How Shall I Inherit Eternal Life?
Door Jim Cooper
There are two places in the New Testament where people - not disciples - approach the Lord and ask Him straight out, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"
One occurs in the Gospel of Luke:
"And behold, a certain laywer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25).
The other occurs in the Gospel of Mark:
"Now as He was going out on the road, one came running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, "Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17).
Jesus answers these two people with answers that are quite famous. In his answer to the lawyer, he said:
1. Love the Lord
2. Love your neighbor
3. And just in case you don't know who your neighbor is, here's the parable of the "Good Samaritan."
In his answer to the rich young man, he said:
1. Love the Lord.
2. Love the neighbor (but with a little more detail)
3. Follow the commandments
4. Then shun worldly things.
5. Be kind to others
6. And, most importantly, do this because of Me.
Taken together, these two incidents lay out four principles of life in the world that, if followed, will prepare us for eternal life in heaven.
The first principle: Believe that the Lord is God.
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:14-17).
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:66-69).
"The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human; and without this no mortal could have been saved; and those are saved who believe in Him." (True Christian Religion 2).
The second principle: Stop focusing on the things of the natural world; stop allowing your hereditary evils and your proprium to lead you.
"So Jesus answered and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time; houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.' " (Mark 10:29-30).
Anyone unacquainted with the internal sense of the Word will think that house , brothers , sisters , father , mother , wife , children , and fields mean house, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, and fields. But the meaning here is this The kinds of things present in a person which are properly his own must be forsaken by him, and instead of these, spiritual and celestial things which are the Lord s must be received by him. This change is effected by means of temptations, which are meant here by persecutions'. Anyone can see that if he forsakes his mother he is not going to receive mothers, nor likewise to receive brothers and sisters by forsaking these. (Arcana Coelestia 4843).
In Luke, Jesus said to the young ruler, You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, then you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me. In the internal sense these words mean that everything completely a person's own, which consists of nothing but evil desires and false ideas, ought to be alienated from him, for such desires and ideas are meant by 'all that he has', and then he will receive from the Lord good desires and true ideas, which are 'treasure in heaven'. Arcana Coelestia 5886 [5].
The Third Principle: Do good works, be kind to each other.
(Luke 10:25-29) "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" So he answered and said, " You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. " And He said to him, "You have answered rightly; do this and you will live." But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
To answer this key question, the Lord told the parable of the good Samaritan.
Your neighbor is not someone of your family, town, or race. Everyone is your neighbor and deserving of your care.
God does good in the world through us! Our care for the neighbor is HIS care for the neighbor. Just as He uses us to create new angels, He uses us to do good in the world.
The Fourth Principle: Take up the cross and follow Him, that is, endure in temptations, and do this things not for yourself, but because He has asked it of you.
(Matthew 25:34-46) "Then the King will say to those on His right hand, Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You? And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. If you do these things, the reward will be great."
Just four principles.
Mark 11
1
And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples,
2
And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.
3
And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither.
4
And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him.
5
And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt?
6
And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go.
7
And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him.
8
And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way.
9
And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
10
Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
11
And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
12
And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13
And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
14
And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
15
And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16
And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17
And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
18
And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
19
And when even was come, he went out of the city.
20
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21
And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26
But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
27
And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders,
28
And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?
29
And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
30
The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.
31
And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?
32
But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.
33
And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
