25 And
behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall
I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He
said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your
reading of it?” 27 So
he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as
yourself.’ ” 28 And
He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and
you will live.”
Commentary
Preamble: Before we begin one must understand that in the N.T. a lawyer is always referring to one who is very skilled and knowledgeable (i.e. is an expert) in the Law of God as the Jews applied it. And thus, they knew not only the Law of God as a scribe did, but also, they were considered experts in the large body of written interpretation surrounding it, (that the Jews held on par with it), and thus they were often looked upon to resolve difficult issues surrounding everyday life situations. Now the only N.T. exception of this is in Titus 3:13 where Zenas the lawyer was a likely a Gentile, and thus an expert in Roman civil law, not the Jews religious law.
And so it was, that as Jesus was speaking a lawyer who had been listening to Him, obviously being moved by His Word, than spoke up and asked Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” vs. 25 Now the lawyers question to Jesus is essentially the same as the rich young rulers was, in that both wanted to know what they must do to inherit eternal life, that is earn it for themselves, which fundamentally is a wrong premise to begin with, for nobody can earn eternal life for themselves, they must receive it as a gift from God by faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). That said, Jesus takes the man’s question, and then asks him for his understanding of the law, saying to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” Now Jesus does this not to receive an answer per say, but rather to have the man owns understanding bring him to the place of grace. That’s the whole point, to get the man to see His own need for Him and His mercies from God through Him.
However when the lawyer heard that, he confidently asserted two passages from the law, saying to Jesus: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Citing then passages from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, respectively. Two passages which can never justify us, because no has ever loved God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, nor do people always love their neighbors as themselves. Therefore, in the lawyer we see the fundamental error of every person and practice which seeks to be justified by God by their own works or “merits” through it, (consider Rom. 10:1-4). And yet, the Scripture warns and reveals throughout it that no one can be saved by their own works of the Law (Deut. 26:26; Lev. 18:5; Hab. 2:4; Gal. 3:10-14 etc.). For through the Law there is only the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). Thus the Law reveals what we are, and what we have been, and that is sinners who have broken and violated it, and thus people in need of salvation, incapable of redeeming or saving ourselves from God’s wrath and judgment that comes upon all who fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:19-28). For to be justified by God through the Law means that one must be on par with God in righteousness, holiness and blamelessness, something that no one is, or can be, because of our own inherited sin nature from Adam, which places us all under sin, and thus under the wrath and judgment of God. That said God did not give the Law to condemn us, but rather to reveal to us all what we are because of sin dwelling in us, and thus through the Law bring us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 3:22-25) who has made the Everlasting Atonement for us all by which we can now be reconciled and restored too Him when we believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus it is not the Law and ones obedience to it that justifies one in the sight of God, (for to fail in one point of the Law is to be guilty in all, James 2:10) rather it is only by having our faith in God’s Son the Lord Jesus Christ and His obedience to God the Father in fulfilling it all for us all that we stand justified in the sight of God, because we have placed our faith and trust in Him alone. For it is only by the principal of substitutionary death, established in the Law, that we have not only the atonement for all our sins and transgressions; which is required by God that sin be atoned for by the shedding of blood before there is remission of it (Heb. 9:22); but we also through Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the dead three days after His Crucifixion death now have new and everlasting life the moment we believe in Him (Eph. 1:13-14).
For it is only by Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross that we can have remission of all our sins and everlasting life the moment we believe in Him. For it is only by Jesus Christ’s suffering death on the Cross and then three days later Rising from the dead to new and everlasting life that we also receive new and everlasting life, by His Holy Spirit which indwells us the moment we believe in Him (Acts 2:38-39; 10:34-43). Therefore, it is by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Righteousness, which is God’s Righteousness, which alone attains to the glory of God, that we are justified in the sight of God when we put our faith in Him and trust what He has done for us, and do not trust in what we are, or what we have done, or try to do, to either save ourselves, or justify ourselves in the sight of God (see Phil. 3:3-11, vs. 7-9).
Now returning to the passage, therefore, when Jesus heard how the lawyer responded correctly according to the Law; and yet he had not understood his own sinfulness and ability to do just what the Law requires of all who seek eternal life for themselves by their own works through it, Jesus responded by saying to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” Now when Jesus said that to him, the lawyer should’ve seen that he had not done, nor could he do all that was required, therefore he should’ve responded to Jesus by saying something like: Lord though I want to, I cannot for I am a sinful man, thus in acknowledging his own failings and throwing himself on the mercies of God, the man would’ve found the eternal life he was looking for. Instead as we will see in the next blog post he in wanting to justify himself will only ask Jesus’, “And who is my neighbor?” Thus, evading the pressing issue which is for us all our own sinfulness and failings before God.
Scripture Quotations
Commentary
Preamble: Before we begin one must understand that in the N.T. a lawyer is always referring to one who is very skilled and knowledgeable (i.e. is an expert) in the Law of God as the Jews applied it. And thus, they knew not only the Law of God as a scribe did, but also, they were considered experts in the large body of written interpretation surrounding it, (that the Jews held on par with it), and thus they were often looked upon to resolve difficult issues surrounding everyday life situations. Now the only N.T. exception of this is in Titus 3:13 where Zenas the lawyer was a likely a Gentile, and thus an expert in Roman civil law, not the Jews religious law.
And so it was, that as Jesus was speaking a lawyer who had been listening to Him, obviously being moved by His Word, than spoke up and asked Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” vs. 25 Now the lawyers question to Jesus is essentially the same as the rich young rulers was, in that both wanted to know what they must do to inherit eternal life, that is earn it for themselves, which fundamentally is a wrong premise to begin with, for nobody can earn eternal life for themselves, they must receive it as a gift from God by faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9). That said, Jesus takes the man’s question, and then asks him for his understanding of the law, saying to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” Now Jesus does this not to receive an answer per say, but rather to have the man owns understanding bring him to the place of grace. That’s the whole point, to get the man to see His own need for Him and His mercies from God through Him.
However when the lawyer heard that, he confidently asserted two passages from the law, saying to Jesus: “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Citing then passages from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, respectively. Two passages which can never justify us, because no has ever loved God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, nor do people always love their neighbors as themselves. Therefore, in the lawyer we see the fundamental error of every person and practice which seeks to be justified by God by their own works or “merits” through it, (consider Rom. 10:1-4). And yet, the Scripture warns and reveals throughout it that no one can be saved by their own works of the Law (Deut. 26:26; Lev. 18:5; Hab. 2:4; Gal. 3:10-14 etc.). For through the Law there is only the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). Thus the Law reveals what we are, and what we have been, and that is sinners who have broken and violated it, and thus people in need of salvation, incapable of redeeming or saving ourselves from God’s wrath and judgment that comes upon all who fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:19-28). For to be justified by God through the Law means that one must be on par with God in righteousness, holiness and blamelessness, something that no one is, or can be, because of our own inherited sin nature from Adam, which places us all under sin, and thus under the wrath and judgment of God. That said God did not give the Law to condemn us, but rather to reveal to us all what we are because of sin dwelling in us, and thus through the Law bring us to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 3:22-25) who has made the Everlasting Atonement for us all by which we can now be reconciled and restored too Him when we believe in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus it is not the Law and ones obedience to it that justifies one in the sight of God, (for to fail in one point of the Law is to be guilty in all, James 2:10) rather it is only by having our faith in God’s Son the Lord Jesus Christ and His obedience to God the Father in fulfilling it all for us all that we stand justified in the sight of God, because we have placed our faith and trust in Him alone. For it is only by the principal of substitutionary death, established in the Law, that we have not only the atonement for all our sins and transgressions; which is required by God that sin be atoned for by the shedding of blood before there is remission of it (Heb. 9:22); but we also through Jesus Christ’s Resurrection from the dead three days after His Crucifixion death now have new and everlasting life the moment we believe in Him (Eph. 1:13-14).
For it is only by Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross that we can have remission of all our sins and everlasting life the moment we believe in Him. For it is only by Jesus Christ’s suffering death on the Cross and then three days later Rising from the dead to new and everlasting life that we also receive new and everlasting life, by His Holy Spirit which indwells us the moment we believe in Him (Acts 2:38-39; 10:34-43). Therefore, it is by the Lord Jesus Christ and His Righteousness, which is God’s Righteousness, which alone attains to the glory of God, that we are justified in the sight of God when we put our faith in Him and trust what He has done for us, and do not trust in what we are, or what we have done, or try to do, to either save ourselves, or justify ourselves in the sight of God (see Phil. 3:3-11, vs. 7-9).
Now returning to the passage, therefore, when Jesus heard how the lawyer responded correctly according to the Law; and yet he had not understood his own sinfulness and ability to do just what the Law requires of all who seek eternal life for themselves by their own works through it, Jesus responded by saying to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” Now when Jesus said that to him, the lawyer should’ve seen that he had not done, nor could he do all that was required, therefore he should’ve responded to Jesus by saying something like: Lord though I want to, I cannot for I am a sinful man, thus in acknowledging his own failings and throwing himself on the mercies of God, the man would’ve found the eternal life he was looking for. Instead as we will see in the next blog post he in wanting to justify himself will only ask Jesus’, “And who is my neighbor?” Thus, evading the pressing issue which is for us all our own sinfulness and failings before God.
Scripture Quotations
New King James Version (1982): Thomas Nelson
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