EXPLORE THE TEXT
We can affirm that eternal life
cannot be achieved by human achievement.
16 Just then someone came up and asked him,
“Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”
17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him.
“There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
18 “Which ones?” he asked him.
Jesus answered:
Do not murder; do not commit adultery;
do not steal; do not bear false witness;
19 honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.
20 “I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?”
21 “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him,
“go, sell your belongings and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.
Read the following content to
explain the “why” behind the man’s questions about eternal life:
From every indication this inquiry was sincere.
What is surprising is the fact that this wealthy young man would admit he lacked eternal life.
He knew something was missing from his life. .He was eager to fix his emptiness.
Here was a young man seeking hope for this life and for life after death. (PSG,p. 65)
This man thought he had it all together.
He claimed to keep all the commands,
including those focused on our “horizontal” relationships with others.
But Jesus cut through the man’s delusions.
He revealed some gaps in the man’s understanding of what it means to keep the law.
More important, He pinpointed the man’s biggest failure:
allowing his stuff to become his god.
None of us can fill God’s spot in our lives with material possessions.
We can’t earn salvation, and we can’t earn a meaningful relationship with Him.