Luke 18:18-24, “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.”This is a widely quoted and often misinterpreted passage of Scripture concerning the rich young ruler. Misguided evangelists' Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron, as well as Calvinist pastor, John MacArthur, horribly misinterpret this passage of Scripture, thinking just as foolishly as the self-righteous rich young ruler. I will share some of their quotes with you in this important article.
This young man was a dignitary, ruling over the people, and he was very wealthy. He came to Jesus and asked how to inherit eternal life. Jesus perceived that the young man was self-righteousness, trusting in his own good works. So Jesus used the Old Testament law the way it was intended to be used, as a measuring stick to show all men their SINNERSHIP and point us to the SAVIOR to be saved . . .
Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:19-20, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”Notice carefully what Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Did you hear that Mr. MacArthur and Mr. Comfort? . . .
BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW THERE SHALL BE NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED IN HIS SIGHT!!!
You just read what the Bible teaches in Romans 3:20. The rich young ruler was caught up into false religion, thinking that he could merit Heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments. Jesus pointed out to him that he had missed the command against being covetous.The apostle Paul rebuked the self-righteous Jews for the same attitude in Rome. They were trying to earn their way to Heaven by obeying the commandments of God's, being circumcised and observing the ceremonial laws given to the Jews under the Mosaic covenant. Paul earnestly reminds them that it is the DOERS of the Law, and not merely the HEARERS that will be justified...
Romans 2:13 and 17, “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. . . . Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God.”Paul wasn't giving them a plan of salvation, just like Jesus wasn't giving the rich young ruler a plan of salvation; but rather, Jesus and Paul were using the law as it was intended by God to be used, and that is to show us that no matter how hard we try to keep the law, WE CANNOT! There will always be SIN IN OUR LIFE! Everyone, whether in deed or in thought, has broken all of the Nine Commandments [I say “nine” because the command to keep the Sabbath Day was only ceremonial law and not moral law like the other nine commandments. All of the commandments applied 24/7 (and every day of the year) except the Sabbath Day, which only applied on Saturday (the 7th day of the week)]. The Sabbath Day was a ceremonial law which pictures Jesus, our Sabbath today in Whom we REST for salvation (Hebrews 4:1-11), ceasing from our own self-righteous labours (pictured by the 6-day work week in the Old Testament)]. JESUS IS OUR SABBATH!!! Amen and amen!
Here again is our text passage of Scripture . . .
Luke 18:22-24, “Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”It is ONLY when a person comes to the realization that they CANNOT save them self by their own works, that God can save them. Adam and Eve had sinned. Adam gathered some fig leaves and sewed them together to make clothing for him and Eve. But God rejected Adam's fig-leaf religion and killed an innocent animal, shedding it blood, to provide skins of clothing for Adam and Eve. This represents the righteousness of God provided in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:9; Romans 4:5-6; 2nd Corinthians 5:21; Matthew 6:33), Who is the sinless Lamb of God, in Whom we have eternal life. Whew, this is great stuff!!!
Ray Comfort and George Whitefield (1714-1770) Get This Passage Horribly Wrong
Evangelist Ray Comfort quotes heretic George Whitefield on his blog, who heretically said concerning the rich young ruler in Luke 18:18-24...“Poor youth! He had a good mind to be a Christian, and to inherit eternal life, but thought it too dear, if it could be purchased at no less an expense than of his estate! And thus many, both young and old, now-a-days, come running to worship our blessed Lord in public, and kneel before him in private, and inquire at his gospel, what they must do to inherit eternal life: but when they find they must renounce the self-enjoyment of riches, and forsake all in affection to follow him, they cry, ‘The Lord pardon us in this thing! We pray thee, have us excused’ …He will not!” —George Whitefield - Rich Young RulerWhat lies! George Whitefield taught that eternal life would cost the rich young man his estate! No, that is totally unbiblical. Jesus wasn't giving this young man a plan of salvation, He was using the Law the way it was intended to be used—as a MEASURING STICK—by which when men compare themselves, they fall short of God's perfect standard, and see their SINNERSHIP and need for the blessed SAVIOR!
Pastor John MacArthur Gets This Passage Horribly Wrong
Here are Dr. MacArthur's very own corrupt words of damnation . . .“The Gospel says, 'give your life to Christ and He rules' and if you're not willing to do that it's because you want to keep the rule of your own life. The rich young man wanted his own life for himself. He wanted to control his own life. He had his choice: sins, he had his choice, religion, and he wanted to hang onto control. It's that simple. Coming to Christ means you give up the control of your life, and you yield it to Christ. That's what kept him from salvation, he was unwilling to do that.” —Kirk Cameron And John MacArthur On Salvation ( 4:51 in the video)I realize that no one is correct on everything, and we're all entitled to our own opinions, respectfully. However, when a false prophet perverts the Scripture to teach ANOTHER GOSPEL [2nd Corinthians 11:3-4], then it is every believer's duty to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3b). Pastor MacArthur is a false prophet! The reason why the rich young ruler didn't get saved, wasn't because he refused to “give up control” of his life (as MacArthur says); but rather, it was because he was trying to save himself, by keeping the works of the Old Testament Mosaic law.
What saith the Scripture? A religious cult had crept into the church at Galatia, teaching that to be saved a man needs to be circumcised. The apostle Paul writes to the Galatians and asks them how they got saved—by the WORKS OF LAW, or the HEARING OF FAITH. Galatians 3:2, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Paul asked: How did you become indwelt with the Holy Spirit (i.e., how did you get saved)? So here we see TWO distinct plans of salvation: WORKS OF THE LAW, or HEARING OF FAITH. No one has ever been able to perfectly keep the Law, but there are always some who try.
Let's read our text passage again. Look at what the rich young ruler says below; see how he boasts of his self-righteousness, bragging: “ALL THESE THINGS HAVE I KEPT FROM MY YOUTH”! The redeemed Christian doesn't talk that way. I am saved only because of Christ's sacrifice to pay for my sins on the cross...
Luke 18:18-24, “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.”MacArthur's words are damnable heresy!!! MacArthur says:
“Coming to Christ means you give up the control of your life, and you yield it to Christ. That's what kept him from salvation, he was unwilling to do that.” [emphasis added]The reason why the rich young man didn't get saved was NOT because he refused to yield to Christ, nor because he was unwilling to give up control of his life. MacArthur is teaching lies.
The reason why the rich young man didn't get saved is because he was self-righteousness. Very few wealthy people are willing to admit that they cannot save themselves. Heaven can't be bought. Coming to Christ is a childlike step of faith by which one acknowledges, “I am a guilty, dirty, rotten, hell-deserving sinner, incapable of saving myself.” Every admitted sinner who believes on Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, will be saved (Romans 10:13). The rich young ruler was self-righteous in his wealth, and thought he could save himself by fulfilling the Law of God.
That's the only reason the young rich man didn't get saved. It wasn't because he refused to deny himself or forsake his covetousness; but rather, because he was self-righteous and thought he could merit Heaven by his own works. Romans 4:5-6 clearly states: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” Amen!
Notice what the self-righteous young man asked Jesus in Matthew 19:16, “...Good Master, what good thing SHALL I DO, that I may have eternal life?” The young man didn't ask how he could possess eternal life. No, rather, he asked what THING I NEED TO DO. The young man was self-righteousness. Jesus used the Law to show the young man his wickedness. There was nothing he could do in his own self-righteousness to have eternal life. He needed Jesus as his Savior. Romans 3:19 and Galatians 3:24 plainly teach that the Law's purpose is only to show us our guilt of sin and need for a Savior. MacArthur requires people to fulfil the Law as a prerequisite to faith in Christ, which is the heresy of works salvation. That is exactly what Kirk Cameron, Ray Comfort and John MacArthur are teaching. They all errantly teach that the rich young man should have forsaken his covetousness to be saved.
In sharp contrast, Romans 4:5-6 proclaims, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” Oh, that men who just read the Bible and take it at face value. Romans 4:5-6 are so plain and clear in their teaching. A man's faith is COUNTED for righteousness. Why? It's because Christ's righteousness is imputed (attributed) to us by faith. This is a vast different Gospel than the perverted Gospel of Ray Comfort and John MacArthur, by which a person must forsake their sinful lifestyle to be saved.
Jesus plainly taught in Luke 18:17 that a person must receive the kingdom of God as a little child in order to be saved. This is because a man must acknowledge that he is hopelessly lost in his own sins and cannot redeem himself. Thus, he needs Jesus Christ, Who is the only begotten Son of God. The Biblical account of the young rich ruler has nothing to do with giving up one's love for money to be saved; but rather, realizing that salvation is solely of the Lord, and not by works of self-righteousness. The Apostle Paul addressed this matter at length in Romans 2:13-3:20.
Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) Gets This Passage Horribly Wrong
In his MP3 sermon called: “How To Add Life To Your Years,” Pastor Jack Hyles makes some strange statements. Dr. Hyles says Jesus told the rich young man how to have “quality” of eternal life, by giving away his earthly possessions. What heresy! I am sad that Brother Hyles missed this one, but he is just a man, fully capable of teaching false doctrine. Jesus wasn't teaching the rich young ruler how to have a better “QUALITY” eternal life; but rather, He was showing him the GOOD WORKS are incapable of saving anyone!!! Brother Hyles does not teach a false gospel; but he does unfortunately misapply this passage of Scripture, misinterpret it, and mislead the audience as to its true meaning.In the sermon, Pastor Hyles says the reason why Jesus told the rich young ruler to sell his possessions and give it away to the poor, was so that he could have a better “quality” of eternal life. That is of the Devil! I love Dr. Hyles, but he sure got that interpretation wrong! I don't like this particular sermon at all, contrasting quantity with quality concerning eternal life. I find no distinction in the Scriptures made between the “quantity” versus the “quality” of eternal life. Pastor Hyles, respectfully, was promoting a strange doctrine. I love Brother Hyles, but I don't cut him any slack when I think he is wrong on truth! The rich young ruler clearly was not saved, because he was trying to earn his way to Heaven, by keeping the law. Jesus wasn't speaking to a Christian, but to an unsaved heathen! So why would He tell him how to enhance the quality of something (eternal life) that he didn't posses?
Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) gets it 100% correct in his commentary for The Rich Young Ruler. Jesus wasn't giving this young man a plan of salvation, He was using the law the way it was intended to be used, as a measuring stick, by which when men compare themselves, they fall short (thus realizing their sinnership and need for the Savior). Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Jesus perceived that this rich young ruler was self-righteous. The young man called Jesus, "Good master." The Lord asked him: “Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.” The Lord is indeed sinless and perfect, but the young man didn't know that yet. To him Jesus was only a good man.
The rich young ruler bragged that he had perfectly kept the Law from childhood. The young man boasted: “All these have I kept from my youth up.” That young man was self-righteous in his own eyes! So Jesus points out to him, that in fact he hadn't perfectly kept the Law since his youth, he was covetous. The Lord wasn't telling him how to be saved. You see, you cannot get a person saved until you first get them lost. Jesus was trying to get the rich young ruler LOST, in an effort to hopefully get him SAVED! It is also possible that the rich young ruler was none other than, the apostle Paul, to whom the Lord miraculously appeared in Acts 9:1-5. We do not know for certain.
Pastor John Piper Gets This Passage Horribly Wrong
Dr. Piper says the reason why it was hard for the Rich Young Man to be saved, is because getting saved requires MORE THAN FAITH!!! What saith the Scripture? Galatians 3:26, “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” A lot of people cherry-pick the Scriptures, only seeing what they want to see. By doing so, you can fabricate just about any doctrine you want! Pastor Piper perverts the true meaning of Christ's teaching on The Rich Young Ruler!Pastor Piper errantly states to his students:
“Faith in Jesus is more than accepting him as Savior.” —Pastor John Piper; graduation speech titled: 'Remember The Rich Young Man,' June 2009What saith the Scripture? 1st Timothy 4:10-11, “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach.” Does the Bible tell us to teach that Jesus is “MORE THAN A SAVIOR” (as Mr. Piper errantly says)? No, the Bible instructs Christian believers to “command and teach” that JESUS “IS THE SAVIOR OF ALL MEN, SPECIALLY OF THOSE THAT BELIEVE”!!! I didn't say that, God did! John Piper is a theological liar, adding to the Gospel of free grace, misleading people to think that they cannot be saved BY FAITH ALONE!!!
I often tell people that the hardest part about getting somebody saved is to first get them lost. Salvation requires submitting to the grace of God. We read in Romans 10:3-4, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” That's really what repentance and faith are, that is, submitting to God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ because you have judged yourself as being a guilty sinner.
Billy Graham (1918-2018) Gets This Passage Horribly Wrong
In Flushing Meadows Park, in Queens, New York City, June 25, 2005, Evangelist Billy Graham preached on the Scripture text: Mark 10:17-22. That is the story of the Rich Young Ruler! Look at the horrible misinterpretation given by Mr. Graham...The Rich Young Ruler, Revisited
...But he did the wrong thing. He walked away from eternal life because he loved his own comfortable life more than he loved the Savior. He didn't hate his own life. He didn't hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters who would have been scandalized if he had obeyed the Master, sold his possessions and left everything to follow Jesus.
That is what all of His disciples had done, as Peter said right after the rich young ruler had walked away sad, "See, we have left everything and followed you." And the Master commended him:
"Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life."
What did the rich young ruler ask for? Eternal life. And what did the Master tell him to do? Forsake everything and follow Him. What had all of His disciples done? They forsook everything and followed Him. What did He say they would receive? A hundredfold of what they gave up — and eternal life. And what did they and the 3000 receive who were saved on the day of Pentecost? A hundredfold of what they gave up — and eternal life. It says:
"All who believed were together and had all things in common ... they were of one heart and soul ... There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need."
That is the gospel, folks. And that is the way the church was when it was called "The Way," and that is the only way the church can be and still be the way. As the Master said:
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."
How many of you hate your life in this world? —The Rich Young Ruler, RevisitedPlease don't misinterpret this tricky passage. At a glance, since the disciples gave up everything to follow Christ, one might wrongly conclude (as does Billy Graham) that forsaking all is necessary to receive eternal life. But remember, eternal life is a “FREE GIFT,” and a gift cannot be earned. The conversation began on the topic of salvation, and then quickly followed to discipleship. Following Christ, forsaking home and family, is a matter of discipleship and not salvation. I KNOW THAT because of all the clear passages of Scripture in the Bible which teach us that salvation is a free gift, “not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8b).
Moreover, when asked by His disciples how any man could be saved in Mark 10:26, Jesus responded by saying: “WITH MEN IT IS IMPOSSIBLE”! Please don't miss that statement! That means even if the rich young ruler gave up all his wealth, he still couldn't have been saved. Do you know why? It is simply because NO HUMAN BEING has ever lived a perfect, sinless, life! Therefore, we MUST have a perfect Savior! ...
Mark 10:23-27, “And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 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! 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. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”John 1:12-13, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” The reason why rich people rarely get saved, is simply because they are proud and refuse to admit that they need a lowly carpenter from Nazareth as a Savior. The Bible teaches God has chosen the poor. James 2:5, “Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?” Poor people have nothing to lose, so to them Heaven sounds like a pretty good deal! I think so too!!!
Billy Graham preaches ANOTHER GOSPEL! It wasn't because the rich young ruler was unwilling to give up his comfortable life that he didn't get saved, but because he was trying to earn Heaven by KEEPING THE LAW! Jesus showed him that he hadn't perfectly kept the law, and was still hellbound in his sins, in need of salvation. I used to wonder why the Lord didn't just tell that young man to trust Him. But then I plainly witnessed the Gospel to a Roman Catholic neighbour a few dozen times over 5 years, but he still wouldn't let go of the Catholic mindset that doing good works is necessary to have eternal life. Then I realized why Jesus took the route that he did with that rich young ruler, because you cannot get a person saved, until you first GET THEM LOST!
Beware Of False Prophets Who Teach Righteousness By The Law
Here are Pastor John F. MacArthur's very own corrupt words . . .“The Gospel says, 'give your life to Christ and He rules' and if you're not willing to do that it's because you want to keep the rule of your own life. The rich young man wanted his own life for himself. He wanted to control his own life. He had his choice: sins, he had his choice, religion, and he wanted to hang onto control. It's that simple. Coming to Christ means you give up the control of your life, and you yield it to Christ. That's what kept him from salvation, he was unwilling to do that.” [emphasis added] —Kirk Cameron And John MacArthur On Salvation ( 4:51 in the video)LIES!!! Mr. MacArthur isn't even in the ballpark! I realize that no one is correct on everything, and we're all entitled to our own opinions, respectfully. However, when a false prophet perverts the Scripture to teach ANOTHER GOSPEL [2nd Corinthians 11:4], then it is every believer's duty to “earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3).
MacArthur's words are damnable heresy!!! MacArthur says:
“Coming to Christ means you give up the control of your life, and you yield it to Christ. That's what kept him from salvation, he was unwilling to do that.” —Kirk Cameron And John MacArthur On Salvation ( 4:51 in the video)The reason why the rich young man didn't get saved was NOT because he refused to yield to Christ, nor because he was unwilling to give up control of his life; it was because he couldn't get saved by keeping the Law, and Jesus was trying to open his eyes to see that fact. Dr. MacArthur is a very bad and incompetent Bible teacher, in my humble opinion!
Jesus Was Using the Law As a Measuring Stick, Not As a Plan of Salvation
The simple PURPOSE of God's Old Testament LAW is to show humanity that WE HAVE FAILED and WE NEED THE SAVIOR! Galatians 3:24-26, “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” The inspired Word of God can be simplified with two words: LAW and GRACE. If you understand that truth, then you'll never go astray in doctrine or the plan of salvation. The LAW shows us the problem, that all men are sinners; GRACE shows us the answer, which is salvation by grace through alone in Jesus Christ.The reason why the rich young man didn't get saved is because he was self-righteousness. He was trying to merit eternal life. Very few wealthy people are willing to admit that they cannot save themselves. Salvation requires enough humility to admit that we need Jesus as our Savior. Heaven can't be bought! Coming to Jesus Christ is a childlike step of faith by which one acknowledges: “I am a guilty, dirty, rotten, hell-deserving sinner, incapable of saving myself.” Every admitted sinner who believes on Jesus—the Christ, the only begotten Son of God—is saved (Romans 10:9-13). The rich young ruler was self-righteous, secure in his wealth, thinking he could save himself by fulfilling the Law of God.
God gave Israel the LAW, knowing that when they failed to obey it, “every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19b). Unfortunately, many of the Jews turned the law itself into a new false religion, that required keeping the law to get to Heaven. We see this in Acts 15:1, “And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” They were teaching a false Gospel, which the apostle Paul called: “ANOTHER GOSPEL” (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). They were still stuck on the LAW, failing to move on to GRACE! The purpose of God's law is to bring men to grace to be saved, but foolish men instead try to keep the law to be saved, but they CANNOT. This is exactly what the apostle Paul explains:
Galatians 5:1-3, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law.”Jesus Christ died on the cross to set all humanity free, “TO THEM THAT BELIEVE” (1st Corinthians 1:21b). But for those who add works (keeping the law) to grace, Christ's sacrifice becomes ineffective to save them, because of their woeful lack of faith! Partial faith in Christ plus human effort (e.g., turning away from sins) cannot produce the new birth! Paul says in Galatians 5:3 that a man trusting in circumcision to save him, is obligated to KEEP THE WHOLE LAW. I mean, if a man wants to go that route, trying to keep the law to merit eternal life, then he MUST KEEP ALL OF THE LAW!!! Since NO ONE has ever been able to keep God's law (“For all have sinned,” Romans 3:23a), NO ONE has ever been saved by keeping the law. Romans 3:20, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
That's the only reason the young rich man didn't get saved. It wasn't because he refused to deny himself or forsake his covetousness; but rather, because he was self-righteous and thought he could merit Heaven by his own works. Romans 4:5-6 clearly states: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” Amen!
Notice what the self-righteous young man asked Jesus in Matthew 19:16, “...Good Master, what good thing SHALL I DO, that I may have eternal life?” The young man didn't ask how he could possess eternal life. No, rather, he asked what THING I NEED TO DO. The young man was self-righteousness. Jesus used the Law to show the young man his wickedness. There was nothing he could do in his own self-righteousness to have eternal life. He needed Jesus as his Savior. Romans 3:19 and Galatians 3:24 plainly teach that the Law's purpose is only to show us our guilt of sin and need for a Savior.
MacArthur requires people to fulfil the Law as a prerequisite to faith in Christ, which is the heresy of works salvation. That is exactly what Kirk Cameron, Ray Comfort and John MacArthur are teaching. They all errantly teach that the rich young man should have forsaken his covetousness to be saved.
In sharp contrast, Romans 4:5-6, “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works.” Romans 3:20 plainly tells us that NO ONE is saved by keeping the law of God (and this includes the rich young ruler).
So why in the world does Ray Comfort, John MacArthur and other heretics on repentance teach that Jesus was presenting a plan of salvation to this rich young ruler? Jesus was trying to show this young man that he was an imperfect sinner, who hadn't kept the law as perfectly as he thought. This is necessary to being saved. Galatians 3:24-25 plainly teach us that the law is our SCHOOL MASTER, showing us how sinful we are, and then points us to THE SAVIOR for salvation!!! Ray Comfort and John MacArthur are still stuck on the schoolmaster and haven't made it to the Savior yet themselves.
Oh, that men would read the Bible and simply take it at face value. Romans 4:5-6 is so plain and clear in its teaching. A man's faith is COUNTED (imputed) for righteousness. Why? It's because God's righteousness is imputed (attributed) to us by faith. This is a vastly different Gospel than the perverted gospel (“another gospel,” 2nd Corinthians 11:3-4) of Ray Comfort and John MacArthur.
Jesus plainly taught in Luke 18:17 that a person must receive the kingdom of God as a little child in order to be saved. This is because a man must acknowledge that he is hopelessly lost in his own sins and cannot redeem himself. Thus, he needs Jesus Christ, Who is the Son of God.
The Biblical account of the young rich ruler has nothing to do with giving up one's love for money to be saved; but rather, realizing that salvation is solely of the Lord, and not by works of self-righteousness. The Apostle Paul addressed this matter at length in Romans 2:13-3:20. “For all have sinned” (Romans 3:23a). The rich young ruler foolishly thought he could earn his way to Heaven, which is why Jesus challenged him that he must forsake covetousness too!
Sadly, Ray Comfort, Billy Graham, John MacArthur and other false prophets, teach that Jesus was giving him a plan of salvation! They literally teach that the young man didn't get saved, because he refused to give up his earthly wealth. These FALSE TEACHERS all use the story of The Rich Young Ruler in a lame attempt to support their heresy of Lordship Salvation. The unsaved rich young man was trying to KEEP THE LAW to merit eternal life, which was a false plan of salvation, because NO ONE has ever perfectly obeyed all of the LAW. It is impossible, because all men are inherently sinful (by birth and by choice). MacArthur, Comfort, Graham—these ungodly men all try to use this true story of The Rich Young Ruler—to justify the Devil's lie of Lordship Salvation (which is nothing less than trying to keep the law to be saved).
Folks, I hope you are getting this, I really do. I know that there are literally THOUSANDS of internet preachers today, many corrupt, some good, and a whole lot of confused people! I encourage you to consider two words: LAW and GRACE! LAW shows humanity our problem, sin; GRACE shows us the answer, salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ! If you understand that GRACE is the exact opposite of LAW, then it becomes clear that you cannot combine the two, for to do so is ANOTHER GOSPEL!!! LAW is LAW, and GRACE is GRACE!
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