Scripture to Read: Luke 10:25
We had examined last week the ministry Jesus had sent out the seventy disciples of His to fulfill. They had returned excited about all they had seen God do in and through them. Then, God led Luke to write this in Luke 10:25, “And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” When Jesus walked the earth, He was put to the test quite often by the Pharisees, Sadducees, and of course, lawyers. This lawyer asked an incredibly great question: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Probably many people we know would love the answer to that question, and most people fall into the mindset that to inherit eternal life they must perform great deeds of kindness, mercy, love, or a combination of these. In other words, they believe that gaining eternal life depends completely on them. Every religion in the world, and there are over 4,200 religions, all have a works-based salvation. Salvation is based on a person’s merits of good in comparison to their poor decisions. No doubt, this lawyer was thinking the same thing. He just needed clarification on what he was supposed to be doing so that he could gain eternal life. As Christians, we know that inheriting eternal life has nothing to do with our merits, good works, or anything else we think we can offer. We know that eternal life is only possible through surrendering to Christ as Lord and choosing to walk in obedience to Him as our Lord and Savior.
Challenge & Application
Why was the lawyer’s question such a great one?
How would you respond if someone asked you, What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!