Riches and Eternal Life
Most people realize that you can’t buy God’s love. But all too many still believe that you can do something to appease him.
Matthew 19:16-30
The Rich Young Man (v. 16-22)
Good Master
- Jesus questions the title.
- He does not deny it to himself. Instead he wants the young man to realize that God alone is good.
- For the title to apply to Jesus, he must be God!
Good thing
- Like many before and after him, the young man believes that there must be something that he can do to inherit eternal life.
- Surely, he thinks, salvation comes, at least partly, to those who do good.
- The idea of salvation 100% by grace is a foreign concept for him, as it is for all who are unaware of God’s revealed plan of salvation.
Good life
- “Keep the commandments.â€
- “Which ones?â€
- #6, #7, #8, #9 and #5. And love your neighbor as yourself, don’t defraud your neighbor.
- “I’ve done that since my youth.â€
- “Then the only thing left is for you to sell everything that you own and give your money to the poor and follow me.â€
- That ended the discussion as the rich young man seemed unwilling to part with his wealth, even for heaven.
Riches And Salvation (v. 23-26)
- It’s hard for a person to give up his riches, which he can hold, to receive the intangible,although real, wealth of God’s kingdom.
- It would be easier for a large nautical rope to be threaded through the eye of a needle.
- Humanly speaking, therefore, it is impossible for a rich man to be saved.
- But salvation is not a human endeavor. With God even the rich can be saved.
Rewards For Discipleship (v. 27-30)
- Did Jesus advise the young man to give up everything?
- Well, the 12 apostles had done just that!
- Peter asks what benefit they shall receive.
- 100 times more of everything you gave up—AND eternal life. What more could you ask?
Meditation Points:
- He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.
- Jesus mentions commandments from the second table of the law not because these are the most important, but because these are the most visible.
- Can you say that you have kept God’s law since your youth?
- Do you understand why salvation must be wholly of grace? Do you see the futility of trying to be good enough for God?
- What value will a pile of money be in heaven?
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