CHRISTIAN ETHOS IN ACTION – “So He 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.” Matthew 19:17.
The phrase “if you”, as it applies to you (and me) as a disciple of Jesus, appears one hundred twenty-four times in the English Standard Version (ESV) of the New Testament.
First, we will be confronted with various situation and circumstances from the Bible and, we will discover how we are to respond in these examples. Secondly, I have personalized (rephrased) our study verses for you to memorize. By this, we can bring the Gospel to life as we go and defeat sin along our way.
Today we, as Christians, are confronted with questions about how we should deal with matters such as goodness, God, entering into life, the commandments, finding perfection, and following Jesus.
“And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”
And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
He said to him, “Which ones?” And 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 mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Matthew 19:16-21)
REPHRASED and personalized to memorize:
And he said to me, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”
I ask Jesus, “Which ones?” And 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 mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
I ask Him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus says to me, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
BEING POSSESSED
In these verses, the ‘rich young ruler’, after talking to Jesus, “went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions”. Apparently, this young man could not fathom becoming destitute on Jesus’ account.
This was and is not about possessions. It is about being possessed. This young man was possessed by his wealth. Wealth and possession was his calling, his mission on earth and his master.
What is your calling, mission and master?
“For the gate is narrow, and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:14.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Discover more from Whitestone Fellowship
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
