Sometimes we forget that salvation isn’t so much about what we do, as it is about what He does.
In Mark 10:17-22 we see a young man run up to Jesus, drop to his knees, and ask “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him to obey the commandments, and the young man says “Yes, I already do that.” Jesus does not argue with him. Instead, it says that he looked at him and loved him. This young man was a good young man. He was living a good life, following the rules the way he was supposed to. Jesus continues, “Go sell everything you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in Heaven; then come follow me.” The young man leaves “sad, for he had many possessions.”
The Apostles, seeing this exchange, despair “Then who can be saved?” Jesus replies, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.”
Let’s take a closer look at this story. The young man begins by asking Jesus a question that a lot of modern-day Christians are asking as well, “What must I do?” Do you see the problem? The position he is taking with the Lord is “how do I earn this inheritance? What can I do? Me, me, me.” That is not how this works.
It is a false start because it assumes that there is a rule book to follow and, if a person were to follow that rule book perfectly, they could somehow achieve their own salvation. Ultimately, that kind of thinking is about self righteousness. It is about us making ourselves righteous. It leaves little room for the Lord and is, instead, focused on what we are doing.
“They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. All things are possible for God.””
That is why Jesus’ words to the Apostles are so important. It is impossible for anyone to be saved apart from Jesus Christ. Only he makes our salvation possible. It is His work of salvation, and our cooperation with that work in our lives, that enables us to inherit eternal life.
It seems clear that, in the case of the young man of Mark 10, Jesus was not just asking the young man to give up his treasure. He was also asking him to put all his security in the Lord. He needed to give up the idea that somehow he could just “be a good person” himself to Heaven, and take a hold of the concept that it was only in and through Jesus that he would find security in this life or in the life to come.
I do not think there has ever been a period of Christian history where this story has not been challenging. God is calling us to let go of the things we place our trust in, and place our trust solely in Him. For some of us, that means we might need to give everything to the poor in order to follow him. For others, it might mean we need to give up our plans and open our hearts to His. And yet for others, it might mean letting go of an idea of faith that is based on the completion of a set of minimums, and embrace a faith that is based on a relationship with the living God. It is time to stop asking the Lord “what can I do” and start inviting him to do what only He can do.