
(NOTE: Believed, put their faith on/in HIM & HIS work. Not thier own works)

FINAL POINT: Verse context is about the questioner's eternal life, not Christ's divinity Jesus answer places the young, rich questioner in checkmate. When he exposes the young mans heart. Is fixed on his own self-righteousness, riches & wealth, not on God or Gods will.

 

[Walpole]

The rich man claimed to have followed the Law perfectly...that he kept all 613 laws of Moses.

Jesus showed by demonstration that he broke the tenth commandment. (Thou shalt not cover)
And the more obvious thing...
What would you do to get a little time living with Jesus in the flesh like the rich man was offered? Would you pay the price He asked for?

The commandments are God's law, not Moses'.

 

[for_his_glory]

The commandments are God's law, not Moses'.

The laws are called the Mosaic laws or the Levititcal laws as God gave these commandments first to Moses who then gave to Israel to be obedient to them. Everyone knows they are God's laws and not Moses'.

 

[Walpole]

The laws are called the Mosaic laws or the Levititcal laws as God gave these commandments first to Moses who then gave to Israel to be obedient to them. Everyone knows they are God's laws and not Moses'.

There's a difference between the Levitical Law and the Commandments. That was my point.

 

[Walpole]

The rich man claimed to have followed the Law perfectly...that he kept all 613 laws of Moses.

Jesus showed by demonstration that he broke the tenth commandment. (Thou shalt not cover)
And the more obvious thing...
What would you do to get a little time living with Jesus in the flesh like the rich man was offered? Would you pay the price He asked for?

Where did the rich young man claim to have followed the Mosaic Law?

Jesus told him he must keep the commandments to be saved, not the Mosaic Law.

 

[JohnDB]

Where did the rich young man claim to have followed the Mosaic Law?

Jesus told him he must keep the commandments to be saved, not the Mosaic Law.

Luke 18:18
A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God"

Look at verse 21 for the short answer.

But to go beyond your question.
The ONLY reason he got Jesus' attention is explained in verse 19. "Why do you call ME good?" The man had a chance at a very great prize that Jesus was handing out like so much candy in his pocket. Everyone who recognized Jesus as the Messiah was granted a wish, a prize, or something that only God can hand out. Some kind of blessing...and he blew it.

 

[JohnDB]

Jesus told him he must keep the commandments to be saved, not the Mosaic Law.

In order to understand...
All 613 Mosaic Laws were extensions of how to keep the Ten Commandments. And processes for how to obtain forgiveness for when you failed to do so. (Like most people)
When and where to bring Tithes into the Temple. (giving was/is very much a part of Jewish life)
The three times a year people were supposed to go to the Temple and have a celebration. (They had more but you only had to show up at least once each year and you were commanded to not come empty handed)

All these things were extensions of the Ten Commandments and explanations on how to precisely follow them. All 613 Laws were just that. The Levites were under all 613 plus Levitical Laws that are found in Leviticus. (If they were going to be priests capable of serving in the Temple or other places.)

The covenant of the Ten Commandments is over. There is a new system in place. Where certain things in the Ten Commandments are really good ideas. They aren't the end all be all of the Law of God any longer that we must do in order to be saved.

Coveting though is is great topic to discuss.
What is it?
How is it defined?
What is the external expression of this attitude?

 

[JohnDB]

One last thing.
Honoring Father and Mother isn't referencing your birth parents... although you had to obey them too or else you were executed...it was referring to Abraham and Sarah. There is no Hebrew word for forefather or Grandfather.

 

[for_his_glory]

There's a difference between the Levitical Law and the Commandments. That was my point.

There is no difference especially when you begin with the Noahic laws God gave to Noah after the flood as they are found in Exodus 20 and Leviticus chapter 19. Whether we call them the Noahic, Mosaic or Levitical laws they are all Gods commandments we are to be obedient to.

www.jewfaq.org

Noahic (Noah) Commandments are seven commandments first given to Adam by God before the flood and brought to remembrance by God to Noah after the flood, which are binding on both Jew and Gentile as there were no Jew or Gentile in the days of Noah. Abraham was the first one to be called a Hebrew, Genesis 14:13. The seven make up the first parts of the ten that God gave to Moses on Mt Sinai in Exodus 20. Below is a comparison list of the seven and the full ten which are all a part of the 613 laws given to Moses as some were for the Hebrews pertaining to the rituals of the Temple, sacrifices, festivals, Torah, Kohanim and Levites, the King and the Nazarite and then there are the existing moral laws (commandments) for all, Jew and Gentile to follow. Christ did not come to destroy all the laws, but to fulfill the parts of the Temple and sacrifices, Matthew 5:17-22.

Noahic Laws:
Not to worship idols.
Not to curse God.
To establish courts of justice.
Not to commit murder.
Not to commit adultery or sexual immorality.
Not to steal.
Not to eat flesh torn from a living animal.

Mt. Sinai Laws:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make idols.
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Honor your father and your mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet.

Part of the ten laws broken down to various commands within one law:
Other gods and idols are as one not to worship, but broke down into two commands
Remember the Sabbath was added to the ten commandments by God as a remembrance of all God did in six days (Gods timing) and rested on the seventh, Genesis 2:1-3; Matthew 12:1-13
To establish courts of justice was only given to Noah for the new generations to come after the flood
Honor your father and mother was not given to Noah, but was added to the ten commandments by God as the generations grew
Not to covet was added to the ten commandments by God, but broke down into seven commands as your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

 

[Randy]

One last thing.
Honoring Father and Mother isn't referencing your birth parents... although you had to obey them too or else you were executed...it was referring to Abraham and Sarah. There is no Hebrew word for forefather or Grandfather.

Its referencing your own father and mother.

Jesus rebukes
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe c your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ d and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

 

[Bull of the Woods]

Jesus loved that rich young man. The rich young man, like virtually every one at some point in time, thought he could merit reconciliation with God by doing something.
He gets some points with me for sensing WHO to ask about it.
Jesus was much kinder to him than a lot of Christians analyzing him.

A question, how many of us would respond well to being told to go and give away everything we have? I would have a REALLY hard time with that.

I know Christians who say the rich young man was guilty of the tenth commandment. But that speaks of coveting OTHER people's stuff and doesn't say a word about honesty gaining things. We don't know how he came to be rich but he seems like a nice fellow to me and I would think if he had coveted and taken other people's stuff Christ would tell him to return it, not give it away randomly.

 

[Randy]

What work did this man do to have his "sins" forgiven?
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”


It is salvation through the forgiveness of sins. The path that John prepared the people for Jesus.
Johns disciples accepted Jesus. The Pharisee's and Sadducee's who were not John's disciples rejected God's purpose for them.


Paul viewed all the law as law and considered the law in regard to judgments he made such as, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."
And Paul wrote the importance is in faith expressing itself through love. Paul spoke against righteousness obtained through works of the law such as circumcision. Even adding, "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day." AND "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"


That said as in all the Apostles Paul rebuked wickedness and promoted righteousness with the chief acts of righteousness being LOVE.


We use the NT as a guide as to which commandments are still important to keep. As we are not free to sin.
Jesus=>You know the commandments: 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
Clearly "sexual immorality was also forbidden" and it was noted the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
I would state, as one who knows the Lord not one in authority, that forbidden sex acts in the law qualify as sexual immorality.

And as Paul testified before Felix
However, I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men themselves have, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.

 

[JohnDB]

Its referencing your own father and mother.

Jesus rebukes
And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe c your own traditions! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ d and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

There's another location that describes the punishment for cursing your parents...it isn't in the decalogue (ten commandments).
Look at the promised blessings for honoring your Father Abraham and Mother Sarah.

Again there is no Hebrew word for Grandfather or forefather or grandmother. It doesn't exist.
And then there is the whole thing with abuse. Some parents abuse their children in a variety of ways. This Commandment worded the way it was in the location it was in the order issued is also very telling to the true meaning of of this Commandment. Poor parenting is no excuse for rejecting God or not trying to behave as a descendant of Abraham.

 

[Randy]

There's another location that describes the punishment for cursing your parents...it isn't in the decalogue (ten commandments).
Look at the promised blessings for honoring your Father Abraham and Mother Sarah.

Again there is no Hebrew word for Grandfather or forefather or grandmother. It doesn't exist.
And then there is the whole thing with abuse. Some parents abuse their children in a variety of ways. This Commandment worded the way it was in the location it was in the order issued is also very telling to the true meaning of of this Commandment. Poor parenting is no excuse for rejecting God or not trying to behave as a descendant of Abraham.

How then do you read this?
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

 

[JohnDB]

How then do you read this?
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

This isn't the decalogue... Exodus 20:12 is the verse of the contract

 

[Randy]

Which I read as my own parents. So I guess we will agree to disagree.