Luke 18:18-30

The rich young ruler. This was another one of those passages I had read through and heard about many times in life as a believer. But isn’t it so cool when God reveals something new and challenges us in a completely new way with something we’ve read a hundred times before?

So this guy... he’s a rich, young ruler of the day. He’s doing pretty well for himself. He’s not only extremely rich, according to Luke 18:23, but he’s also young. He’s got his whole life ahead of him. And he’s a ruler. It doesn’t say specifically the exact type of ruler he was, but he was definitely in a place of authority and influence despite the fact that he was young.

He had a sincere desire to know what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. He asks Jesus, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” I love how intentional Jesus is. He replies with a question- “Why do you call me good? Only God is truly good.” Right from the start, Jesus was trying to point out that no one (including this rich young ruler) is good. That God is the definition of good and the “goodness” we think we’ve got is absolutely nothing compared to what true goodness is. In fact, it just isn’t goodness, plain and simple.

He then goes on to answer his question. “You know the commandments. You must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, don’t testify falsely and honor your father and mother.” The ruler replies by saying he’s obeyed these since he was a young boy. And then comes the real, personal, answer. He tells this rich young man that there is still one thing he hasn’t done. He needs to sell all his possessions, give the money he makes to the poor and then follow Him. He tells him to give away everything. Not just a tenth- the whole works. With that, he’d have treasure in heaven and eternal life.

But this was just too much. He was a “good” man. He believed in God. He was sincere and moral and was trying his best to please Him. He had obeyed all those commandments Jesus had mentioned. But he was still lost. Why? Because he hadn’t and wasn’t willing to obey God’s first and greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” And the second that Jesus said was equally as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

This ruler wanted to please God. He thought he was doing all the right things. He wanted eternal life with Him. He was good. But he wasn’t good enough. His goodness would never be enough. Even good people need salvation. Romans 3:10and 12 say that no one is righteous, no one is good. The only way he could earn this eternal life was by being willing to abandon his trust in his own goodness, recognize the idol in his life (his money and riches), abandon them as well, and then follow Jesus.

He wasn’t willing to go all the way. In giving up his trust in himself and his riches and choosing to love God with all of his heart and soul and mind, he would have fulfilled all the commandments in putting God first.

It is impossible to earn eternal life with our goodness. But with God, it is possible when we trust in Goodness Himself and lay down what we treasure here in order to have treasure in heaven.

Here’s the challenge God Gave me, and I’ll pass it on to you: Even as a believer, knowing I’m saved and redeemed and will be spending eternal life with Christ, am I continually trusting in God’s true and real goodness? Do I, even subconsciously, tend to rely on how “good” I am to please God? I think I do at times. I think we all do. And this is where we need to continually renew our minds to these truths. That I am fully accepted and loved and made completely right with God through Jesus’ sacrifice. There was absolutely nothing, no goodness in me, that made God accept me when I came to Him and He saved me, and there is absolutely nothing I can do, nothing good enough, to keep me accepted and right with Him. It was a free gift. His righteousness was imparted to me through Jesus and now in God’s eyes, I am truly good. And THAT is what makes me WANT to love him with all of my heart and soul and mind. And what makes me willing and even excitedly and whole heartedly lay down whatever earthly thing it is I might treasure in each season of my life and follow Him. This is the greatest love story ever told. That God himself was willing to completely abandon and sacrifice His very own Son, his treasure, to win my love. And in turn, I am continually willing to abandon and sacrifice whatever it is I treasure and love, to please Him and to love Him above all else, for the sake of His kingdom. And in turn, as verse 30 says, I “receive many times more in this present time and in the age to come eternal life.” Amen and Hallelujah!!!