“Who then can be saved?” the disciples exclaim in Mark 10:26. Is salvation easy to obtain, or difficult? Jesus says, “With man this is impossible” (v. 27). And he says in another place, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:14).
Let us start from the beginning of the passage: “As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?'” (Mark 10:17). Characteristic of the Gospel of Mark, the verse maintains a sense of urgency and activity as the man ran to Christ, and then fell on his knees. There is a perturbing issue on his mind. He wants his answer desperately, and he knows he should seek it from Jesus. The man holds Jesus in high regard as a Jewish teacher, even kneeling before him as he approaches, not as an act of worship, but as an expression of respect.
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good – except God alone” (Mark 10:18-19). The reply perplexes many readers. While Jesus would accept worship (Matthew 14:33), now he appears to deny even goodness to himself. He cannot mean that he is sinful, or that he is only a mere man. As he says in one place, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” (John 8:46), and Hebrews 4:15 teaches that although he has been tempted in every way, he was without sin.
Rather than a direct statement of self-abasement, the reply could be an indirect claim to deity. He does not mean that since only God is good, then Jesus is not good; rather, since only God is good, then Jesus must be God. Only God is good, and any goodness attributed to men is relative and derived. How does this man apply goodness to Christ? Jesus’ reply exposes the man’s superficial idea of goodness, and this proves to be crucial to addressing his question.
Jesus continues, “You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother'” (v. 19). Some interpreters believe that he deliberately omits “You shall not covet” from the list of commandments in anticipation of the man’s defect (v. 22). But this is unlikely, because he also leaves out a number of other commandments, and he includes “Do not defraud” on the list, probably derived from Leviticus 19:13. Jesus is offering a summary of the commandments, and the exclusion of some commandments does not necessarily imply that those are the ones the man cannot keep. To paraphrase, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. Besides, you already know God’s commandments, right?”
The man answers, “All these I have kept since I was a boy” (v. 20). “That man possesses the ability to fulfill the commandments of God perfectly was so firmly believed by the rabbis that they spoke in all seriousness of people who has kept the whole Law from A to Z.”[1] He says that he has kept all the commandments, but the Bible tells us we should not believe him.
On another occasion, “an expert in the law” asks Jesus the same question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). When Jesus asks him to state his own interpretation of Scripture on the subject, he answers, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,” and, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 27). Jesus himself has summarized God’s law with these two commandments, and so he approves the answer.
However, no one can fulfill this requirement. For a person to measure up to the commandments, he must distort them to conform to his own limitations; otherwise, it would be impossible to keep them. Therefore, wanting “to justify himself,” the expert in the law asks, “And who is my neighbor?” (v. 29). If he can restrict the definition of neighbor, then it might become possible to fulfill the requirement. As Jesus says to the Pharisees, “You nullify the word of God by your tradition” (Mark 7:13).
From his false sense of goodness, the man calls Jesus good, and then claims that he himself has been good, that he has kept the commandments. Therefore, Jesus challenges the goodness that the man assigns to him. Jesus does not deny his own goodness, but he realizes that the man does not understand what he is saying when he calls him “good teacher.” Based on his entirely inferior notion of goodness, the man probably means that Jesus is one of the better teachers, or even the best one, but he does not think of him as God.
This view of Jesus is common. People say, Jesus was a good man, but he was nothing more. We reply, “Do you know what you are saying? Only God is good.” Their standard of goodness is so superficial that, even though they are deep in sin, they judge themselves to be good, and then they assign to Jesus the same kind of goodness. However, if only God is good, then his is the only standard of goodness, and we must make all judgments relative to this standard. When we do this, we perceive that humanity is not justified but condemned, and that their “righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
When a man holds to an inadequate concept of goodness, he deceives himself into thinking that humanity is essentially good. So he attempts to attain salvation by his works, that is, if he thinks he even needs salvation. As he continuously fails to keep God’s law, and his depraved nature comes crashing through, he distorts the commandments to make room for abortion, homosexuality, perjury, divination, cessationism, and all kinds of transgressions. If God’s law is too high for him, he will reinterpret the law to accommodate his evil nature. If God’s law exposes his sins, he will reinterpret the concept of sin to escape the condemnation. It is redemption by redefinition.
However, it is not up to man to define good and evil. God is the judge – it is his standard that we must satisfy, and it is to him that we must give account. Given that this is the case, the Bible declares, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and John writes, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Sin is a fair master, who always pays his wages, and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
Grace does not exclude the preaching of God’s law. As Paul explains, “Through the law we become conscious of sin” (Romans 3:20). Since sin is often considered an imaginary religious construction, and the conviction of sin a psychological disorder due to societal dysfunctions, Christians must make it clear that humanity has transgressed God’s standard and remains under condemnation. Man is a sinner. He is helpless and hopeless in himself. He needs a power other than himself to save him from destruction.
Machen wrote, “The true schoolmaster to bring men to Christ is found, therefore, now and always in the law of God – the law of God that gives to men the consciousness of sin. A new and more powerful proclamation of that law is perhaps the most pressing need of the hour…a low view of law always brings legalism in religion; a high view of law makes a man a seeker after grace.”[2] Christians often have it reversed: they think that a low view of law makes room for grace, and a high view of law is the basis of legalism. However, it is a low view of law that deceives man into thinking that he can meet its requirements, while a high view of law drives him to seek God’s mercy in desperation and humility.
Without a consciousness of sin, it is impossible for one to understand substitutionary atonement as the means of redemption. Since he cannot perceive the need for it, he cannot make sense of it. The man says, “Teacher, all these I have kept since I was a boy” (Mark 10:20). Jesus wishes to answer his question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” However, at this point the man’s thinking remains unfavorable to the doctrine of justification by faith.
The chief commandment and the summary of God’s law is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Therefore, a person who obeys God’s law would acknowledge God’s ownership of his whole life. Let us see, then, if this man would respond accordingly when he faces the demand to act on this commitment.
Jesus says to him, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Mark 10:21). The man is the one who asks Jesus for an answer. He is the one who calls Jesus a good teacher. Now that Jesus tells him to give away everything, does he act in accordance with God’s commandments, and acknowledge God’s claim to all that he has? His expression changes, and he leaves, unable to abandon his great wealth (v. 22).
Jesus responds, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (v. 23). The disciples are amazed at this statement. Their background has conditioned them to assume that God has especially blessed the rich. Indeed, the Bible contains many promises of prosperity for God’s people. However, it is often difficult for the rich to enter God’s kingdom, because their wealth has a strong grip on their thinking and devotion. Their money is their pride and security, and the lure of wealth causes some of them to do all sorts of immoral deeds. God becomes far from their thoughts. Luke 12:15 says, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
But then, Jesus adds, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!” (v. 24). Although wealthy people experience specific difficulties, Jesus now says all kinds of people can find it hard to enter the kingdom. Verse 25 says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples understand the implication, and now even more amazed than before, ask, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answers, “With man this is impossible.” A first step to understanding salvation is that man cannot achieve righteousness, and therefore man cannot attain salvation. The non-Christian is spiritually impotent and hostile, unable and unwilling to even cooperate with God.
However, not all are doomed to hellfire. This is the good news: “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (v. 27). Salvation is up to God, not man, because man is unable to enter. Jesus says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44). Thayer defines “draws” as “to draw by inward power, lead, impel,” or even “to drag off.”[3] God extends his grace to his chosen ones by dragging them to Christ with an irresistible inward summon. Therefore, a person’s faith in Christ – his coming to Christ for salvation – originates from God’s will and not the man’s will. God is the one who changes the will of his chosen ones so that they would believe in Christ; therefore, salvation is all of grace, and there is no basis for men to boast (Ephesians 2:9).
Jesus says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation.
Many people are offended at the exclusivism, and for this reason they dismiss the Christian faith. They declare that if we claim that only we are correct, then we must be wrong. Now truth and reason are no longer relevant, but openness and democracy are the standard for judgment. Nevertheless, they insist that only their inclusivism is correct, and that all who disagree are wrong. They are hypocrites, and stupid liars.
Then, there are those who claim that they do not denounce Christ, but acknowledge him as a “good teacher,” although they insist that he cannot be God or the only hope of mankind. However, these people are not closer to him than those who detest the very sound of his name, because Jesus says, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30). Their view does not support the Christian faith, but rejects its very foundation. It does not show respect for Christ, but commits blasphemy against him.
With Jesus Christ, it is either all or nothing. A person either confesses him as the Son of God or he does not, but Jesus is not merely a good teacher. As C. S. Lewis wrote, “Let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”[4] A person must either denounce the Christian faith as false and face us in fierce debate, and then endure torture in hellfire forever, or he must confess, “Jesus is Lord.”
“Who then can be saved?” The answer is that no one can attain salvation apart from God’s grace and power. Salvation comes from God alone. It does not depend on man’s will and effort, but on God’s choice and kindness. It depends on Christ’s redemptive work, and it was Christ’s deity that made this work sufficient and effective. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good? No one is good – except God alone.” We must either deny the goodness of Christ and damn our souls to hell, or confess the deity of Christ and be saved from our many sins. There is no middle place; there are no alternatives.
[1] Strack and Billerbeck: Kommentar zum Neuen Testament aus Talmud und Midrasch (1:814).
[2] J. Gresham Machen, What is Faith?; Carlisle, Pennsylvania: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1991 (original: 1925); p. 141-142.
[3] Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament; Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2002 (original: 1896); p. 204-205.
[4] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity; New York: Touchstone, 1996 (original: 1943); p. 56.