1118 – Salvation Is by Grace 得救本乎恩

Mark 10:17-20 (NKJV) 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?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honour your father and your mother.’ ” And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

Is there any conflict between being a Christian and being successful in the corporate world? Many people misunderstand net worth to be a measure of spirituality, but are rich Christians necessarily carnal or worldly and poor Christians necessarily more spiritual?

Although the young ruler in the passage was very rich, his riches couldn’t give him fulfilment in life. Deeply moved by Jesus’ teaching, he was also desperate enough to look for an answer by coming to Jesus and kneeling before Him, given a man of his status.

In fact, he asked a question that is on the minds of all religious people, “What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”, or in other words, “How can I earn the acceptance of God in order to have eternal life?”. He was honest enough to acknowledge that there is life after death, and he didn’t know how to deal with it.

It is very normal for people to use their own strength to try and be good in order to obtain the acceptance of God. In fact, all religions emphasise the need to be good as a prerequisite for any form of godliness or attainment in order to gain acceptance by their gods. Unfortunately, nobody can be absolutely good because of the sin nature that resides in them, therefore they will never attain the sense of acceptance by God, like running on a treadmill that never gets to the destination. Religion is trying to change a person from outside, while the real problem is inside of us—an issue of the heart.

Jesus said, “No one is good but One, that is, God.” Nobody is good because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and nobody is able to overcome temptation and sin because of the sin nature. In fact, when Jesus mentioned a few of the ten commandments such as ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ and ‘Do not steal,’ He knew one would break one of these laws because a business might not be fully honest and adultery begins in the heart even without the act.

The law will never be able to give us a right standing before God because it only acts as a mirror to educate us on sin. Salvation is by grace alone.

Sermon Series: Are You Young and Rich?


得救本乎恩

马可福音10:17-20耶稣出来行路的时候、有一个人跑来、跪在他面前问他说、良善的夫子、我当作甚么事、才可以承受永生。 耶稣对他说、你为甚么称我是良善的。除了神一位之外、再没有良善的。 诫命你是晓得的、不可杀人、不可奸淫、不可偷盗、不可作假见证、不可亏负人、当孝敬父母。 他对耶稣说、夫子、这一切我从小都遵守了。
作基督徒与在企业界取得成功之间是否存在冲突?许多人误将资产净值作为属灵的衡量,难道富有的基督徒就一定是属肉体的,而贫穷的基督徒就一定更加属灵吗?

尽管经文中的的年轻财主非常富有,但他的财产无法带给他生命的满足。他被耶稣的教导深深打动,虽然既富且贵,他却绝望地对着耶稣跪了下来,寻求答案。

其实,他问了一个所有宗教人都会问的问题:“我当作甚么事、才可以承受永生?” 换句话说,“我怎样才能得神的悦纳从而得到永生呢?”。他够坦白,承认死后还有生命,并且承认自己不知道该如何是好。

每个人都想要凭借自己的力量努力作个好人来获得 神悦纳,这很正常。其实,所有宗教都强调行善的必要,以此作为任何形式的敬虔或修为的先决条件,好教人得到各自的神明的悦纳。不幸的是,由于人内在的罪性,没有人能够成为一个绝对的好人,因此他们永远都不会有蒙神悦纳的感觉。如同在跑步机上的奔跑,永远无法抵达终点。宗教试图从外在改变人,而真正的问题在于我们—关乎人心。

耶稣说:“除了神一位之外、再没有良善的。” 没有人是良善的,因为所有人都犯了罪,亏缺了神的荣耀。 出于罪的本性,没有人能胜过诱惑和罪。事实上,当耶稣提及十诫中的若干条,例如“不可奸淫”、“不可杀人”、“不可偷盗”时,他知道总有人会干犯其中的某一条,因为做生意不可能做到百分之百地诚实,而犯奸淫则始于那一动念,即便表面上并无行动。

律法永远无法让我们在神前站立,因为律法只是作为一面镜子,让我们知罪。

讲章系列:你年轻并富有吗?