Is it necessary to keep the commandments to be saved?
(Mark 10:1-52; Matthew 19:18-26; Romans 3:28) Blog Aug. 18-24, 2024
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: <PresentTruthLRI@gmail.com>
REVIEW: The gospel of Mark desires to show Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, but not as a political deliverer. Rather, Mark emphasizes the need of faith in Jesus as the Saviour from sin and sickness. This was hard for his disciples and the religious leaders to grasp.
Family Matters
1. How did Jesus respond to the Pharisee’s question about divorce? Jesus asked them what Moses had commanded in this regard (Mark 10:2-3).
2. When the Pharisees answered that Moses permitted divorce, how did Jesus respond? Jesus said that Moses permitted divorce because of the hardness of their hearts but that in creation God never intended divorce but rather a lifelong union of husband & wife (Mark 10:4-9).
3. What further instruction did Jesus give his disciples when they were in the house? Jesus taught that celibacy was only for those who had the gift & that to put away one’s spouse & remarry was to commit adultery except for marital unfaithfulness. Jesus showed that God has very high standards (Mark 10:10-12; Matt. 19:8-12).
4. What was Jesus’ attitude toward children? Jesus loved the little children, took them in his arms, blessed them, & used them as an example of exercising simple faith for entering God’s kingdom (Mark 10:13-16).
Salvation Matters
5. When a rich young man asked, “Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” how did Jesus respond? Jesus responded that only God is good, thus insinuating that he was God & pointed the man to the Ten Commandments as the way to eternal life (Mark 10:17-19).
6. Was Jesus right in telling the young man that keeping the Ten Commandments was required to inherit eternal life? Yes, both Jesus & the apostles make clear that perfect obedience to God’s Law is the requirement for eternal life (Mark 10:19; Gen. 4:7; Deut. 28:1; Psa. 15:1-2; Matt. 5:48; 19:17; Rom. 2:13).
7. Did the young man feel confident that he had kept the Ten Commandments? Yes, he said that he had kept all of them since his youth (Mark 10:20).
8. How did Jesus show the young man that his obedience fell short of God’s standard of righteousness? Jesus told him to sell his belongings, give the proceeds to the poor, take up the cross of self-sacrifice, & come & follow him (Mark 10:21; Rom. 3:23).
9. In what did the rich young man trust for eternal life? He did not trust in Jesus as his Substitute for eternal life but rather trusted in his obedience & financial success (Mark 10:22-25).
10. How should we answer the disciples’ question as to who can be saved? We should answer like Jesus did: “With men it is impossible.” Righteousness is obedience to God’s Law. No human has this. Therefore, the only way to inherit eternal life is to present to God the perfect righteousness of Jesus. This God accepts and counts us as if we had never sinned (Mark 10:27; Jer. 23:6; Rom. 3:28; 4:13-17; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 2:8-9).
11. What is the “grace” that saves us? The grace that saves us is God’s justifying grace: his willingness to consider us better than we are because we are in Jesus. The sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit always follows justifying grace, but it is not the work that grants us eternal life (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 5:21; Tit. 3:7).
12. What did Jesus do that we might inherit eternal life? Our eternal life, as Jesus said, depends on our obedience to God’s Law. If Jesus is our Substitute, then he must not only die for our sins, but he must also live a perfect life in our place. Away with the idea that Jesus just died for our sins & now he gives us sanctifying grace to live according to his Law for our salvation (Mark 10:19; Matt. 19:17; Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:21).
13. Are there temporal rewards in this life for those who follow Jesus? Yes, God gives the followers of Jesus an hundredfold in this life before eternal life at the second advent (Mark 10:28-30).
14. Why were the disciples afraid as Jesus led them towards Jerusalem? They knew that the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem wanted to destroy Jesus & his ministry. Then Jesus went on to tell them exactly what would happen in Jerusalem, including who would mistreat & kill him (Mark 10:32-34).
Kingdom Matters
15. Did James and John understand what they were asking when they requested seats on either side of Jesus in his kingdom of glory? No, but Jesus made clear that they would both suffer & die for him (but it was the Father’s choice who would flank Jesus in glory (Mark 10:35-40).
16. When the other ten disciples heard of James’ and John’s request, what principle did Jesus teach them? Jesus taught the disciples that in his kingdom service to others was the greatest role (Mark 10:41-45).
17. How did blind Bartimaeus acknowledge Jesus as Israel’s promised king? Bartimaeus cried out: “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.” In that way he showed his faith that Jesus was the promised Son of David that would rule eternally (Mark 10:46-48).