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!”
SOURCE: George
Whitefield -
Rich Young Ruler
What 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 Harry Ironside (1876-1951)
Gets This Passage Horribly Wrong
In
his commentary for Luke 18:18-30, Dr. Ironside says that the rich young
ruler didn't get saved because he was too consumed with his money. He says
that God was testing this young man, to see what he would do. No, that is
not what the Lord was trying to teach this young men! There was no test at
all! Jesus simply used the LAW the way God intended for it to be used—as a
measuring-stick, to show the rich young ruler that despite all his boasting
of his own goodness—he was still covetousness, and had not perfectly kept
the LAW of God. ...
“The Lord Jesus tested
this young man in this way, “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.” Did He mean that the way to obtain eternal
life is by giving everything one possesses to the poor? Not at all; but
He was testing this young man, who was egotistic and self-satisfied.
Certainly there was nothing to be said against his moral character, but
his life had been a selfish life; he had vast possessions; he had great
riches, and men and women were living in poverty all about him; yet he
continued to go on as he was and did not realize that God had entrusted
him with this wealth that he might use it for Him. If God entrusts
wealth to you, He makes you a steward, and you are to use your riches to
the glory of God and to the blessing of mankind.
If we fully surrender
our lives and our possessions to the Lord Jesus we shall not be
concerned about ourselves; we shall be concerned about the needs of
others, and our one object will be to glorify the One who has redeemed
us. So the test here is, will you let Christ be Lord
of your life? We read that when the ruler heard these words
he was very sorrowful, for he had great possessions, and he turned away.
He did not meet the test which the Lord put to him. He
refused the path of subjection to Christ. Many have taken the
same course. ...It is not wrong to be rich, but it is a terrible thing
if riches keep you out of heaven. God giveth us richly all things to
enjoy, but it is a catastrophe if one becomes so occupied with earthly
treasure that he misses the path of eternal life as this man did. “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 difficult
for one who has plenty of this world’s goods to realize his need and to
come to God as a poor, poverty-stricken sinner. [emphasis added]
SOURCE:
https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/isn/luke-18.html
WRONG! Jesus was not giving this young man a plan of
salvation. He certainly wasn't trying to lead him to follow Him as Lord,
when the young man wasn't even saved yet! Remember dear reader, back at the
beginning in verse 18, the rich young ruler asked Jesus: “what shall I do
to inherit eternal life?” So this entire conversation is all about
salvation; and not following Christ as Lord, or a test of loyalty, or
enhancing the quality of one's eternal life, or turning away from sins
(reformation), nor any other junk theology. This passage is strictly about
getting saved. Jesus used the LAW as it was intended to be used, as a
measuring-stick, to show the rich young ruler that he was a guilty and needy
sinner; to show him that he had not perfectly kept the LAW of God as he
confidently claimed. Romans 3:20, “For by the law in the knowledge of
sin...”
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.”
SOURCE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA4Zv8o3NbI ( 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 Scriptures 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).
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 the works of the 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.”
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.”
SOURCE: Pastor John
Piper; graduation speech titled: 'Remember
The Rich Young Man,' June 2009
What 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?
SOURCE:
The Rich Young Ruler, Revisited
Please 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]
SOURCE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA4Zv8o3NbI
(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.”
SOURCE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DA4Zv8o3NbI
(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. ...
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 oppossite 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!
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 liberal
pastor John MacArthur, horribly butcher 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. 
