Lord’s Day, Vol. 14 No. 37

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Lord’s Day, Vol. 14 No. 37

What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?

Luke 10:25-28 (KJV) And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Here is a spiritually blind lawyer coming to our Lord Jesus asking for the way to eternal life which he admits is a gift from God by using the word “to inherit” and yet proudly felt that eternal life comes by doing good works, “Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 

He “tempted” which means “to test thoroughly”. A test that will help to dispel the mistaken notion of many that salvation comes by doing good works. Jesus answered him by pointing him to God’s law which he is supposed to know being a lawyer. Jesus was guiding him to eternal life which is life with God in heaven freed from sin and death through Christ, “What is written in the law?” 

To have eternal life one has to “love the Lord God thy God with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” This is a summary of the Ten Commandments in man’s duty towards God in the first four commandments and the last six commandments, which is his duty toward man, stated in the positive “Thou shalt love” rather than “thou shalt not” in declared by God to Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20). What was the purpose of God giving the law to Israel? It is to reveal man’s sin which the law exposes. The answer is given in Exodus 20:20 (KJV) And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.

Solomon crystalized it well at the close of his life in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJV) Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

The whole duty of man is to fear God that he may keep His commandments and escape God’s judgment for all who do evil by transgressing the commandments of God. 

The answer our Lord gave is this, “this do, and thou shalt live”. What is the problem here? Man die and not live because he is unable to keep the commandments of God. This is an undeniable truth, there is not a man that is still living from the time of the first man Adam, tragically, as the generations of ensuing death reveals in Genesis 5, is still true today! The Apostle Paul explains well in Galatians 3:10 (KJV) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

What then is the remedy since man is unable to keep the law to have eternal life? The Apostle Paul explained well in Galatians 3:11-14 (KJV) But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed isevery one that hangeth on a tree: 14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Since, man is unable to save himself by keeping the law, Jesus is the end of the law in that He obeyed the law perfectly on man’s behalf in His earthly life and bore the penalty of man’s transgression of the law by His death on the cross. All who repent of their sins and come to Him, for salvation receive eternal life. God will, by His Holy Spirit enable the regenerate man to love the commandments of God for His glory though he will in his lifetime battle the flesh, the world and Satan who sought always to tempt him to break the commandments. He can choose not to sin by relying on the mercy and grace of God through prayer and obedience to His Word! That is what Jesus mean when he said to the lawyer, “This do, and thou shalt live”. The purpose of the law is like a schoolmaster who disciplines all who break the rules so that man may realize that he cannot keep the law by his own strength but by faith in Christ, the Mediator of the covenant made to Abraham, the first Jew  – Galatians 3:24 (KJV) Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Eternal life comes not by observing the law of Moses but by the atoning work of the Mediator promised to their forefather Abraham. This inheritance is by faith in the promise of the Person of Jesus Christ, the Mediator, the promised seed, rather than in observing the law – Galatians 3:18-19  (KJV) For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Amen.