Let us consider the story of the rich young ruler and what Jesus told him. Do Christians today believe that inheriting eternal life requires keeping God’s commandments? Maybe one in a million might. How are we to understand what Jesus was teaching?
This is the whole passage, Mark 10:17-31 (King James Version)
17. And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
18. And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
19. Thou knowest the commandments: Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
20. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth.
21. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
22. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.
23. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
24. And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
25. 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.
26. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?
27. And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
28. Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
30. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come, eternal life.
31. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
Interpretation Overview
This passage is central to debates about faith, obedience, and salvation. It reveals how Jesus connects eternal life with both faith and obedience, exposing the heart of the rich young ruler. But how do Christians interpret these words of Jesus?
Calvinist (Reformed) Interpretation
Calvinists emphasize that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone. Jesus’ command exposes the man’s idolatry and inability to keep the law perfectly according to most Calvinists. The law reveals sin but cannot save. Christ’s statement, ‘With men it is impossible,’ underscores that salvation is God’s work alone, according to Calvinism.
But did anything in what Jesus said give you the impression that He thought the rich young ruler was unable to keep the law, which is the Reformed view? Just the opposite is true. Jesus, honestly and in a matter-of-fact way, told this young man to keep the commandments to inherit eternal life. He did not say to believe in Him, trust Him, or accept Him, as most evangelicals are told and think today.
John Calvin said: ‘The purpose of the law was to lead him to repentance, and when this failed, Christ revealed the idol of his heart—his riches.’
R.C. Sproul said: ‘Jesus’ demand was not a universal command to poverty, but a test of the heart. No one can earn salvation; it is a divine gift.’
Sproul’s claim that salvation is a divine gift is valid, but that doesn’t mean that keeping God’s commandments is unimportant or unnecessary. Contrary to the monergism of the Reformed tradition, God’s gift of salvation is conditioned on our repentance and faith, which brings the soul voluntarily to return to obedience to the commandments. And that is precisely what Jesus was telling the rich young ruler: to inherit eternal life, keep the commandments.
It is not difficult to see how the presuppositions of Calvinism inform their interpretation of this passage and others. They see in this passage total depravity, original sin, and all of the errors of Calvinism. And their interpretation follows what they presume to be true about God and man. Remember what Francis Bacon once said: “Men prefer to believe what men would like to be true.” (my paraphrase). Many of us believe things that we wish were true, but are not.
Evangelical / Mainstream Protestant Interpretation
Evangelicals agree that Jesus’ words do not prescribe works salvation but reveal the necessity of repentance and total devotion. The commandments represent God’s moral standard, which points to Christ. Faith in Christ leads to obedience as the fruit and condition of salvation.
Billy Graham said: ‘Jesus was showing that the man loved riches more than God. Until he surrendered that idol, he could not follow Christ.’
John MacArthur said: ‘The issue was not money but repentance and submission to Christ’s authority. Obedience is the result of faith.’
While the overview statement and these two quotes are acceptable, they do not reflect what most evangelicals actually believe. Both of these men and most evangelicals believe that not even Christians consistently obey the commandments of God because we inherit a sinful nature from Adam. Nonetheless, they remain saved and will inherit the kingdom of God, even if they never fully or consistently obey God’s commandments in direct opposition to Jesus’ message.
Early Church Fathers and Obedience
Many early Christian writers understood Jesus’ command literally, as a call to obedience and moral transformation through the grace of God. They saw faith and obedience as inseparable aspects of salvation. That is not how most evangelicals see it today, according to my research. They preach and teach that faith without faithfulness is saving. Many do not believe or teach that obedience is an inseparable attribute of saving faith.
Clement of Alexandria (Stromata, Book 3) wrote: ‘The Lord teaches that the way to eternal life is through obedience to the commandments and detachment from wealth.’
Irenaeus (Against Heresies, IV.14) wrote: ‘Christ did not abolish the law of righteousness but fulfilled and confirmed it, calling men to obey and follow Him.’
Irenaeus also emphasized that faith towards God justifies a man, yet true faith must and does express itself in righteous living. Is this not more credible than the Reformed and typical Evangelical understanding?
Summary
Calvinists emphasize the impossibility of earning salvation and see this passage as revealing sin and God as the only agent in our salvation. Partial Calvinists believe that the one condition of inheriting eternal life is faith in Christ. Yet they attempt to argue that faith is not a work. But that faith may not be obedient; nevertheless, it is saving, according to these deceived Christians.
Some Evangelicals today (including partial Calvinists) stress repentance and faith, leading to obedience, with man cooperating with God in salvation. However, obedience may be infrequent, and keeping the commandments may be occasional. The early Church viewed consistent obedience to the commandments as essential to walking in faith and inheriting eternal life through grace.
Today, the modern evangelical might well respond to the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” by saying that nothing at all needs to be done; it has all been done for you by Jesus. The only thing you must do (note the apparent contradiction) is to trust and believe, and you are saved. It has nothing to do with repenting of your sins. Receive Jesus, trust Christ, accept Him into your heart, and you will inherit eternal life. That, my friends, is the broad road that leads to destruction.
The five-point Calvinist will respond to the question by saying that there is nothing you can do at all. You can’t even believe until God regenerates you. God alone has determined the elect, and if you are one of the elect, you are guaranteed to inherit eternal life, regardless of whatever you may do or don’t do.
Did Jesus say any of these things to the rich young ruler?
Charles Stanley, in his book on Eternal Security, dismissed these words of Jesus, saying that believers today must look to Paul and the other apostles, not to Jesus, because we do not know who Jesus was actually speaking to. Was Jesus addressing the Jews of the Old Covenant or a believer in the New Covenant? Everything Jesus said might be dismissed by appealing to a dispensational interpretive framework. I recommend that you avoid listening to Charles Stanley or others like him. I recommend that you believe what Christ said in response to the question about inheriting eternal life.
Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. That faith, if it is saving, will immediately produce the fruit of obedience to the commandments of God because it is rooted in true repentance. If it doesn’t, then it isn’t saving faith.
