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given by Christ. How anyone can, without violence to context and conscience, preach as
a gospel message eternal life and eternal punishment from these two chapters of works
and law passes understanding. The Lord without ambiguity refers the young man to the
Law of Moses. The first commandment is that dealing with murder, it is the same in
Matt. 5: The second is the command concerning adultery, which is also the second in
Matt. 5: Other laws are instanced which come in a different order. To this the young
man replies:--
"All these have I kept from my youth up, what more do I want?"
The Lord did NOT say to the young man that he boasted of a false obedience, or
possessed a false righteousness. He acknowledged the young man's statement and bases
His added teaching upon it; and here we arrive once more at the pith of the sermon on the
mount:--
"Jesus said, If thou art willing to be PERFECT, go, sell thy possessions, and give to
the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come and follow Me" (Matt.
19: 21).
Aionian life was one thing, treasure in heaven another. The good thing required for
aionian life was obedience to the law of Moses. Perfection, however, came by the higher
law of Christ. He said, "I say unto you" that murder is in the heart of the man who
merely desires. This is the strait gate that few find. Many are going the easy road that
ends in the destruction of all their works, "saved so as by fire". When the disciples heard
that it was more difficult for a rich man to enter into the kingdom than for the camel to
pass through the eye of a needle, they expressed surprise. Both camel and rich man must
be unloaded before such entry is possible (The eye of a needle is the small door fixed in
the city gate and opened after dark). When Peter heard these things he said:--
"Behold, we have forsaken all and followed Thee: What shall we have therefore?"
(Matt. 19: 27).
Then comes the reply which links all these great passages together:--
"Ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in
the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel; and everyone that hath forsaken houses . . . . . inherit aionian life" (Matt. 19: 28,
29).
Our last passage is Matt. 18:, where the little child is set in the midst as the pattern:-
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"Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not ENTER into the
Kingdom of heaven" (verse 3).
Verse 8 uses the parallel expressions "enter into life" and "aionian fire".
Space is limited; much more might have been said in bringing out the underlying
harmony of all these passages. We write for "Bereans", and must leave the matter here.