Joseph Prince Preaches Against Jesus’ Way of Salvation in the Rich Young Ruler (Subtitle: Mark 10:17-31 – One of Scripture’s Most Misunderstood Text) – By Rev George Ong (Dated 25 Apr 2022)
(This article was also sent to Rev Dr Ngoei Foong Nghian, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) office, and for the attention of the Executive Committee Members.)
In a sermon preached at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church and aired on YouTube on 18 February 2020, Joseph Prince said the following;
please click here to view excerpts in the 40-second video:
“In Luke 18, the rich young ruler came to Jesus and said, ‘What must I do, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He was emphasising his doing. Now Jesus should have given the evangelical answer, ‘Believe on me and you shall be saved.’ But He did not. What did Jesus give him? The law – honour your father and mother, thou shall not steal, don’t commit adultery. And you know what the young man did? He was quite smart. He said ‘All this I’ve kept.’ Whenever you boast in the law, Jesus always comes back to you and say, ‘One thing you lack.’”
The rich young ruler is such an important story that it appears not just in one but three synoptic gospels (Mk 10:17-31; Matt 19:16-30; Lk 18:18-30).
Though it is a story that most are familiar with, the sad thing is the majority of the church has been indoctrinated with the wrong interpretation – an interpretation that has been influenced by the Antinomianism of Joseph Prince that most aren’t even aware of.
The false interpretation, as you will realise when you read this article, is built on the false doctrine of a faith-only-without-works salvation.
The true interpretation, on the other hand, is built on the biblical understanding that both faith and works are necessary for salvation. Be reminded and warned that a salvation doctrine of a faith that is without works is useless, dead and cannot save (Jas 2:14-26).
A faith that must be proven by works in the case of the rich young ruler is his works of obedience to God’s commandments and Christ’s instructions. This is what Jesus was trying to communicate in Mark 10:17-31.
Let’s take a critical look at the text:
Mark 10:17-30 NIV
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good – except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall no murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” 28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life.”
The rich man was indeed a serious and true seeker of the faith. Though he was such a rich man, he was so eager to talk to Jesus that he ran after Him:
Mark 10:17
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
How wonderful would it be if an unbeliever were to run after us wanting to find out more about the gospel in order to inherit eternal life?
I’m sure that the vast majority of us have never had the experience that Jesus had with the rich man who ran after Him seeking eternal life. Not only did he eagerly run like a child after Christ, but he was also humble that he knelt before Jesus.
He didn’t care if running after and kneeling before another person was an undignified act, unbefitting for a man of wealth and status. Wow, what humility and childlike spirit this man possessed!
In all my many years of ministry, I have never had anyone knelt before me wanting to learn more about the scriptures. Neither have I knelt before anyone wanting to learn more biblical insights from him.
If it is unusual for a poor and ordinary man to kneel before another, it is even more uncommon for a rich man and a person of high society to do it. This man was not only rich, but he was extremely wealthy (Lk 18:23; Matt 19:22).
There was an honest sincerity about this rich man when he approached Jesus. There was a deep hunger in him to find out the truth.
He was also respectful of Jesus when he addressed him as “Good teacher” (Mk 10:17). He wasn’t like those Pharisees who always schemed with their trick questions to trap Jesus and get Him into trouble.
It was a simple and honest question that the rich man asked:
“What must I do to inherit eternal life” (Mk 10:17)?
He sincerely wanted to know the truth and he sought after Jesus for it. How we wish most people whom we witness would act in such an enthusiastic and eager manner.
Most of the time, it is we who would have to persuade our friends and family members to listen to our presentation of the gospel. It is we who have to initiate the sharing of the good news to them. Hardly will they call us to share the gospel with them. Most of them are just too busy making a living that they won’t even have time to discuss such eternal issues with us. They may say, “Hey, please don’t talk to me about heavenly issues when I don’t even have time to take care of earthly matters.”
But in the case of the rich man, it was he who initiated the conversation with Jesus. It was he who sought after Jesus. What a golden opportunity for Jesus to talk to such an honest and earnest seeker of the truth.
Not only did the rich man go to the right person to seek the truth, he asked the right question:
“…What must I do to inherit eternal life” (Mk 10:17)?
The rich man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He went to the right person to ask the most important question in life.
Who would be the most qualified to answer that question other than Jesus, who is the Son of God and God Himself? Jesus, being the joint creator of the universe and human life, and who will soon die on the cross to give men life eternal, is the most qualified and most authoritative person to answer it.
And yet, when Jesus gave the answer, which was so simple and straightforward as we shall see later, we have Joseph Prince who disagrees with Jesus. He refuses to accept what Jesus had plainly and clearly taught in the passage. He starts to churn out interpretations that are tantamount to putting words into Jesus’ mouth that He never uttered or meant to convey.
Joseph Prince said in the video,
“In Luke 18, the rich young ruler came to Jesus and said, ‘What must I do, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He was emphasising his doing.”
“Whenever you boast in the law, Jesus always comes back to you and say, ‘One thing you lack.’”
Did Jesus say to the rich man as Joseph Prince would have,
“Hey, young man, you’ve got your doctrine wrong. Inheriting eternal life is not about what you do, but what you believe. Doing is about works, and works will never earn your salvation. But believing is about faith, and faith is the way to inherit eternal life.”
Did Jesus say that to the rich man?
No.
Joseph Prince would have said that to the rich man. If Joseph Prince is right that salvation is only about right-believing and has nothing to do with our works or our doing, why didn’t Jesus correct the rich man for asking Him a ‘foolish’ and a theologically faulty question?
Jesus not only did not correct the way the rich man asked the question about what he must do to inherit eternal life, but He also reinforced it in His answer (Matt 19:17-19):
Matthew 19:17-19 NIV
17 “… If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Mark 10:19 NIV
19 “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
Luke 18:20 NIV
20 “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’”
(Note that if one combines what was recorded in Matthew 19:18-19, Mark 10:19 and Luke 18:20, there are seven commandments listed by Jesus. Mark listed ‘you shall not defraud’ that is not mentioned in Matthew and Luke. Matthew listed ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ that is not listed in Mark and Luke. So, there are a total of seven commandments, of which five are part of the Ten Commandments.)
Jesus is effectively saying to the rich man,
“Yes, you are right. You have to do something. Let me tell you what you must do. You must do seven things. You must obey the seven commandments to have eternal life.”
The rich man asked an honest question, and Jesus gave him a clear and straightforward answer that even a child can comprehend.
Jesus said,
“If you want to have eternal life, you must keep God’s commandments.”
Jesus was simply saying,
“If you want A, you must do B.”
Is Joseph Prince’s mind so small that he can’t even grasp such a simple and straightforward answer?
Yet, there are people, such as Joseph Prince, who try to twist what Jesus said by reasoning that Jesus didn’t really mean what he said:
“Jesus couldn’t have said that eternal life could be obtained by doing and by obeying the commandments as that would be tantamount to disregarding the doctrine of salvation by faith and earning our salvation through works. What Jesus really meant was that the rich ruler should believe in Him as salvation is only gained by grace through faith and not by works.”
Wait a minute, where is that mentioned in the passage? Nothing of that sort was mentioned in all three synoptic gospels that recorded the incident. Joseph Prince is reading his own ideas into the passage, just because what Jesus said didn’t fit and even contradicted his false grace doctrine.
What Jesus said is so clear that it cannot be opened to misinterpretation – that if the rich man wants to inherit eternal life, he would have to keep the commandments:
Matthew 19:17 NIV
17 “… If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
Jesus wasn’t playing some sort of a mind-guessing game with the rich man. He was telling him in the plainest way how to inherit eternal life.
If it was true that Jesus was trying to hint to the man that he was wrong in depending on his doing or his obedience to the commandments as requirements for his salvation, Jesus would be obligated to call him back, when he walked away from Jesus (Mk 10:22), and explain the real gospel to him which is by grace through faith.
But Jesus didn’t.
By Joseph Prince’s interpretation of the text, he has painted Jesus to be an insensible and irresponsible person.
If Joseph Prince’s view was right that Jesus was trying to teach the rich man that the keeping of the commandments is the wrong thing to do for salvation, Jesus must have been an insensible and irresponsible man because He didn’t call the rich man back to explain the true gospel which is by grace through faith, and He let the rich man walked away with the ‘wrong idea’ about salvation in his mind.
Come on, Jesus wasn’t playing tricks with the rich man. He told him the truth that if he wants to obtain eternal life, he would have to obey the commandments.
Is Jesus teaching some strange doctrines?
Of course not!
This listing of commandments as requirements for salvation is consistent with what Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:17-20. It is no different from what Jesus told an expert in the law that if he wants to have eternal life, he must obey the two greatest commandments: love God and love his neighbour (Lk 10:25-37).
Don’t you know that obedience as a condition for salvation is a doctrine that is taught in the New Testament scriptures?
Hebrews 5:9 is an example:
Hebrews 5:9 NIV
9 “and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.”
What has happened to Joseph Prince?
It’s either Prince is deliberately pretending that Hebrews 5:9 isn’t in the scriptures, or he is trying to deceive people by keeping silent about Hebrews 5:9, or he is so ignorant about the Bible that he isn’t even aware that there is such a verse?
Though one cannot earn salvation by obedience, it is nonetheless a condition for salvation, and God is not going to allow the disobedient into heaven.
In Ephesians 5:6, Paul clearly says to believers in the Church of Ephesus that the wrath of God comes upon those who are disobedient:
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient” (Eph 5:6 NIV).
Just because Paul teaches salvation is by grace through faith doesn’t mean obedience isn’t required, because he also teaches that the disobedient will not be saved as they are still under the wrath of God.
Joseph Prince hardly talks about the wrath of God but he talks so much about the love of God. But is he aware who gets to enjoy the love of God (Jn 14:23)?
John 14:23 NIV
23 Jesus answered, “If people love me, they will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Those who do not love me do not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine; it is from my Father, who sent me.
It is not until you obey Christ’s teaching that God will not only love you, but both Father God and Christ Jesus will dwell in you – treating you as believers. Those who don’t obey Christ, don’t love Him, and if you don’t love Christ, how on earth can you have saving faith?
So, one of the key requirements for salvation boils down to obedience (to both God’s and Christ’s commandments).
That being the case, what’s so shocking about the answer that Jesus gave to the rich man about the keeping of God’s commandments that is necessary for eternal life that people cannot accept?
Are they saying that they aren’t aware of clear Bible passages in the New Testament that talk about obedience for saving faith?
Aren’t they aware that Jesus Himself also said:
John 14:15-16 NIV
15-16 “If you love me, you will obey my commands. I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever.”
Our love for Christ is proven by our obedience to His commandments. If we don’t obey His commandments, we have proven that we don’t love Him. If one doesn’t love Jesus, he doesn’t have saving faith. The Holy Spirit is only given to those who not only love Christ but who obey His commandments.
There are teachers, including Joseph Prince, who posture the following view:
They say that Jesus was hinting to the rich man that he could obtain eternal life only if he perfectly kept all the commandments throughout his life. But this would be impossible for anyone as no person is perfect. So Jesus wanted the rich man to realise the impossibility of obtaining eternal life by his own obedience. That when Jesus asked the rich ruler to keep the commandments, He was bringing him to the point that it is impossible to be saved by his works. Then the rich man will realise his own sinfulness and come to accept that salvation is not by works, but by faith and to accept Jesus as Saviour. He would then be led to obtaining it purely by the grace of God. Hence, having eternal life has nothing to do with the keeping of the commandments.
Although what Joseph Prince and others say is generally correct and a salvation that is by grace through faith is a biblical truth that can be found elsewhere in the scriptures, it is nowhere to be found in the text of Mark 10:17-31 or Luke 18:18-30 or Matthew 19:16-30. The above arguments that these commentators or Bible teachers such as Joseph Prince have marshalled are not found at all in all three synoptic gospels that recorded the rich young ruler incident.
This kind of reasoning will make Jesus a terrible communicator, not being able to communicate what He intended clearly. It would require people to have to read between the lines in order to decipher what Jesus was trying to communicate. These people really have an ingenious imagination to be able to read so much into what Jesus never said at all.
Did Jesus ever mention anything in the passage about the need to accept Him by grace through faith in order to possess true salvation?
Did Jesus ever say anywhere in the text that keeping the several commandments He had listed had nothing to do with inheriting eternal life, and that it has to do with works-salvation?
What Joseph Prince and others are sinfully doing is to read their unholy imagination into the scriptures.
As a matter of fact, Jesus clearly deposited in the mind of the rich man as he walked away, believing that he not only had to keep those commandments, but he also had to sell away his possessions and give to the poor if he wanted to obtain eternal life (Matt 19:17-22).
This is an incontestable fact.
If Jesus wanted the rich ruler to think that obtaining eternal life had nothing to do with the keeping of the commandments, He would have clearly said so. But He said the opposite. It was a clear and straightforward answer to the rich man’s honest question about obtaining eternal life. Jesus’ reply directly contradicts the teaching that keeping or obeying God’s commandments has nothing to do with inheriting eternal life.
Could Jesus have lied to the man?
Of course not!
Jesus categorically said that the way to enter life is to obey or keep the commandments.
I am not saying that Jesus did not teach that salvation is through faith. He did in many other passages in the gospels. But I am asking – is that teaching found in this particular passage Mark 10:17-30 NIV?
Nothing was mentioned by Jesus about a salvation that is by grace through having faith in the passage. Nothing was mentioned by Jesus about the need to believe in Him in order to inherit eternal life in the passage.
One needs to note that true saving faith is not faith in a doctrine, but faith in the person of the Lord Jesus. If one truly believes in Jesus, he will begin to follow and obey Him. Had the rich ruler really believed in Jesus, he would have obeyed what Jesus told him to do. True faith is always evidenced by obedience.
What has gone wrong with the modern church is that the faith that is often expected of those who want to be a Christian today is nothing more than a mental acknowledgement of some theological facts.
If obedience to Jesus is separated from faith in Jesus, or if works are separated from faith, the faith that one claims to possess is plainly false.
Let me now dwell on the commandments that Jesus asked the rich man to keep or obey in order to have eternal life.
Joseph Prince has constantly been pushing his false doctrine that salvation has everything to do with Christ’s obedience, but nothing to do with our obedience.
Again, the deadliness of a half-truth in Joseph Prince’s doctrine – that while the first half is completely true, the second half is completely false.
As for the commandments that Jesus listed to the rich man, it is untrue that they have nothing to do with saving faith for New Covenant believers. In fact, six out of the seven commandments that Jesus listed are what the rich ruler and us as New Covenant believers must keep in order to have eternal life.
Joseph Prince is such an ignorant man that he doesn’t even know that for New Covenant believers, they are not only known to us as commandments, but they are also sins; and if they are not dealt with, will disqualify us from the Kingdom of God.
Let’s make a comparison between Mark 10:19, Matthew 19:19 and 1 Corinthians 6:7-10, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:3-6, Revelation 21:8, Matthew 25:41-43:
Mark 10:19 NIV
19 “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”
Matthew 19:19 NIV
19 “honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
1 Corinthians 6:7-10 NIV
7 “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:19-21 NIV
19 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Ephesians 5:3-6 NIV
3 “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a person is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.”
Revelation 21:8
8 “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”
Matthew 25:41-43 NIV
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’”
The commandment against committing adultery in Mark 10:19
is listed as a sin in 1 Corinthians 6:9, Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 5:3 and Revelation 21:8.
The commandment against murder in Mark 10:19
is listed as a sin in 1 Corinthians 6:9 and Revelation 21:8.
The commandment against stealing in Mark 10:19
is listed as the sin of thievery in 1 Corinthians 6:10.
The commandment against giving false testimony or bearing false witness in Mark 10:19
is listed as the sin of lying or being liars in Revelation 21:8.
The commandment of not loving your neighbours in Matthew 19:19
is listed as the sin of neglecting to meet the needs of your fellow brothers, who are also your neighbours in Matthew 25:42-43.
The commandment against defrauding in Mark 10:19
is listed as the sin of cheating in 1 Corinthians 6:8-9.
The unwillingness of the rich man to sell everything he has in Mark 10:21 could be treated as the sin of greed in Ephesians 5:3,5 and 1 Corinthians 6:10.
All the commandments which Jesus had listed to the rich young ruler in Mark 10:19 and Matthew 19:19, are sins which are recorded in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:3-6, Revelation 21:8 and Matthew 25:41-43, and if they are unrepented of, they will keep us from God’s Kingdom.
This simply means that if these commandments that Jesus mentioned to the rich man are not obeyed, they would constitute as unrepentant sins, and such sins will disqualify us from inheriting eternal life.
I hope by now it is clear to all that even under the New Covenant, in order to inherit eternal life, one must not commit the sin of adultery, murder, steal, bear false witness (lying), defraud (cheating), not loving neighbours (by not taking care of their needs) and greed – seven of the eight commandments Jesus told the young ruler that he had to keep.
From what the Apostles Paul (1 Cor 6:7-10; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 5:19-21) and John (Rev 21:8) wrote, and what Jesus said (Matt 25:41-43) in the New Testament, it is irrefutable that what Jesus said to the rich man who desired eternal life is absolutely relevant to those who harbour the same desire under the New Covenant.
Joseph Prince, who often accuses those who teach about holiness and obedience as requirements for salvation as legalists, is also accusing Jesus Himself of being a legalist too. This is because Jesus was the one who told the rich ruler that he must obey the seven commandments before he could inherit eternal life.
Is there hope if we break the commandments?
Of course!
Let’s not go to the other extreme and have the wrong view of a legalistic and an unforgiving God. Don’t you know that God is the God of grace who can forgive the greatest murderer and adulterer?
As long as there is true repentance, His grace is enough to cover all sins. His grace, however, does not cover those who are unrepentant and who continue in sin. His grace is only applicable to those who are willing to “go and sin no more” (Jn 8:11).
After Jesus listed the commandments that the rich man should obey before he can qualify for eternal life, the rich man replied (Mk 10:20-21):
Mark 10:20 NIV
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Was the rich man telling the truth, or was he lying?
Joseph Prince postures the view (by implying) that he was lying as he wanted to impress Jesus that he had kept all the Ten Commandments.
In ‘Destined To Reign’, Page 236, Joseph Prince wrote,
“Now, listen to what the young man said in response to Jesus: “All these things I have kept from my youth.” (Lk 18:21) Amazing! This man actually claimed that he had kept all the Ten Commandments from his youth!”
The person who was lying is not the rich ruler as he didn’t claim that he has kept all the Ten Commandments, but only those that Jesus listed.
The one who is lying is Joseph Prince himself.
Here is my proof.
According to Luke 18:20-21 (the Lukan version that Joseph Prince himself uses), when the rich man said he had kept the commandments, he was only replying to a question that Jesus asked him.
Joseph Prince is a specialist at deceiving people with a half-truth by presenting V21 and hiding V20 from you:
Luke 18:20-21 NIV
20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” 21 “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said.
Did Jesus list all the Ten Commandments in V20?
No.
He only listed five of them in the Lukan version. So, the rich man was clearly saying that he had kept these five commandments, not all ten.
Can you see that Joseph Prince is such a crafty guy that he will waste no time to ‘smuggle in’ a lie and present it as a fact?
When the rich man said he had kept the laws since he was a boy, he was only reflecting that which was the norm in every
Jewish family where Jewish boys were well-trained by their parents to obey the laws. If that is the case, what’s wrong with what the rich man was saying? He was saying that his parents trained him so well that he is doing what they had trained him for.
What is preposterous is that instead of complimenting the Jewish parents for training their child (rich man) well, they are accusing their child (rich man) of lying.
I tend to think that the rich ruler was telling the truth. I am not saying that he was telling the whole truth. He probably exaggerated, but he must have tried living an exemplary life, at least, outwardly.
Perhaps, there must still be areas he didn’t carry out the commandments fully. But I believe he was sincerely trying as best as he could to obey the commandments. He was trying to be as moral as he could, trying his level best to conform to the exacting standards of his Jewish faith.
Possibly, this man may have only kept the letter of the law, but perhaps, not the spirit of it. At least, regarding the legal aspects, the letter of the law, he has probably fulfilled them, but understanding the true spirit of the laws is what could be possibly lacking. Yet, Jesus saw that he was rather sincere in his efforts to abide by those commandments.
If the rich man was lying that he has kept the commandments, and knowing what Jesus is capable of, He would have no qualms about reprimanding him.
Does this mean that this man had never sinned?
Of course not.
But he probably wasn’t a terrible sinner. I think, on the whole, he was telling more truth than lies. If he wasn’t telling the truth, and all he told were lies, Jesus would have known and would have confronted him as Jesus is known to be a straight-talking man.
When the rich man declared that he had kept all the commandments Jesus listed since he was a boy, Joseph Prince interpreted that as a reflection of his pride.
In ‘Destined To Reign’, Pages 235-236, Joseph Prince wrote,
“In Luke 18:18–23, we have the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Because the young ruler came with pride, believing that he could do something to earn and deserve eternal life. Whenever you come boasting in your efforts, Jesus will give you the law of Moses.”
But we have to note that the rich ruler came running after Jesus to seek eternal life, and he then knelt before Jesus. Does this not indicate a clear semblance of genuine humility in him?
More so, this man was not an ordinary guy from an average family; he was an extremely rich man and a man of high standing in society. For a rich and religious leader to run after Jesus and kneel before Him indeed calls for a good measure of humility and not pride.
Let me ask every one of us two pertinent questions.
Have you and I ever run after and kneel before a person to seek after the gospel before we became Christians? Have you come across unbelievers running after and kneeling before you because they are so eager to listen to you share the gospel?
To be honest, I dare say that for almost 100% of us, the answer to these two questions must be a ‘no’.
Just imagine, this rich man had done what almost all of humanity wouldn’t do. And he did it not privately as in the case of Nicodemus, but publicly – running and kneeling before Jesus in front of those who were around.
So, the point I’m making is this rich man was truly humble in a great sense.
But sadly, because Joseph Prince has his own agenda of protecting his own theology of salvation, he had to falsely portray the rich man as a proud fellow, boasting that he had kept the commandments.
After the rich ruler had claimed that he had kept all the commandments that Jesus mentioned, his next question to Jesus, “What do I still lack” (Matt 19:20)?
Matthew 19:20 NIV
20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
This could be another indication of humility rather than pride. Pride could have kept him from admitting that he lacked something.
At no time was Jesus repulsed or provoked by the man’s response. Neither did Jesus rebuke him for his pride if there was any. If the rich man was a proud fellow, Jesus might well have ticked him off, which He is well capable of because God resists the proud (1 Pet 5:5). But there was no reprimand of the rich man by Jesus at all.
On the contrary, it was written in Mark 10:21 that “Jesus loved him.”
Mark 10:20-21 NIV
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him…”
Could the fact that it was recorded ‘Jesus loved him’ in V21 immediately after the rich man declared he had kept the commandments in V20 be because Jesus was pleased with his sincere and childlike spirit – that he had honestly tried his level best to obey the commandments?
I think so.
There were some people that Jesus in his humanity found more loveable than others. He had a special love for John (Jn 20:2) and for Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Jn 11:5). The rich young ruler was also on that list because Mark records:
“Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mk 10:21).
Not that Jesus was practising favouritism. But there are certain noble qualities about these various people that draw the special love of Jesus towards them.
If Jesus loved the rich man, the rich man can’t be lying, can he?
If he was lying that he had kept the commandments, why was it not made clear in the passage?
This episode was recorded in the three synoptic gospels, and there are no indications in all three gospels that he was taking Jesus for a ride. Jesus didn’t say he was lying or proud. If he was lying or proud, Jesus would have confronted him.
Jesus believes he had kept all these commandments except for one thing, when He specifically said, “One thing you lack” (Mk 10:21):
Mark 10:21-22 NIV
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Again, the view that was implied by Joseph Prince – that the rich man was probably lying or being self-deceived that he had kept all the commandments Jesus listed in Mark 10:19 and Matthew 19:18-19.
Taking such a position would impinge on the integrity of Jesus. It is tantamount to saying Jesus was telling a lie. Didn’t Jesus say to the rich man, “One thing you lack?”
Then Jesus went on to identify the one thing that the young man lacked – that he must sell away his possessions and give to the poor.
If the man was indeed lying or self-deceived and had lacked many things, such as failing to obey the commandments of forbidding murder, adultery, and so on that Jesus listed, Jesus would not have said, “One thing you lack.”
If the rich man was not telling the truth, Jesus would have confronted him as He is not one who is reticent about confronting hypocrisy when necessary. The man was most likely keeping the commandments.
If the man was lying or self-deceived, Jesus would have said,
“Young man, you lack many things as you have been living in disobedience to these commandments that I have listed. And by the way, there’s one more thing that you must do before you can inherit eternal life. Go and sell everything you have and give it to the poor.”
But Jesus didn’t say that. He said there is only one thing the rich man lacks. This means Jesus had taken what the rich man had told him that he had kept the commandments as the truth.
If the rich man lacked in many things because he didn’t keep many of the commandments, Jesus would be a liar because Jesus said he only lacks one thing.
So, Jesus was simply saying that there was only one area this guy lacks in, only one – that he must be willing to sell his possessions and give them to the poor before he can obtain eternal life.
If what these people who said that the rich man was lying that he had kept all the seven commandments were true, Jesus would never promise the rich man eternal life and treasure in heaven, based on the doing of this one thing that the man lacks (Mk 10:21):
Mark 10:21-22 NIV
20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
But Jesus did promise the rich man treasure in heaven and eternal life based on the rectification of this one thing that he lacked.
If the rich man was lying, Jesus would have said,
“You not only have to do the one thing to sell away your possessions, but you also have to obey the seven commandments which you lied to me that you have kept before I can promise you treasure in heaven.”
That’s not what Jesus said to him.
On the contrary, Jesus probably said,
“Wonderful, Mr Rich Man, I am glad that you have kept the commandments. But there is one more thing you need to do. Go sell everything you have and give it to the poor, then come and follow me.
Mark 10:21
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Joseph Prince may say that Jesus never meant what he said – that in selling everything the rich man has, he will then have treasure in heaven and will inherit eternal life. Well, I’m sure you know the reason for such a view – because it threatens Prince’s theology that salvation is not by works but only by faith.
But here in Mark 10:21 in the reply of Jesus, He is reinforcing the same message that the rich man must do to have eternal life in Mark 10:17.
Earlier, Jesus said he must do something – to keep the seven commandments to have eternal life (Mk 10:19). Now Jesus is adding one more – the rich man has to do one more thing – he has to sell everything he has and give it to the poor (Mk 10:21).
So how could people say that Jesus never meant what he said? Anybody who understands simple English would have come to the same conclusion – except for people like Joseph Prince.
When Jesus told the rich man to sell everything he possesses, He is effectively telling him to give up everything to inherit eternal life and obtain the treasure in heaven.
Jesus is not doing a strange thing. He knows what He is doing. Telling a person to give up everything is nothing but the call to discipleship:
Luke 14:26-27, 33 NIV
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, even their own life – such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” 33 “In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.”
Jesus Himself repeated three times in a few short verses: ‘Cannot, Cannot, Cannot’.
If Jesus says, ‘Cannot’, it means Cannot!
This means, according to Christ, if you are not willing to give up everything, including your own life, you are not His disciple because Jesus says, ‘You cannot’.
Jesus is consistent with what He said to the rich ruler in Mark 10:21 and what he told His disciples in Luke 14:26,27,33 – that anyone who wants to be His disciples (and have eternal life) would have to give up everything for the sake of Christ.
In ‘Destined To Reign’, Page 236, Joseph Prince wrote,
“Because the young ruler came with pride, believing that he could do something to earn and deserve eternal life. Whenever you come boasting in your efforts, Jesus will give you the law of Moses.”
Joseph Prince, going by what he said that Jesus was giving the law to the rich ruler because he was trying to go by the law to obtain eternal life, he would have to also say that Jesus is such a legalistic man because He too gave the law to His disciples in Luke 14:26-35.
Jesus’ message to the rich man was simple and straightforward – if you are not willing to give up your possessions, you cannot be my disciple, and you will not have eternal life. The rich man had to choose between his possessions and the Lord Jesus.
Salvation is only available to those who are willing to make Christ Lord of their lives.
You notice two very familiar words in Mark 10:21:
Mark 10:21 NIV
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The two words are ‘follow me’.
You remember that these two words, ‘follow me’, are often mentioned when Jesus calls people to discipleship:
Luke 5:10-11 NIV
10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.
Luke 14:27 NIV
27 “And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.”
Luke 18:22 NIV
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Luke 18:24 NASB
24 Peter said, “Look, we have left everything and followed You.”
Matthew 19:27 NIV
27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Mark 8:34 NIV
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
John 21:19 NIV
19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
Jesus is clarifying the issue. Jesus probably said to the rich man,
“Before you can inherit eternal life, you must first be my disciple and follow me. To be my disciple, you must be willing to give up everything. If you aren’t willing to be my disciple to give up everything and follow me all the way, you aren’t going to have any taste of eternal life.”
When Jesus asked us to follow Him, as He had asked the rich man (Mk 10:21), He is asking for our total allegiance and submission to His Lordship:
Mark 10:21 NIV
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
In other words, inheriting eternal life has to do with the willingness to be a disciple. Being a disciple is the way to eternal life, and there is no other way.
Some say, “I am just a Christian, and I am not prepared to be a disciple, but I will still have eternal life.”
No, you don’t.
You have been wrongly taught by Joseph Prince that you can be a Christian and not a disciple. If you are a Christian, you must be a disciple. If you are not a disciple, you aren’t a Christian. They are not different persons, but they are the same person.
The call to inherit eternal life is the same as the call to salvation, is the same as the call to discipleship, and the same as the call to be a Christian.
There is no such thing as being a half-past-six or a carnal Christian as Joseph Prince falsely teaches. All Christians are disciples, and disciples must be prepared to give up everything for the sake of Christ and follow Him.
It is a pity that the rich man didn’t realise that Jesus meant it for his good when Jesus asked him to sell everything he has. When Jesus asked the rich man to give up everything, He was actually offering him the most glorious exchange – that he will have treasure in heaven.
All three texts in Mark, Matthew and Luke, reflect this truth:
Mark 10:21 NIV
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Matthew 19:21 NIV
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Luke 18:22 NIV
22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
“When Jesus asked the rich young ruler to sell everything he has, it is an act of grace to offer him the most glorious exchange he will never lose – to give up everything earthly, in order not to lose anything eternal.” (Mk 10:21) (George Ong)
While it is true Jesus was asking the rich man to give up an awful lot to follow Him, it was only temporary. It was an exchange that Jesus was offering him that he could never lose. If he was willing to give up everything that is earthly, he would certainly have treasure in heaven.
And what he has to give up is pittance as compared to what he will receive. It’s like giving up a small bowl of rice for a big pot of gold. All his earthly possessions would perish together with him on his death anyway, whereas the treasure he would gain in heaven would be his for all of eternity.
Jesus talks about the kingdom of God to be like a hidden treasure and a pearl of great value that a man will sell all that he has to buy them:
Matthew 13:44-46 NASB
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
This is what Jesus expects the rich man and every one of us to do.
But the rich man will never lose out as the martyred missionary Jim Elliot once said,
“He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
Can’t you see the marvellous grace of Christ in the act of asking the rich man to give up everything so he could inherit the eternal treasure that he could never lose? So why does Joseph Prince see only law in Jesus’ presentation of the gospel to the rich man?
Why are people like Joseph Prince cooking up a storm about this command of Jesus for the rich man to give up everything – that this has nothing to do with the gospel of grace as Jesus seems to be preaching works-salvation?
Yet, in asking the rich man to sell away his earthly possessions, Christ was displaying His amazing and abundant grace to the rich man – that if he obeys, it will result in the rich man’s possession of both eternal life and eternal treasure.
But it is so sad that the rich man didn’t recognise the grace of God. Joseph Prince is in the same camp as the rich man. Instead of seeing the grace of Christ in asking the man to give up everything, Joseph Prince ‘accuses’ Jesus of using the law to teach the man a lesson.
It seems to me that the focus of Joseph Prince like the rich man, is on earthly riches rather than eternal riches. If not, why is he blind to the fact that Jesus gave this rich man such a glorious exchange of eternal riches that he could never lose?
Jesus was offering the rich man real and everlasting treasure in heaven if only he was willing to part with his earthly riches that will soon pass away.
How dare Joseph Prince say there is no grace in the passage? Which authority does Joseph Prince invoke to say that Jesus is only preaching law in this text?
It is people like Joseph Prince, who are experts at twisting Bible passages to support his false Grace Doctrine and to confuse, deceive and blind so many people to see the wonderful grace of Christ in His dealings with the rich man.
To me, that is the tremendous grace of Jesus, who offered him an exchange that he could never lose.
How did the rich man react to Jesus’ call to discipleship to sell his possessions?
Mark 10:22 NIV
22 “At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
What a sad ending! The rich man began so well. He asked the right question; he went to the right person to ask the question, and he got the right answer.
Yet, he did not obtain what he came to seek after, not because he didn’t get the right answer, but all because he wasn’t prepared to give up his everything; his riches for the sake of Christ. He was so near and yet so far.
His wealth was his god, and Jesus will never share second place with anyone in his life. Jesus must be the only God and Lord of your life. Jesus said in Matthew 6:24 that we cannot serve God and money:
Matthew 6:24 NIV
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
The rich ruler went away sad:
Mark 10:22
22 “At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
Why was he sad? I believe it was because deep down in his heart, he knew what Jesus told him was the truth. But even though it was the truth, he wasn’t ready to embrace it and part with his wealth.
The rich man was living under the bondage of his riches. His riches have become such a stronghold in his life that he couldn’t walk away from. His spirit may be willing, but his flesh was too weak to give up his possessions for the sake of Christ.
He could have been wise to exchange all his earthly riches that are only transient for heavenly rewards, which will never pass away. But he chose not to.
It is such a waste that a great beginning could come to such a sad ending when he walked away from the possible inheritance of eternal life and eternal treasure.
The rich man didn’t obtain the gift of eternal life because he was not willing to give up his riches. Riches was what was holding the rich man from following Christ.
Most believers have been brought up with the erroneous idea that one could just receive Jesus as Saviour. You can’t, and Christ won’t allow it! Those who are prepared to receive Jesus as Saviour and not Lord, do not have saving faith.
What does it mean to receive Jesus as Lord? In the rich man’s case, it means he must be prepared to obey Christ in everything, and that includes selling away his possessions by giving them to the poor. But he wasn’t willing.
Jesus had to point out that riches was the rich man’s god. But rich man did not want to give up his god. He loved his possessions more than he wanted to follow Christ. Jesus wasn’t really his master. His master was his riches.
Since Christ is not the rich man’s Lord, Christ cannot and will not be his Saviour. Christ will never compromise on His Lordship.
At the beginning of the rich man’s conversation with Jesus, most modern evangelists and pastors would have wrongly assessed that the rich man was ready to raise his hand, walk down the aisle to say the sinner’s prayer.
No preacher would have missed such an eager man who has come to the point of his need to have eternal life. He appeared to be ripe to be converted. Many evangelists of today would not wait a second and would straightaway lead him to say the salvation prayer. But that would have been the wrong decision to make.
Jesus was never in haste or hurry to close the ‘salvation deal’. Jesus had to make sure that the rich man has not just come to treat Him as a mere Saviour, wanting just to be blessed with the gift of eternal life. He had to be sure that he was ready to make Him as Lord to walk in obedience to Him. As a concrete expression of Christ’s lordship over the rich man’s life, he must be prepared to obey Jesus and sell away the possessions that he had.
The fact that Jesus asked the man to sell his possessions as one of the key requirements to eternal life shows that the Lordship of Christ is the key issue of salvation. Salvation is not just about receiving Christ as mere Saviour, but more importantly, it is also about accepting Him as Lord. But making Christ Lord was not the agenda of the rich man as he was not willing to sell his possessions in obedience to Christ. The rich man sadly walked away.
Ironically, Jesus was the one who ‘drove him away’ with the costly condition of His Lordship that must be met before he can inherit eternal life.
“The issue of salvation is not just about whether we will accept Christ, as if poor Jesus needs our acceptance, but more crucially, whether Christ will accept us.” (Mk 10:21-23) (George Ong)
In the case of the rich man, Christ didn’t accept him into His kingdom. He rejected the rich man as he didn’t fulfil Christ’s condition for salvation – about acknowledging His lordship.
Many believers, especially evangelists of today may be wondering,
“What is Jesus trying to do? Does He really know how to evangelise? Here, we have a hot and prospective candidate, but He just blew it with His works-salvation, telling him that he must sell away his possessions. Maybe, we should send Jesus for our basic evangelism course on how to witness effectively.
What is worse is Jesus didn’t get the gospel right. Instead of preaching about salvation is by grace and through faith, He had to scare the man away with the use of the law that smacks of legalism. We wonder which Bible school did Jesus graduate from and where He had learned such legalistic preaching of the gospel from?
Perhaps, we should have connected Him to Joseph Prince, the authority of the grace gospel. I’m sure Joseph Prince would be able to coach Jesus and give Him a tip or two on how to preach on the wonderful theology of grace that he is so famous for.
It’s such a rarity for a rich and influential man to be running after the gospel. Just think what the rich man could do for the Lord after he got saved. He could publicly give his testimony throughout the nation. He could be used to reach the high society with the gospel. No evangelist worth his salt would throw away such a golden opportunity. So why did Jesus blow it by chasing the rich man away with such a legalistic and costly demand that he must sell everything that he has? What has salvation which is only by grace through faith got to do with that?”
Friends, lest you act like one of those modern evangelists and Joseph Prince, you are dead wrong in your assessment of Jesus. It is your modern ideas and methods of evangelism that have gone wrong, not Jesus.
The easy-believism of the modern gospel of an instant salvation through a quick prayer is nowhere to be found in the scriptures. It is so scary to think about how many people are deluded by their pastors such as Joseph Prince into believing they are saved when they aren’t?
No wonder there are so many goats in the church, simply because pastors and preachers refuse to follow the tough evangelism approach of Jesus.
Who do you think is the best evangelist who ever lived?
Jesus!
Who do you think we should pattern our evangelism approach after?
Jesus!
Yet, I know for a fact that many of you are just giving mere lip service with your answer.
If you really believe Jesus is the best evangelist who ever lived, why aren’t you patterning after His tough approach to evangelism?
Instead, you were put off by the ‘legalistic’ approach of Jesus in asking the rich man to obey seven commandments and to sell away everything to inherit eternal life.
If you believe Jesus is the best evangelist, would you dare to follow His example by telling someone who came to you to ask about inheriting eternal life that he must be prepared to keep God’s commandments?
Have you ever told your unbelieving friends that if they wish to inherit eternal life, they must be prepared to be Jesus’ disciples and follow Him all the way – and that means being prepared to give up everything if ever Jesus would ask them to?
Did you ever follow the tough approach of Jesus to include the Lordship of Christ in your gospel preaching – that if Christ is not
one’s Lord, He cannot be his Saviour?
Did Jesus say to the rich man,
“Yes, you can have eternal life, and I must be the Lord of your life. But no worries, I will still grant you eternal life right now, and I do hope that you will grow in your Christian life, and one day, hopefully, you will put me first as the Lord of your life.”
Did Jesus say that?
No.
Jesus probably said,
“Young man, you can have eternal life, (but you must put me first now) by selling away your possessions and give it to the poor.”
When the rich man walked away, did Jesus try to stop him?
No.
Jesus didn’t stop the man. Jesus didn’t stop the man and say what Joseph Prince teaches in his books and sermons:
“Hey, Mr Rich Man, please don’t walk away, could you come back. Don’t take me so seriously; I actually didn’t mean what I say. I wasn’t serious about you selling away your possessions and giving it to the poor. I was just trying to impress upon you the impossibility of obeying the law and commandments to obtain eternal life so that you can come to the intelligent conclusion that all you need is just faith and nothing else.
I was only trying to bring you to the point of your own sinfulness, and for you to realise that it is impossible to be saved by the works of the law. Now that you have come to your senses, you are ready to receive a salvation that is by grace through faith.
So just ignore everything I said to you earlier about selling away everything you have before you walk away. Since faith is all that is required, let me lead you to say the sinner’s prayer. Once you have said the sinner’s prayer, your salvation is forever assured.”
Jesus did not call the rich man back, and He did not say all of the above to him. Jesus, let the man walk away, knowing that if he wanted to have eternal life, he would have to obey those laws and commandments. Not only that, but he also had to sell away his possessions and give to the poor. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be twisted.
As the rich ruler walked away, he was fully aware of what Jesus had so clearly communicated to him.
Assuming someone was to stumble into the rich man and asked him what Jesus had told him to inherit eternal life, he would have given the same answer he had received from Jesus – that he had to keep the seven commandments and sell everything of what he owned and give to the poor.
If Jesus wanted the rich man to know that obeying laws and commandments have nothing to do with eternal life (as what Joseph Prince falsely teaches), then Jesus would have been a terrible communicator, saying the opposite of what He intended to.
But Jesus said it so clearly and plainly that the rich man must obey the commandments and sell what he has in order to obtain eternal life.
It is so tragic that while the rich man walked away in sadness knowing that he was disqualified from inheriting eternal life because he had disobeyed Christ to sell away his possessions, droves of churchgoers are rejoicing, being self-deceived that they are saved even though they are living lives of disobedience to Christ.
Joseph Prince has deceived the multitudes that Jesus’ demand of the rich man to keep the commandments does not apply to them because they are New Covenant believers who are saved by grace.
That’s why there are so many goats in the church today who think they are sheep. But one day, they will be horrified to discover that they are goats to be thrown into the eternal fires of hell. We’d better make sure that we are not one of them!
Then Jesus said, “How hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God,” not only once but twice (Mk 10:23-24):
Mark 10:23-25 NIV
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
Why does Jesus have to say it twice?
You will only say something twice when you want to emphasise on that particular issue, and you just want to make sure that your listeners don’t miss out on it.
Jesus didn’t just say it twice, but he gave a concrete and an unforgettable illustration that homes in the point:
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Mk 10:25).
Any sensible person will know there is no way that a camel can go through the eye of a needle, and yet, Jesus said that it is even easier than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. In other words, what Jesus is saying it is not just hard, but ‘impossible’ for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.
Jesus prefers to tell us the hard truth than to sugarcoat it and say as Joseph Prince does – that salvation is not hard, but it is as easy as receiving Christ into your life, without the requirement to obey any commandment or the need to sell away anything.
All you need to do as Joseph Prince constantly teaches:
“Salvation is as easy as saying a quick prayer, and heaven, which is yours to claim can never be taken away from you.
Just rest on the finished work of Christ, and you will be fine, and there’s no more need for you to do anything.”
What Joseph Prince is doing is that he’s leading you to walk on the broad and easy road that leads to destruction, but Christ is leading you to tread on the narrow and difficult path that leads to life (Matt 7:13-14).
Jesus says that it’s hard for the rich man to be saved because salvation is not just about ‘mental faith’ that Joseph Prince is talking about, but about works of obedience to obey the commandments, and about selling away what you have to prove that Christ is the Lord of your life.
When Jesus said,
“How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mk 10:23)
and
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mk 10:25),
He was clearly saying that because the rich man wasn’t prepared to sell everything he has, he could not enter the kingdom of God.
In other words, selling away his possessions in the case of the rich man was not a suggestion, but a mandatory requirement for eternal life or entering the kingdom of God.
This debunks the view of those who say that Jesus didn’t mean what he said when he asked the rich man to sell away his possessions in order to obtain eternal life as that would be salvation by works.
What they fail to understand is that this is not an issue about works-salvation, but an issue of the Lordship of Christ – whether riches, or Christ is more important to the rich man.
The rich man was also not ready to repent from his sin of greed. Though the rich man was not one who had murdered somebody or stole from another, he had the problem of greed that he must repent of.
He was keeping all the wealth for himself what Christ had expected him to share with the poor. Jesus knew what was keeping the rich ruler from heaven is the problem of greed and greed would disqualify him for salvation (1 Cor 6:9-10; Eph 5:5-6).
Paul warned against greed and equated it to idolatry (Eph 5:3-5; Col 3:5), and it is certainly a serious sin. He emphatically declared that greedy people would not enter God’s kingdom (1 Cor 6:9-11; Eph 5:3,6). The sin of greed, which is idolatry was serious enough to disqualify the rich man, and we, too, from receiving eternal life.
Today, many people are like the rich ruler who lacks the one thing for saving grace. Yet, they are being deceived by Joseph Prince that they are saved because they are trusting in a grace that is unconditional, which was never offered by Jesus.
Although Jesus offers free grace, it comes with conditions – conditions of obedience, holiness, repentance, and, if necessary, the giving up of everything for Christ’s sake.
Joseph Prince and others have falsely taught them that the episode of ‘Jesus and the rich ruler’ has zero relevance to them with regards to salvation. Yet, one must note that any rich man of today (or anyone of us) who refuses to repent of greed and selfishness in relation to the poor will not inherit eternal life.
This episode of the rich young ruler is never to imply that the giving up of riches can purchase eternal life. But the point is the wealth of the rich man was his master, and that stood in the way of serving Jesus as his master and Lord, and in inheriting eternal life.
(On the contrary, both Job and Abraham were rich, but wealth didn’t control them as they were men, who lived in obedience to God and put Him first in their lives.)
On hearing what Jesus said, the disciples also realising that salvation is hard, said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
Mark 10:26
26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”
The fact that the disciples raised the question,
“Who then can be saved?”
simply means that they did not misunderstand the intention of Jesus that the rich man must give up his wealth to inherit eternal life.
They clearly understood that Jesus was talking about the requirements for salvation, and the final requirement that Jesus listed was the selling of the rich man’s possessions to give to the poor. And because the rich man wasn’t ready to do what Jesus wanted him, he could not be saved – hence their remark,
“Who then can be saved?”
But thank God that Jesus said to His disciples that even though it is impossible with man, all things are possible with God:
Mark 10:27 NIV
27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”
Matthew 19:26 NIV
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
If I can paraphrase it in this way:
It is impossible to come to Christ on His terms if we are not willing to give up and still cling on to our possessions. But when we learn to give them up willingly, God will, by His grace, empower us to do so. It is impossible because man is unwilling to pay the price to follow Christ (like the rich ruler). But if we are willing to pay the price to follow Jesus, God will help us to make the impossible possible.
One thing must be clear:
Jesus never implies that God would make the impossible possible by lowering His requirements for the rich, or for that matter, anyone else to enter His kingdom.
Rather, He would make the impossible possible by empowering the rich to meet His requirements of giving up their wealth.
“‘With God all things are possible,’ has often been misused by prosperity gospel preachers to trust God for more wealth, when it was spoken by Jesus to enable the rich to give up their wealth.” (Matt 19:26) (George Ong)
Then Peter must have said,
“Thank God, we have decided to follow you, Jesus all the way. We have left everything to follow you.”
Mark 10:28-30
28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life.
The twelve disciples were accepted by Jesus to be His disciples because they were willing to leave everything to follow Him. Jesus then reassured them that they would stand to receive future rewards and the precious inheritance of eternal life (Mk 10:30).
Jesus didn’t say to Peter and the rest as what Joseph Prince falsely teaches,
“Now, Peter and the rest, you had better be listening. Don’t get so worked up over the fact that you all have given up your everything for me! My actual intention was to help the rich man see his own inability to obey the laws and commandments as that has nothing to do with saving faith.
This is so that he would realise the only way to eternal life is by grace through faith and by accepting me as his Saviour. It is wrong for the rich man to sell all his possessions to be saved, and this goes the same for every other rich person, and all of you too, simply because it is salvation by works.
So, Peter and the rest of you, let me emphasise again that it is wrong for all of you to leave everything to follow me as that would clearly be earning your salvation by your works.”
Joseph Prince was really hoping that Jesus would say the above to His disciples so that his grace theology could be vindicated. But Jesus didn’t and in fact said the opposite.
If Joseph Prince was right – that Jesus was using the law to teach the rich man a lesson that salvation has nothing to do with obedience to God’s laws and commandments, and that true salvation is by faith only and works of obedience about giving up your everything for Christ has no part to play in it were true, Jesus would have corrected Peter with the above illustration. But Jesus never put down or corrected what Peter had said.
On the contrary, Jesus affirmed what Peter had said on behalf of the other disciples about what they have given up for eternal life by assuring them that they will never lose out. They will stand to gain much more than what they have lost. But most of all, Jesus affirmed that they will gain eternal life.
This means Jesus meant what He said when He told the rich man that he had to sell his possessions to gain eternal life and eternal treasure.
I want you to note the connection between
“We have left everything to follow you!” in V28
and
“No one…will fail to receive…eternal life” in V29-30.
Mark 10:28-30
28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!” 29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields – along with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life.
Just as Jesus expects Peter and the rest to leave everything to obtain eternal life (Mk 10:28-30), in the same way, He expects the rich man to sell everything he has to obtain the same eternal life (Mk 10:17,21).
This is not about works-salvation, but the Lordship of Christ that is the key criterion for saving faith.
I believe I’ve exposed the false view of Joseph Prince – that Jesus was trying to lead the rich man to realise his sinfulness and having grasped the impossibility of being saved by his works or law, he will come to just receive Jesus as his Saviour by faith, without having to obey any of the commandments and selling away his possessions – as completely implausible.
There isn’t an iota of internal evidence that this false view can be derived from what Jesus said to the rich man and His disciples in the passage. This false view completely contradicts what Jesus plainly and clearly said in Mark 10:17-31.
Though we are saved by grace, there are conditions to be observed. Conditions of obedience, holiness, repentance, not getting into habitual sin, not living in the flesh, doing God’s will, obeying the commandments of Christ, conditions of discipleship of being willing to give up everything to be a disciple of Christ, etc.
These conditions are splattered in the New Testament scriptures that only a ‘blind person’ such as Joseph Prince could miss them.
You have difficulty accepting all these because you have been deceived by Joseph Prince that being saved by grace means you don’t have to obey the conditions, and once conditions are observed, it is salvation by works.
You are wrong because you just take one verse, Ephesians 2:8, and use that to build your whole theology of salvation. But that one verse is just a revelation of only one part of God’s truth. You must never stake your soul on just one verse and ignore the many other passages that give you the other parts of God’s truth pertaining to salvation.
The only plausible view is that even in the episode of the rich young ruler in Mark 10:17-31, Jesus is indeed teaching that salvation is received by grace through faith, but for faith to be genuine, it must be backed up with works of obedience and holiness.
While scripture teaches that eternal life is given to those who believe in Jesus (Jn 3:15-16), it also states that Jesus “…became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Heb 5:9).
We read in John 3:36: “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
The words believe and obey are used synonymously in a single verse. What this means, from Hebrews 5:9 and John 3:36, is that those who obey Jesus are those who truly believe in Him. And, conversely, those who truly believe in Jesus are those who obey Him. Because the rich man didn’t obey Jesus to sell everything he has to give it to the poor, he didn’t truly believe in Jesus.
To inherit eternal life, the rich man had to meet the conditions that Jesus requires anyone who wanted the same salvation.
First, he had to repent just like anyone else because those who are filled with the sin of greed will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10; Eph 5:5).
Second, he had to obey Jesus to give up everything in order to experience true salvation, to be a true disciple of Christ, and as the evidence that Christ is indeed his Lord (Heb 5:9; Lk 14:26-27,33).
Because he didn’t obey Christ, he didn’t believe in Christ. We must obey Jesus by obeying His commandments. Those who truly believe in Jesus will show their faith by their obedience to His commandments (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 3:22-23).
Anyone who refuses to obey Christ, not only will he not inherit eternal life, but he will be eternally destroyed in the fires of hell:
Acts 3:22-23 NET
22 “Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must obey him in everything he tells you. 23 Every person who does not obey that prophet (Jesus) will be destroyed and thus removed from the people.’”
“Like the goats in Matthew 25:41-46, it is not the bad things done (sins of commission) but the good things not done (sins of omission) of not selling away his possessions to feed the poor that will banish the rich young ruler to eternal destruction.” (Mk 10:21-24) (George Ong)
Finally, what is striking is the almost sole emphasis on works rather than faith, in Jesus’ reply to the rich man’s question – when Jesus expected him to obey the commandments and sell everything he has to inherit eternal life.
Does it follow that faith isn’t involved too?
Of course not!
In other parts of the scriptures, Jesus, Paul and other biblical writers have a lot to say about ‘faith in Jesus’ and ‘believing in Jesus’.
But what Jesus was trying to drive at in the passage of Mark 10:17-31 in the rich young ruler is that works are central in the whole salvation equation and cannot be separated from faith and be treated as a second-class citizen or less important category.
And Jesus is no more saying what James said in James 2:14-26, that a faith that is without works is useless, dead and cannot save.
Rev George Ong