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“A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18

“What must I do?” Isn’t this the cry of us all? Being good enough. Doing enough good. The general consensus of our day (and of humanity throughout history) is that we just have to reach that “good-over-bad” tipping point. But it’s always set against our own standards, so it’s all relative, isn’t it? (“I’m not a murderer.” Or, “I’m not as bad as Hitler.” Or even, “My neighbor is a lot worse than I am.”) So, we do and work and climb toward eternal reward.

That’s why life is so exhausting—all that doing. Religious systems around the world put forth gigantic to-do lists so that their followers can climb their way to the respective definitions of heaven. All these paths (and the self-subscribed ones) involve our own efforts to earn our spot. But how will we know? What “standard” are we pursuing? Friend, the standard is perfection. To bask in eternity with our Creator—the perfect, infinitely holy God—He demands complete righteousness. Not “more good than bad”—but only right and good. Not one lie or mean thought or stolen minute. So, can any of us ever do enough to accomplish this?

When the rich young ruler approached Jesus with the question at hand (Luke 18:18-27; Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27), Jesus responded by laying out the law to the man (which the man knew well). But Jesus didn’t do this to confirm that rule-following was the way to go. No! Jesus was emphasizing that it is impossible to perfectly keep the standards of God—despite the fact that the man claimed to do so. (Oh, how self-righteous and self-deceived he was…and we are.) What was the action step Jesus gave the man instead? Jesus told him, “Follow Me.” No to-do list…just the surrender of self and his accompanying self-righteousness. (Note: Jesus instructed the ruler to sell all he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him. But Jesus was proving the point that the ruler wanted to do life his own way and hold onto the false belief that eternal life was his to earn himself.)

See, this question asked by the ruler—and by each one of us—is the wrong question. It’s not, “What must I do?” but “What must be done?” Because of sin, we are all born into this world separated from God. Reconciliation with God (the way to eternal life) is more costly than we could ever pay (or do) in a thousand lifetimes. (Now you get why reincarnation is a thing!) But Jesus paid the price—He did what we could not do—and made the way. And it is a gift (Romans 4:4-5). Grace (getting what we don’t deserve).

Good Friday is almost here…let’s look at the thieves on the cross hanging next to Jesus. One of these (very bad) men believed Jesus was who He said He was. This man put his faith in the King of kings. And Jesus promised he’d be with Him in Paradise on that very day (Luke 23:43). What did that guy do? Go to church? Tithe? Serve on a mission trip? No! He believed—he surrendered to the King.

So, as Easter morning dawns (the most magnificent celebration in the history of humanity), do you recognize Jesus for who He is and what He did on your behalf? Do you believe it? And more importantly, have you surrendered to Him your will, your work, your self-obtained righteousness? Will you take the path of the thief—and not the rich young ruler—and follow Him as Lord and Savior? Let this Easter be the time when you stop asking, “What must I do” and rest in the glorious assurance that it’s been done on your behalf—“it is finished” (John 19:30).

“Lord, I cannot fathom the price You paid for me. You didn’t just take the penalty I deserve and owe, but You also exchanged Your righteousness for my unrighteousness, making a way for me to spend eternity with You in heaven. It is not what I could ever do…it’s what You’ve done. Thank You!

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life