16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:16–22 (ESV)
A rich, young man approached Jesus one day. He asked Jesus a question. It was “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” The rich, young man did not acknowledge Jesus as Lord and God. Rather, he addressed Him as a teacher, instructor or rabbi. He assumed that being wise, Jesus possessed eternal life and knew how others could get it.
The young individual possessed a mistaken perspective. He thought eternal life was the result of him performing some good deed, favor, or moral act. In his mind, eternal life was the result of his own personal achievement.
“Despite the carnage of the twentieth century, we have not yet learned the depths of our depravity. Secularists have taught us that we are basically good — all we need is education. Polls also suggest that evangelicals overwhelmingly believe in the goodness of man. This is surprising, given Scripture’s assumption that we are chronically sinful. Paul tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). In Psalm 51:5, David confesses his evil nature was present even at the moment of his conception,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.
“Our Savior once met someone who was confident in his own money and status instead of his allegiance to God. Wondering how he could inherit eternal life, this rich young man came to Jesus wondering what he had to “do” (Mark 10:17). The use of “do” indicates that he thought he could enter God’s kingdom by doing good.”
What do the Scriptures say about the goodness of man? Is eternal life something that fallen man can gain by either their own goodness or good works?
Psalm 14:1–3 (ESV) – “1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one.” See Psalm 53:1-3.
Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) – “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”
Romans 3:10–11 (ESV) – “10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God.”
“Now the fact that this young man was in search of salvation must be appreciated. He was not so engrossed in earthly pleasures that he no longer cared for the things pertaining to God. However, he was making a tragic mistake. It is clear from his very question—“What good thing shall I do …”—that he believed in salvation by works. This becomes even clearer when verse 16 is read in the light of verse 20,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.
When next we meet, we will examine Jesus’ reply to this young man. It may be the same reply He would give to you. Have a blessed day in the Lord.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 