Dear Pastor,
Greetings from me again!
I went through the 7 proofs of unconditional salvation by Greenville church and came across a very familiar passage. The rich young man is the epitome of worldly person succumbed to the riches and harlotry of the world even as the Lord alluded that it is easier for the camel to go through the eye of the needle. We were taught the rich young man is lost forever for the want of obedience towards the Lord. However, the expounded passage on the other hand mentioned this very young man is found in heaven with the Lord because the Lord loved him.
Very difficult fact to swallow. It is perfectly alright if a scoundrel who never seeks the Lord asking for salvation is lost through eternity. However how could a man came to the Lord and after been given advice chose to go his own way and then this person is to be found in heaven.
I write because I want to be doubly sure what I read in the 7 proofs are actually what I have read. No mistake in comprehension!
If indeed this young person has passed on to new life in heaven I have fulll of praises for the Lord. The Lord cares not for the outward disposition of the man. He expects obedience but yet he saves whom he has regenerated and chosen from eternity.
Praise Him...
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Dear Brother.
It is good to hear from you.
It is always good thing when we desire to be sure what the Bible says. Rightly dividing the word of truth gave great comfort and assurance of God's children. Truth alone set God's children free from fear and lies and deception.
Nothing can deprive God's children of their eternal life and glory in heaven. Everything needed for their eternal salvation has been purposed by the Father, accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ, and applied personally by the Holy Spirit. A child of God is kept and preserve in the state of grace unto eternal glory. Romans 8:29-30: " For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
Our eternal salvation/glory is absolute and totally and completely and solely by the gracious actions of God ALONE. This is EXACTLY the same for AS MANY AS He has foreknown... not one more and not one less. The elect are ABSOLUTELY PASSIVE with respect to their eternal salvation - they are completely passive in their justification before God, in their regeneration by the Spirit of God, their adoption into God's family, and their eternal glorification. Their eternal salvation has been FINISHED - completely accomplished and applied to each elect personally. In the case of salvation, man is utterly incapable of doing anything or contributing anything, and God does not requires man to do anything with respect to his eternal salvation.
However, the temporal salvation/well being of God's children varies greatly, because their temporal salvation is conditioned or dependent upon their obedient response to their Father's will. This is the salvation that God's children are commanded to work out for themselves with fear and trembling - "12 ¶ Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." God does requires, and He commands, His children to be active in working out their temporal salvation, to ensure that they live fruitful and blessed lives here on earth. God's children, if they are careless and negligence and unbelieving will become unfruitful and barren.
Apostle Peter exhorts the BRETHREN, "them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (2Pet 1:1) to do this:
5 ¶ And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
With these essential background, we come to the case of the rich young ruler.
The passage itself tells us a lot of things about this rich young ruler. (The mind of so many have been so conditioned that this passage teaches what Jesus tells the rich young ruler what he must do IN ORDER TO get eternal salvation... and because the young man did not respond to Christ's word, that young man is in hell now! Horror of horror. Such people believe that Jesus would tell those dead in trespasses and sins to do something in order to get eternal life! They have contradicted every statement of Scriptures on the total depravity and inability of man with regard to their eternal salvation. "Except a man be born again, he CANNOT... CANNOT... CANNOT." But those deluded folks insist that a man without eternal life can do something to get eternal life!)
Look at the passage and ask these questions:
1. "There came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life."
- What does this statement says about this man? Would a man dead in trespasses and sins do such a thing - reverence for Christ, interested in INHERITING eternal life. He didn't ask, what must I do to get eternal life - that's what so many think the an inquired about! And worse still, they make Jesus to teach THE HELLISH LIES that a man dead in trespasses and sins can do something to get eternal life! What a messed up theology - especially those who brand themselves as Reformed Baptists! They make Jesus to CONTRADICT His own words.
2. The young man KNEW and OBEYED the commandments of God. Jesus AFFIRMED that he knew the commandments. And the young man said that he kept the commandment (he didn't claim keeping it perfectly). Jesus, the all knowing God, did not refute his claim. The young man was truthful.
3. Jesus Christ LOVED the young man! The young man is an elect of God for whom Christ died, and is loved by Christ.
4. Jesus Christ, because He loved him, exhorted him to let go of the one OBSTACLE that hinder this child of God from his entering the kingdom of God. Please note CAREFULLY that the kingdom of God is not the same as heaven. Kingdom of God/heaven is contrasted to the earthly kingdom of Israel that the Jewish believers were familiar with. Christ has come to set up a new order, even the kingdom of heaven, and the God's children among the Jews are called to leave the earthly kingdom of Israel (of the old covenant) to enter the kingdom of heaven (the new order of the new covenant).
5. The young man was hindered by his riches to enter into the kingdom of God, thus depriving himself of the blessings of God to be had in the context of the kingdom of God... the gospel church kingdom.
6. Christ's reply to Peter's question is most revealing concerning the great BLESSING forfeited by unbelief of the young ruler.
"28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."
The young man couldn't let go of the riches, he put himself in a situation where he deprived himself of the real blessings in the kingdom of God... "he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions"... IN ADDITION TO the INHERITANCE of eternal life.
This rich man is vividly pictured in the parable of the sower: " 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful." Mt 13.
Eternal salvation is by God's FREE GRACE. Too many people do not understand the word FREE and GRACE anymore!
A salvation that requires us to do anything is temporal salvation, that which relates to our WELL-BEING as His children, NOT hat which relate to our BEING as God's children. The rich younger ruler is a child of God, but his love for the riches stumbled him, and deprived him of the blessings of fellowship and comfort in this life.
Free grace constrains our heart to love Him ALL THE MORE!
I hope the above help...
May His glorious name be magnified.
your brother and friend.
sing
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Pastor,
Thank you for the spiritual input. Since I left ... Church in May 2005, and other than the occasion of meeting with the Greenville's brethren in Dec 2007 couple with the LetGodbeTrue sermons I am so glad the precious words of God can be so enlightening, joyous and reassuring. Praise be to our God!
..... Praise the Lord all my soul!
