What must I do to inherit eternal life? It’s an ancient question. It seems that each individual of each and every denomination has an answer. For some gaining this inheritance is as rigorous as a monastic life of solitude. For others it’s as simple as a confession of Jesus’ Lordship on the way to the baptismal pool. Whether by hook or crook or confession or penance, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” is a question of ultimate concern, on which restless souls await a single answer. Thomas Merton, reflecting on his baptism wrote:
When, with the sting of salt in my dry mouth,
Cross-crowned with water by the priest,
Stunned at the execution of my old companion, death,
And with the murder of my savage history,
You drowned me in the shallow font
My eyes, swimming in unexpected infancy,
Were far too frail for such a favor;
They still close-kept the stone shell of their empty sepulcher:
But, though they saw none, guessed the new-come Trinity
That charged my sinews with His secret life.
What must I do to inherit this secret life, this eternal life God offers through Christ in the power of the Spirit? I can’t decide if the answer is hardly simple or simply hard, but in reading scripture we find this question asked time and time again, and the answers to this question are as diverse as those who ask it.
In Luke 10 a Lawyer asks our question to Jesus, and as Jesus is prone to do, Jesus answers with a question. “What is written in the law?” he asks. Jesus isn’t so much an innovator as much as one who remembers the story well. “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” he asks. The lawyer answers, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” “You have given the right answer,” Jesus replies. “Do this, and you will live.”
This would have been a suitable ending to the conversation, but the lawyer, wanting to justify himself . . . what a brief and powerful picture of the human condition. The lawyer wanted to justify himself. Jesus has already given the answer. Jesus has already given the command to “go and do this and you will live,” the justifying grace of God through Christ has already been accomplished, and yet we still feel the desire to justify ourselves, to assume the role of Jesus in our life instead of allowing Jesus to be our life.
Wanting to justify himself the lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor,” and Jesus responds with the story of the “Good” Samaritan. Following the parable Jesus asks, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” “The one who showed him mercy,” the lawyer says. Jesus answers, “Go and do likewise.” Do this, and you will live. Lift up those in need. Care for those who have been abused. Bind up the wounded. In other words, do justice and you will live.
The justice of God is a peculiar thing. God’s justice is not fairness, in which both sides of the scales are balanced. Deuteronomy 10:15 (and following) contains the heart of God’s Covenant with humanity—“The Lord set his heart in love on your ancestors alone and chose you, their descendant after them, out of all the peoples as it is today. Circumcise, then, the foreskin of your heart, and do not be stubborn any longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice . . . for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” You shall love the stranger because you were once strangers in a strange land. “Do this,” Jesus says, “and you will live.”
Later in the Gospel of Luke Jesus is asked again, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments, you know the story (is this sounding familiar?). You shall not commit adultery; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.” The man replied, “I have kept all these since my youth,” or in other words, “Wanting to justify himself the rich man said, ‘I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus replies, “There is still one thing lacking.”
There is a new covenant group here at Broadmoor. Well, it’s not a covenant group, per se, but it is a group that meets regularly, almost every afternoon. It’s the Kroger group. I see church members at Kroger almost every afternoon and we all have one thing in common. We are at the store because we forgot that one thing we came to get yesterday. How often do we head to the market and we fill our baskets with stuff and when we get home we realize we left the one thing at the store that we went to the store to get. How true with our life with God. We fill our lives with stuff and schedules and obligations, yet we too often forget that one, good thing, that it’s all about loving God and loving each other. “You lack one thing: Sell all that you own and give it to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then, come and follow me.” In other words, know generosity, love kindness and you will live. Isaiah 58 reads, “Is this not the fast I choose? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” Twice the question has been asked with two answers given. First, do justice, and second, love kindness.
On the day of Pentecost Peter addresses the crowd saying, “Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made Jesus both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” When the people heard this they asked Peter a question: What should we do? Peter replied, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” In other words, humble yourself. Seek forgiveness. Turn toward God. Fall in love with God. Do this and God’s promise will be yours. Three times the question in asked with three answers given. First, do justice. Second, love kindness. Finally, walk humbly with God.
As I said, Jesus isn’t so much an innovator as much as he is one who remembers the story well. In Micah the people are asking God, what must we do? With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be please with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”
What must we do to inherit eternal life? Well, the question is misleading for we cannot do anything to earn eternal life. Salvation is a gift given to us through Christ in the power of the Spirit, but the act of receiving, of recognizing this gift is a life long journey. How are we to recognize the kingdom which is at hand unless we are doing the work of the kingdom. It’s like the PBS show, “Antiques Roadshow.” I love seeing people bring in items they have inherited that have been collecting dust in their attics and realizing that what they have is worth thousands of dollars. What are we doing with the gift God has given us? Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God are not ways in which we earn our inheritance as a child of God; however, without doing justice, loving kindness, and humbly walking with God we fail to recognize the priceless gift God has given us. Jesus, looking into the lawyers hearts says, “In order to recognize eternal life, you must recognize the Samaritan as a brother. You must do justice. Do this and you will live.” Jesus, looking into the heart of the rich ruler says, “In order to understand the gift of eternal life, you must give away the wealth which has captured your heart. You must know generosity. You must love kindness. Do this and you will live.” Peter to the early church looks into their hearts saying, “In order to see the gift of eternal life, repent and be baptized. Seek and know forgiveness. Walk humbly with God. Do this, and you will live.” What must we do to inherit eternal life? Let us do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God so that we may recognize the inheritance of eternal life with which God has blessed us through Christ in the power of the Spirit. Do this, and we shall live. Amen and amen!