The Rich Man and Eternal Life

THE RICH MAN AND ETERNAL LIFE?

Cults and Charismatics have always run to Passages, like the rich man, to prove their erroneous views of gaining or keeping salvation. Now, ultra-dispensationalists are running to the same passages, to the same end to protect their preconceived doctrines, which they have read into the scriptures rather than out of the scriptures. The Problem of the Law Multiple dispensational plans of salvation in the O.T., the N.T., the Book of Acts, and the general epistles is bad enough, but multiple plans of salvation in the four Gospels goes beyond insanity. Man is saved by faith and faith alone in any dispensation. Progressive revelation makes man responsible to believe the truth, whatever is revealed, regardless of the dispensation, whether it be the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world or the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour. The Setting of the Law versus the Rich Man And he spake this parable unto certain which TRUSTED IN THEMSELVES THAT THEY WERE RIGHTEOUS, and despised others . . . the publican, Standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, but SMOTE upon his breast, saying, GOD BE MERCIFUL TO ME A SINNER. I tell you this man went down to his house JUSTIFIED . . . he that HUMBLETH himself shall be exalted. -- Luke 18:9, 13, 14 But Jesus . . . said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not RECEIVE the kingdom of God AS A LITTLE CHILD shall in no wise enter therein. -- Luke 18:16, 17 Directly before the rich man had asked Jesus about eternal life, Jesus had told the story of the Publican and the Pharisee going down to the temple to pray because of some, who wrongly trusted in themselves and their own righteousness (no doubt the rich man was one of them). The Publican repented, humbled himself, asked God for mercy, and was justified. The Lord Jesus followed this story with an object lesson from little children, who were humble and did not trust in themselves nor work their way into the Kingdom of God. Jesus demanded this child like humility in "receiving" the Kingdom of God, as a free gift, to gain entrance into the kingdom of God. The rich man did not grasp either story's message, hence the following question to Jesus from the rich ruler. The Question about the Law . . . a certain ruler asked him . . . What shall I DO to inherit eternal life? -- Luke 18:18 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what GOOD THING shall I do, that I may have eternal life? -- Matt. 19:16 The first mistake that the rich man made was to think that he could do some "GOOD THING" to gain eternal life. His second mistake was to view Jesus as merely a good master or teacher (while talking to the One who was the Way the Truth and the Life, no man coming to the Father but by Him). His third mistake was to think that he was righteous (or that he could make himself righteous by doing some good thing). He must learn that salvation takes place in the heart not in the good things one does. It must humbly be received as a free gift, by believing. Faith! The Soul-winning of the Law 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. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt LOVE THY NEIGHBOR as thyself. -- Matt. 19:17-19 Jesus often made some puzzling comments to potential converts* to convict and to produce a response from sinners. His comments, parables, and stories require some perception on the part of the hearer or the reader. (Ultra-disps are capable of such perception but choose not to, because it spoils their dispensational scheme.)

Note:* Nicodemus, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the Gentile dog, and so forth.

Jesus' soul winning approach here was to use the law as a schoolmaster to bring the man to Himself (Gal 3:24). The rich man must get lost before he can ever get saved. The letter killeth! Jesus’ soul winning approach varied, depending on the condition of the sinner, but Jesus always had the correct approach, for He knew their hearts. The first thing that Jesus did was to reprove the rich ruler by asking him why he called Jesus good, for only God is good; ordinary man is no good (Rom. 3:12). So, if Jesus is good, Jesus is God, for there are none good but God. The second thing that Jesus did was to acknowledge to him that the law is acceptable for entering into life and eternal life if one lived in it perfectly (Matt. 19:21; Lev. 18:5; Rom. 10:5). Jesus put a load of commandments on him to convict him, for Jesus knew that he did not keep them perfectly, especially the last one that Jesus mentioned especially to him.

The Purpose of the Law Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for IF THERE HAD BEEN a law given which COULD HAVE GIVEN LIFE, verily righteousness SHOULD HAVE BEEN BY THE LAW. -- Gal. 3:21 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster TO BRING US TO CHRIST, that we might be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. -- Gal. 3:24 The law could not be kept perfectly (Matt. 19:21), whether the O.T. or the N.T. For if you keep the whole law and offend in one point, you are guilty of all (James 2:10). So, if a man could really keep the whole law, he could obtain eternal life through it. So, Jesus was telling him the truth about gaining eternal life through the law, but the WHOLE law must be kept (James 2:10). The O.T. sacrifices were the schoolmaster's illustrations. The law, of course, could not be kept perfectly. Righteousness SHOULD have been by the law, but it wasn’t by the law due to man’s sinful nature. Yet the purpose of the law was to be a schoolmaster to bring the Jews to Christ. Jesus is using the law, here, as a schoolmaster to bring the rich ruler to himself, since the rich man has ignore Jesus’ more spiritual rhetoric (to no avail). The Denial of the Law The young man saith unto him, All these THINGS have I kept from my youth up: WHAT lack I yet? -- Matt. 19:20 The Rich man's fourth mistake was to boast and lie to the Lord that he kept these commandments (which he called THINGS and Jesus called commandments). Of course, he didn’t keep them nor the one Jesus omitted, regarding covetousness. The fifth mistake that he made was to ask what “THING” he lacked or what "THING" he did not keep or what good “THING” he could DO to GAIN eternal life. He didn't understand that the law was vertical (duty to God) and horizontal (duty to man). He certainly had not kept his duty to man, as Jesus is about to show him. The Perfection of the Law Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be PERFECT, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. -- Matt. 19:21 For the LAW MADE NOTHING PERFECT, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God. -- Heb. 7:19 For THE LAW having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, CAN NEVER WITH THOSE SACRIFICES which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto PERFECT. -- Heb. 10:1 Neither the law nor its sacrifices could make anything or anyone perfect. The Lord reminded the rich man that PERFECTION is required, if he would enter into life by the law. The rich man has a duty to his neighbor, the poor, and Jesus tells him that he would have treasure in heaven if he took care of that part of the law. Jesus, of course, knew his heart and that he could not and would not do it, unless his heart was changed. Nevertheless, Jesus loved him, despite Calvinist objections, (Mark 10:21), and He sought to provoke him to see his need and to repent and to look to the "good" Lord for mercy. The Sorrow over the Law But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. -- Matt. 19:22 The rich man's sixth mistake was to acknowledge that he had not kept the law as he thought he had and to admit that he was not righteous as he thought he was and to leave Jesus without doing anything about these admissions. He went away sorrowful, because he was not prepared to satisfy the law's demands of perfection due to his self righteousness, self reliance, and covetousness. And he was not prepared to repent, humble himself, ask for mercy, nor receive the Kingdom of God as a free gift (as the Publican and little children had) to enter into the kingdom of God. The Human Impossibility in the Law Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED? -- Matt. 19:23-25 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because YOUR NAMES are WRITTEN in HEAVEN. -- Luke 10:20 Jesus, after the rich man left Him, told his disciples the human impossibility of self-righteous, self-reliant, covetous, and proud rich men to entering into the kingdom of God on their own interpretation of the law and their own self righteousness and self reliance without a change of heart. The disciples equated being saved with entering the Kingdom of God. So, they perceived in Jesus words the impossibility of "anyone" being saved under Jesus' strict, seemingly un-do-able perfection criteria and asked, "Who then can be saved?" These disciples had already experienced a change of heart and had forsaken all that they had (Matt. 19:27) and were told that their names were written in heaven. Still, they began to wonder about their own salvation.

The Divine Possibility Apart from the Law But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. -- Matt. 19:26 Jesus taught the impossibility of men saving themselves and declared the possibility of being saved apart from the law by God with whom nothing is impossible. He can and does make the difference and make it possible for anyone to be saved by repenting, humbling themselves before God, relying on God’s mercy, and receiving the kingdom of God as a free gift and as little children (Luke 18:17). If the rich man would have stayed with Jesus, he may have had a change of heart. He could have repented in Godly sorrow. Instead, he only sorrowfully regretted his plight with human sorrow. The Conclusion of the Law But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born . . . of God. -- John 1:12, 13 He that BELIEVETH on the Son HATH [possesses] everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life . . . -- John 3:36 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that BELIEVETH on me HATH everlasting life. -- John 6:47 Did the Holy Spirit's narrative lie? No! Did John the Baptist Lie? No! Did Jesus lie? No? Did Jesus lie to the rich man? No! The plan of salvation by believing (faith) was declared early in the Holy Spirit's narrative of the gospels, by the preaching of John the Baptist, and by the preaching of Jesus, some of which the rich man heard. The apostles and disciples had already accepted that plan, and their names were written in heaven, before the rich man dialog ever occurred. They were clean through Jesus' word (John 15:3). They had all this prior to His death, burial, and resurrection. They possessed eternal life! The eternal life that they possessed was based on what Jesus was going to do for them. All eternal life salvation, both O.T. and N.T., is based on the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood. Faith is the connection to that basis.

-- by Herb Evans