“SOUL-SANITIZING WASH”

20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?”

Matthew 19:20

Every bona fide Christian understands that God's forgiveness is not achieved by personal effort. Instead, it is given by means of the grace of God, received through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The truth is, even those who believe in works-based salvation have a huge void in their hearts and, quite frankly, an unconquerable dilemma.

Let’s conclude this lesson. Jesus is talking to a rich young ruler, inquiring about inheriting eternal life. The Lord gave him a challenge, i.e., the man’s obedience to six of the Ten Commandments. The man claimed to have been keeping them since childhood.

Today’s text reveals that despite the man’s claim to perfect adherence with the Law, he still felt that something was missing. As such, he somehow sensed that he needed to do more to receive God’s approval. Given that the Law of Moses was the standard of righteousness at the time, people still did not have the assurance of God’s justification.

While this man claims to be compliant with the Law, God’s word explicitly says that good deeds, on their own, are not enough to attain true righteousness (Isaiah 64:6).

In the midst of all this, the Lord Jesus feels nothing but compassion for the man.

21 “And Jesus, looking at him, loved him…”

Mark 10:31

The Bible says that God is rich in mercy. This timeless truth is demonstrated by the Lord Jesus’ compassion for this rich, young ruler. Since we cannot see what is in the man’s heart, we can’t really judge him for desiring this conversation with the Lord.

We should feel the same way for those who do not walk with the Lord, including those who have an unbiblical view of justification. Our job is not to judge them but to extend God’s mercy and grace to them. Relying on good deeds alone is never enough. We must admit the fact that we are like unclean rags before God; we need a good soul-sanitizing wash from the blood of the Lamb.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Peter Orsel on Unsplash