The Rich Young Ruler - Works based salvation?
Can we ever give up enough to go to heaven? Is Jesus's encounter with the rich young ruler a story of how only complete surrender is acceptable to God or is it something else entirely. Check out the vid. link below to see my interpretation of this scripture.
Hi. Good message. Just wanted to add a little context.
Your message that we're not saved by works is absolutely true. However, we are called to give up that which stands between myself and Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1—"...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
John 8:11—"Go, and sin no more."
Our job, if I can call it that, is to give confess the sin and give it up; to put it behind me. But even this is a gift from God.
Also, in Matthew 5:48, you're right, God calls us to be perfect, but he doesn't define it as sinless perfectionism. Notice the "therefore." It's a summary statement, of course, based upon everything that preceded it.
To be perfect, according to God, means to love as God loves, without partiality; to love your enemies and the unlovable.
God presses us, in a redemptive way, upon those issues that stand between us and Him. So, for the rich young ruler, yes, his wealth had become an idol. He thought that he was going to be saved by following the commandments according to the letter of the law, but Jesus pressed Him upon the Spirit of the law. This had become an idol to him and he needed to get rid of it. It had become a cancer that needed to be excised. If not, it would eventually result in his damnation.
And it's true for us as well. If I there is something I'm holding on to that I'm not willing to give up, I will be lost as well, because Jesus calls us to follow Him.
For Peter and John, He called them to leave their nets and follow Him (Matthew 4:20). He had a greater plan for them. And they left that which had been their sustenance, fishing, and they would have to learn to trust Jesus to sustain them.
Anyhow, just wanted to add a little context in there.
Have a great day.
I agree that God presses us to give up everything to follow him but He knows full well the only one that was truly able to give up everything for God was Jesus. I think Jesus will take the areas that we are willing to give up, prune them, and then keep pressing us to give up more and as we do we will bear more fruit. I have yet to meet anyone who will admit that they have truly given up "everything" to follow Christ. And I think that everyone is still holding on to something. A lot of times in the Bible Jesus states the extreme to drive a point across. (does he really want us to pluck out our eye if it causes us to sin or is he pointing out how seriously we should take sin?) He is worth giving up everything for and his qualifications of heaven are sinless perfection. Sinless perfection can only be obtained one way, not by trying harder but by allowing Christ's death on the cross to be the payment for our sin and wipe the slate clean. This isn't a one time payment, this is a life long payment for our sin. Once we do that we will have the spirit of Christ living in us that will help us do better but since we still have the flesh we will continue to fail. We will fail by sining and we will fail by sometimes not listening or following Him. But Christ can not disown himself and he will continue to work on us to help us get back up. Notice when he said a lot of these things he hadn't yet died on the cross for our sins. A lot of the old testament does the same thing, points out the hopelessness of trying to 'obtain' salvation by some way other than accepting it as a free gift. To give up everything for Christ is what we should strive for, but try walking that walk for a year and see how far you get. I can't even get through a couple weeks before I run into something God tells me to do and I purposefully disobey. It's not right and I'm not condoning anyone to purposefully disobey God but that's who we are as humans. Some of us last a little longer than others but we all hit that brick wall at some point. Does God call us all to give up everything and follow Him? Yes. Do we have the ability to do it? No. All we can do is agree that we should and agree to try and when we run into those things that we just can't seem to get past or give up just ask for Him to help us with them and have mercy on us.
BTW, I see you are a pastor so I think you'll understand what I'm about to say. I am currently Baptist but was raised Lutheran. Over the last several years I have realized my complete depravity before God and have really gone back to my Lutheran roots. I am very active in my church, active in evangelism and discipleship so it's not like I'm using the Gospel message to sit back and not do anything for the kingdom. I've just come to realize though my own life that Martin Luther was right. As a human I am utterly and completely unable to contribute to my salvation at all. I have nothing to offer God, not even my filthy life as a sacrifice. All I can do is fall at his feet and beg for mercy and ask for him to change me. Even my ability to 'ask' for his help is a gift from Him. I am beyond hope if not for Christ.