20 “You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.”
21 "All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
In our verses for today we have Jesus’ response to the rich young ruler’s inquiry on what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus goes straight to the Mosaic Law to show that it is impossible for man to gain eternal life apart from Christ. We simply do not have it in us! We do not possess the Holy Spirit’s achieving power apart from belonging to Jesus which is mandatory to fulfill the Law perfectly.
“Our nature struggles fiercely against being saved without our works and tries to deceive us with a grand illusion of our own righteousness. So we may find ourselves attracted to a life that merely appears to be righteous. Or because we know we aren’t righteous, we may be frightened by death or sin. Therefore, we must learn that we should have nothing to do with any other way of becoming righteous, except through Christ alone.” Martin Luther
James tells us if we are guilty in even one area of the Law we are guilty of breaking all of it – no sin, of course, is considered trivial in God’s sight:
10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:10 (NIV)
We unfortunately are all born broken. We have all inherited the sinful nature – there is no one righteous, not even one. Scripture tells us:
9 What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; 11 there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Romans 3:9-12 (NIV)
I am humbly reminded of the Prophet Isaiah’s words regarding God’s work for our salvation – to save our scrawny little necks:
The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice. 16 He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. Isaiah 59:15-16 (NIV)
We are totally incapable of helping ourselves regarding our eternal life. Earlier in Isaiah chapter 53 there is a description given of our suffering Saviors life:
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:3-5 (NIV)
10 Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10 (NIV)
From the time Adam was created the plan for Jesus’ mission was set in play – He would come and redeem His own. No one took His life from Him; He voluntarily laid it down for us. It was also His Father’s will. Paul describes it this way:
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21 (NIV)
Our sinless Savior took upon Him the sins of the world – crucifying them on the cross imputing righteousness to those who would trust in Him. This gift of righteousness is obtainable only through faith in Christ.
“God created our first parents perfect and without sin...but then they rebelled against God, sin entered the world – and since that day, the human heart has been infected with the deadly ‘virus’ of sin...But Christ came to conquer the ‘virus’ of sin! When He enters our lives, He begins to remake us from within. The ‘virus’ no longer has absolute control. And some day God will remove the ‘virus’ of sin forever, all creation will be renewed.” Billy Graham