And a ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 18:18
This is a reasonable question for a searching mind to ask, even if it is somewhat misguided. Jesus knew the heart of the person who was asking, however, and when we read the full story we discover that the question the rich young ruler was really asking was, “What’s the price of admission to heaven?”
An inheritance, by definition, isn’t something you can buy – it isn’t a transaction you complete; it comes from a relationship you are born into.
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. Micah 7:18
Micah clearly understood what it meant to inherit the eternal presence of God. It was not received through anything that was done on a human level, but through all that God had done. He pardons. He passes over. Inheritance flows downward – it has nothing to do with our character and everything to do with His.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. Romans 8:16–17
Our inheritance comes through sonship (or daughtership), given to us by our Father as heirs of His kingdom. It is promised to us by way of the new covenant (Heb 9:11-15) and sealed in guarantee by the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). And here’s where the promise gets even better. Every earthly inheritance is subject to loss of some kind, whether in taxes, fees, depreciation, or being divided up among heirs. Whatever is received is never the whole, and over time even that will gradually diminish. For the child of God, however, we have ‘an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven…’ and guarded by God (1 Pet 1:4). We get 100% of the glorious, heavenly goodness of God!
So, what must we do to inherit eternal life? The honest answer is: nothing — and everything. Nothing in the sense that we cannot earn or purchase what is freely given by grace. Everything in the sense that we’re invited into a relationship — to become children, heirs, recipients of mercy that pardons and never lets go.
The ruler walked away sad because he was looking for a transaction. But the gospel doesn’t offer a transaction – it offers adoption into the family of God.
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