Section 2: The Sense of Christ's Answer

Now the great and important question comes naturally into sight: In what sense did our Savior speak these words to the young inquirer, If you will enter into life keep the commandments? Did He design to give him a plain and direct answer how he might obtain eternal life and salvation, according to the Gospel? Or did He design only to convince him of sin, by preaching the Law to him, in order to make him see his guilt and misery, that he might seek after a better righteousness than that of the works of the law, another way of obtaining acceptance with God and eternal life, than merely by his doings?

I answer, the last of these seems to be the design of Christ. He did not intend in these words to give him immediate and direct instruction, how he might actually obtain salvation, but rather first to convince him of sin, etc. and I would offer these following reasons for it.

1. Reason. The answer of Christ is exactly suited to his question. Now his question was about eternal life to be obtained by works, and not about the salvation of a sinner by the mercy of God. He did not ask, as the convinced Jailer, Acts 16:30. What shall I do to be saved, or to obtain salvation? But What good work must I do to obtain eternal life by it?

It is granted that eternal life is sometimes put for the final happiness of believers under the Gospel, because it is included in the salvation of Christ; yet life and eternal life are peculiarly and properly the blessings promised in the Law of Works, in which sense the word salvation is never used; and the Scripture in some places by this way of expression makes this distinction evident. See the terms of the Law or Covenant of Works, both in its command and its reward, as it is described in direct opposition to the Gospel, and method of salvation, in Romans 10:5, 6. Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, that the man who does these things shall live by them; whereas the righteousness of faith (that is the way of justification and acceptance with God by the Gospel) says quite other things, If you shall believe and confess Christ, etc. So Saint Paul describes the promised blessings of the Law of Works in the same manner in his Epistle to the Galatians, Galatians 3:12. The law is not of faith, but the man who does them shall live in them. Life is still the word of the promise. And in Romans 2:6, 7. where the Apostle is properly preaching the Law of Works with the terms of it, it is called Immortality, Eternal Life, to be obtained by continuance in good works or well-doing.

It is this eternal life and immortality which was implied in the Covenant of Works which God made with Adam. If he ate the forbidden fruit he should die; but if he observed the commands of God, he should live; and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden was a symbol or sacrament of life and immortality to seal this promise to man, if he continued in his obedience to God.

Our Lord therefore gives an answer exactly according to the question, What good thing shall I do for eternal life? says the inquirer. Keep the commandments, says our Lord. When the young man proposes his question about final happiness in the terms and language of the Covenant of Works, our Lord gives an answer in the same language. If you will obtain life by doing works, these are the works which you must do, even the works of the moral law.

2. Reason. I suppose Jesus Christ the chief Minister of the Covenant of Grace would not give this direction to obtain the salvation and benefits thereof, because it is the most direct answer which a preacher of the Covenant of Works could give to this same inquiry; If you will enter into life keep the commandments. And this is very different from the terms of justification and salvation by the Gospel, which exclude the works of the law, as the way to pardon and justification, and refer us to Faith in Jesus Christ. See Galatians 3:11, 12. Romans 10:5, 6. already cited. Is it not most expressly asserted, that by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified? Romans 3:19, 20. Are not these works perpetually excluded by the blessed Apostle, whensoever he is describing the mere method of grace and salvation, or the means for a sinner to obtain his acceptance with God unto eternal life? See Romans 4:4. To him that works the reward is not reckoned of grace but of debt: But to him that works not but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly (that is the man who has no works of righteousness answerable to any law) his faith is counted for righteousness. Galatians 2:16. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Christ, etc. See Galatians 3:8, 12.

And it is plain, that it is not merely the Law of Levitical Ceremonies that the Apostle speaks of, when he excludes the works of it from our justification, for it is also that law which is written by nature in the hearts and consciences of the Gentiles, Romans 2:14, 15. It is the law that forbids stealing and adultery, Romans 2:21, 22. The law that forbids coveting, Romans 7:6, 7. even this very law, and those commandments which our Savior makes mention of in my text. It is by the works of this law no flesh shall be justified, no man shall be saved, or obtain eternal happiness, Romans 3:20. Now can we suppose that Christ, the great Messenger of God to sinful man, and the Prophet of the Gospel or Covenant of Grace, would give the very same advice and direction to a sinner how to obtain salvation, which a preacher of the law, or a zealot for the Covenant of Works, would give to one who thought himself righteous, and never confessed himself a sinner, but inquired about obtaining life by his good works?

3. Reason. It is hardly to be thought that Christ should direct a man to fulfill the commands of the Moral Law as the proper way for him to obtain eternal life, when through the weakness of our sinful nature, He knew the law could not give life to men in their fallen estate, and He himself was sent to provide another way for them to obtain life. Romans 8:3. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sent His own Son to do for us. Romans 3:20. By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight. This does not arise from any weakness or insufficiency of the law itself, for it still promises life, and would secure it to any man who was perfect without sin. But as the Apostle says, It is become weak through the flesh, that is because man is so much immersed in flesh and sin, that he cannot perfectly fulfill it. The law cannot give the favor of God and eternal life, because man cannot obey it.

And upon this account the law of ten commands which was engraven in stones is called the ministration of condemnation and death, 2 Corinthians 3:7, 9. and not the ministration of life and righteousness; that is the peculiar glory of the Gospel. The law indeed is holy and just and good, and it was originally ordained for life to innocent man: But when the Apostle Paul came to have his conscience awakened to a sense of sin by the law, he found it to be unto death, Romans 7:10. partly by showing him his imperfection of obedience, as well as by irritating his indwelling sinful inclinations. So far is the law from giving life to sinners.

God honors His laws so much that the Scripture assures us, If there had been a law which could have given life, eternal life, verily righteousness, justification and happiness should have come by the law. Galatians 3:21, 22. But the Scripture has concluded all under sin, and condemned them by the law, and has shown the insufficiency of the law to save, that the promise of eternal life by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. It is not to be supposed therefore, that Jesus Christ the Son of God, who was sent into this world to give or further reveal this promise of eternal life by faith, and to provide another way to salvation and eternal life for fallen man, because the law was unable to give it; I say, it is not to be supposed that this very Son of God should preach obedience to the commands of this law, as the proper and direct way for a sinner to obtain salvation of eternal life. This would be like building up again the hopes of sinners to obtain salvation by the law, which hopes He came to destroy, and to provide a much surer foundation for hope.

4. Reason. It is much more probable that Christ in these words designed to lead this young man to a sense of sin and guilt, and self-condemnation, by preaching to him the law of God, rather than to give him immediately the direct and plain advice how a sinner might obtain eternal happiness; for this is a work which the law can do, even in our fallen state: For by the law is the knowledge of sin, Romans 3:20, and 7:7. The law can convince and condemn, though it cannot justify and save. Our Savior knew the hearts of men; He knew this young man was conceited of his own righteousness, and He had a mind to lead his conscience to a sight and sense of the imperfection of his obedience, and therefore He preaches the law to him in many of the express commands of it, for that very end which the law might attain, that is conviction of sin and self-condemnation. This is the first thing necessary in order to the salvation of men, and therefore our Savior begins with it.

And it is well worthy our notice, that the public promulgation of the ten commandments, with such solemn terrors at Mount Sinai, was designed, in the spiritual intention of it, to lay the consciences of men under guilt, rather than to make them partakers of righteousness and life, Romans 5:20. The law entered that the offense might abound, that is that the sins of men might appear to be great and numerous, beyond what their carnal imaginations would have supposed, without the express letter of the law, which forbids coveting, etc. The Apostle Paul tells us, Romans 7:7. He had not known this concupiscence to be sin but by the law; and that useful expositor of Scripture, Mr. Samuel Clark, (who is not accustomed to be too Evangelical in his expositions) remarks on Exodus 19:24. That the charge of forbidding the people to come near Mount Sinai, is often repeated, lest God break forth upon them, to show that the end of the law is rather to exclude men from God, by reason of their sins, than to justify or to give life; for which he cites, 2 Corinthians 3:7. Galatians 3:10 — 24.

And indeed this was one considerable part of the design and business of our Savior's personal ministry here upon earth, (namely) to preach the law of God in its perfection, and convince men of sin, to let them see that they were condemned and exposed to the wrath of God, that they might learn the necessity of a Savior to atone for sin, and of the mercy of God to pardon it. He described the purity and exactness of the law, not only to teach His disciples and all succeeding Christians, that their obedience to the law of God ought to be more exact and pure, more inward and spiritual, than what the Pharisees required or practiced, but also to show men the imperfection of their best righteousness, and that they were all guilty before God, that He might prepare them to receive the Gospel, partly by His own preaching it, and especially when it should be published in greater brightness and clearness, and in its full glory, after His resurrection.

Was not this one great Design of his Sermon upon the Mount, where he explains the Law of God in its Lengths and Breadths, and shows that it reaches to the Thoughts of Men as well as their Actions? Did he not begin this Sermon with, Blessed are the Poor in Spirit, Matthew 5:3, that he might show the way to Blessedness was not a Self-Sufficience of Soul, and a Trust in our own Righteousness, but a spiritual Poverty, that is a humble Sense of our own Weakness and Sinfulness? What mean many of his Parables, particularly that of the prodigal Son returning in Rags and Sorrow to his Father's House? Does it not teach us that the way to be accepted of our heavenly Father is to return to him with a deep Sense of our Disobedience, Sin and Misery, with a humble Repentance, and asking Forgiveness? What is the Intent of the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican going up to pray? Is it not to show us that a humble, confessing, repenting Sinner seeking for Mercy, is much nearer to Justification and the Favour of God, than a Man who spreads abroad his own Righteousness and justifies himself? What means our Blessed Lord in his perpetual Reproofs of the Pharisees who trusted in themselves that they were righteous? Did he not frequently talk thus to convince Men of Sin, and show them how imperfect their Obedience was, and how insufficient to procure Acceptance with God, and to let them see that Repentance and Confession of Sin, and Trust in Divine Mercy, were the only way to Salvation.

It is no wonder then if our Saviour had the same Design in his Eye when he saw a rich young Man of a Pharisaical Spirit, come to inquire the way to Heaven by doing some good Work; it is no wonder that he begun to talk to him of Obedience to the Law, in order to convince him of Sin, and show him that he was not sufficiently righteous to obtain Eternal Life by his Righteousness.

It is most likely that our Blessed Lord had a special Intention in this Place to try the young Man, whether he knew his own State and Case as a Sinner who wanted Pardon, and whether he was prepared for the Gospel or no: Whether he stood convinced of Sin, and desirous of true Salvation, such as Christ came to procure for those who were sensible of their Guilt and Danger. I have before showed that the first Sentence that Christ spoke to him was with design to try his Opinion about himself, the Messiah, when he called him Good, whether he was one with God or no: And now he tries his Opinion about the inward and spiritual Perfection of the Law, and about his own Power to keep it, and about his own Hope of Justification thereby: And therefore he at first gives him such an Answer as should make him bethink himself, whether he had obeyed the Law of God perfectly or no.

If he had found him sensible of his Guilt and his Imperfections, then most probably the compassionate Jesus would have preached to him the pardoning Grace of the Gospel, which he came to offer to those who repent of Sin, and believe in the Saviour. But when he heard the vain Inquirer justify himself as a righteous Man, and say, All these Commands have I kept from my Youth, then our Saviour put him to a fresh and more painful Trial of his Sincerity and Obedience to God, and that partly for his Conviction, instead of saying, Repent and believe; he did not proceed so far as to preach Repentance to him, because he saw him so much unconvinced of Sin; and he tells us that he came not to call these righteous Men but Sinners to Repentance, Matthew 9:13, that is those who own themselves to be Sinners.

This leads me to the fifth or last Reason, to prove that this Answer was not designed by Christ as a Direction of the Querist how to obtain Salvation, (namely) It is a quite different Answer to the like Questions that is given by Christ, and by the Apostles, when they designed to preach the Gospel in plain, direct and express Language, Mark 1:15. Christ says Repent and believe the Gospel. John 6:40. This is the Will of him that sent me, that every one that sees the Son and believes on him, has everlasting Life. And again, This is the Work of God, that is the great Work which God now requires, that you believe on him whom he has sent, John 6:28, 29. So preaches Saint Peter, Acts 2:38, Repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ: So Paul, Acts 16:31, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved: And so John speaks, This is his Commandment that you believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ, 1 John 3:23. These are the plain and direct Advices of Christ and his Apostles to sinful Men, in order to obtain the Favour of God and Eternal Life.

To suppose therefore that Christ did in this Place, and in these Words, direct the Inquirer into the proper way of Salvation by the Gospel, is to suppose that Christ differed greatly from himself, in the Directions he gave, how Men might be saved; and that he and his Apostles, and particularly Saint Paul, taught very different Doctrines; that Christ taught the Way to Salvation by the Works of the Law, and the Gospel taught it by Faith and Repentance, without the Works of the Law. But this would set Christ and his Apostles so much at Variance with themselves, that it is not to be admitted.