Charles Stanley Daily Devotional (July 21, 2025) The Rich Young Ruler.
Are you trying to be good enough to go to heaven?
Luke 18:18-23 - A ruler questioned Him, saying, ``Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 And Jesus said to him, ``Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 ``You know the commandments, `DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'" 21 And he said, ``All these things I have kept from my youth." 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, ``One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich.
Three of the four Gospels contain an account of a young man who asked Jesus a very important question: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). A ruler with great wealth, he considered himself to be a moral man because he had kept God’s commandments.
However, he was operating under the incorrect assumption that good works bring about salvation. He seemed to be asking what else he had to do—besides the good things he’d already accomplished—in order to secure his place in heaven. It is a false belief that eternal life can be earned through our own efforts. Scripture teaches that all mankind has inherited a sinful nature (Romans 5:12 - Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--) and, therefore, being saved is not of our own doing.
If this were the end of the story, we would be a people without hope, both now and in the future. But the good news is that the Father recognized our plight and mercifully provided the way to reconcile us to Him (John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, ``I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.). When God made us in His image, He created us to live forever. So, though our earthly bodies will perish, our spirit will never die. Therefore, we should be grateful, choosing to live in a way that pleases the Lord. But we do so, knowing that our good deeds are motivated by love that comes from our salvation—not striving to earn it.
Bible in One Year: Song of Solomon 5-8
