Auto-generated Transcript:
Hello and welcome to another Five Good Minutes where I answer your theological questions in five minutes or less. Today’s question is this: If we are not saved by works, then why would Jesus say it’s hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
This question comes from Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler, as recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. To answer it, let’s look at Luke’s account in chapter 18: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” This man wants to be saved—he wants to live forever. Jesus knows exactly what he needs to understand: that he is not good.
In order to inherit eternal life, you must be good—perfect and righteous. So Jesus says, “Why do you call me good? There is no one good but God alone.” He says this to point out that only God is good, and this man isn’t. Jesus references several commandments: “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.” The Ten Commandments are God’s standard of what is right and wrong. To break any of them is sin.
If Jesus could show this man that he had broken even one commandment, the man would realize that he isn’t good—and that’s the entire point of the story. But the man pridefully replies, “All these I’ve done from my youth.” He saw himself as good. But remember, Jesus had just said, “No one is good but God alone.”
Then Jesus responds, “One thing you still lack: sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Come, follow me.” Is Jesus telling this man he can buy or sell his way to heaven? Of course not. He’s exposing the one sin he didn’t mention before: covetousness—something the rich ruler struggled with.
The man’s reaction was telling. Scripture says he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. Jesus then said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God. It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom.” Rich people, who often feel self-sufficient and in need of nothing, can struggle to recognize their spiritual need. They think they can earn heaven or make it their own way.
But the point of the story is this: the rich young ruler needed to understand that he was not good and that only God is good. He needed the grace of God—not his wealth, not his goodness—to inherit eternal life. Eternal life is not something you can earn or work for. It is only given as a gift of grace.
Even if you kept God’s law 99.9% of the time but failed at one point, you’d still be guilty. As James 2:10 says, “Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”
So if you think you are good because of how you live, you’re likely measuring yourself against others. But on judgment day, you won’t be compared to others—you’ll be measured against God’s perfect standard. And only God is good. We are not.
And this has been another Five Good Minutes.