What do I have to do to get eternal life?
This was the question asked by a wealthy young man who came to Jesus for advice.
Matthew 19:16-22 “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” [Jesus] said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, ”If you want to be complete, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
This was more than just a casual question. He really wanted eternal life (don’t you?), and he didn’t know how to get it. Jesus told him the secret to eternal life, but he went away without it, and the question we ask is, “Why?” What happened? The explanation’s actually in the story:
We find that this man had kept God’s commandments ever since he was a little boy, but something was still missing in his life, and he knew it. He wanted to live forever, and he was certain that he was missing out. He knew that if he died, he would be lost.
So he asked, “what do I still lack?”
Jesus answers him: “If you really want eternal life (“if you want to be complete”), here’s what you have to do: Go, sell what you have, give to the poor, and come, follow Me.”
The man’s “stuff” was a barrier between him and God, and Jesus put His finger right on his central problem. But this was not the answer he wanted, so he went away. He was sad, but he left anyway, without eternal life.
Why did he walk away?
It wasn’t important enough to him.
1. Jesus expected him to change his life completely and start over–”sell what you have, and give it to the poor”. The things this man had were his prison; like sex is a prison for some, drugs is a prison for some, hate is a prison for others, and so on–with this man, it was his possessions. When you turn away from the things that are your prison, you can be free. This change is known in the Bible as repentance (turning from evil, whatever its form, and turning to God).
2. Jesus expected him to make a permanent, full commitment of his life (“Come, follow me…”). This is what truly brings eternal life. It’s not enough to know you’ve been wrong, lived a sinful life, and been imprisoned by your sin. You have to turn from your sin to God and to Jesus Christ, and choose to follow Him with all your heart. From the point of that choice, He determines your path, what you have, and how you live.
Evidently the man to whom Jesus was speaking didn’t want eternal life that badly, because he walked away. So, looking at this from our perspective, what did Jesus really want the man to do? What does this mean to us?
1. Jesus wanted this man to decide what was truly important in his life–was it his money ( you can fit literally anything in this slot), or was it eternal life?
2. Jesus wanted him to make a life-choice, not just “do something.” The man’s question was, “What good thing shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ implied answer was, “There is no ‘good thing.’ You don’t earn eternal life with some gift or some deed. I give it as a gift to my followers, and to nobody else.”
Therefore, If YOU want eternal life, you must turn from your sins, turn to Jesus Christ, and follow Him with all your heart.
Of course, when Jesus’ disciples heard this interchange, they said, ”we’ve left everything and followed you; what shall we have?”
Jesus response: ”there is nobody who’s left his home, money, business, or family for my sake and followed me, who won’t get much more in this life, and in the life to come, eternal life.”
What Jesus said to His disciples brings into focus what this means for you:
It means a complete change. You have to choose eternal life because you want it more than anything. This is often called repentance in the Bible, because it means to “make a 180-degree turn”–away from everything that keeps you from God and His Son, and TO Jesus Christ;
Then, it means following Jesus Christ every day, doing His will, and obeying His commands.
So…(You ask)…How Do I do this? Here’s how:
You go to God in prayer, and in prayer, you turn away from everything that keeps you from God (and here, God will interact with you, and show you what those things are: lying, cheating, stealing, sexual sins, hatred, anger, malice, murder, drugs, etc.; whatever your particular brand of sin is; you should name these things, as far as you know them). Then, in prayer, you make a formal, final commitment to Jesus Christ, to follow Him for the rest of your life.
Here is a prayer you might pray (You can even pray silently; God knows what your heart is saying):
Dear God, I come to you right now because I need eternal life; I now turn from everything that keeps me from you, and I turn to you with my whole heart. I give myself completely to you, and to your Son, Jesus Christ, and I will follow You for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Remember, Jesus Christ is the way to God, and to eternal life (John 14:6), so you must make your commitment to Him, not just “to God” in general.
If you prayed this prayer, and you would like some guidance, please write; additionally, if you have questions, please write me. I am open to all questions.
