A Sympathetic Question?
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? Luke 10:25,26
Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-7
Yesterday we learned about the lawyer’s motive in going to the Lord Jesus with his question. When you think of it, the question itself was not superficial. He asked, What shall I do to inherit eternal life? This question deals with the most important issue in our lives. We must not disinterestedly, carelessly push this issue away.
But, the manner in which the lawyer broached the subject was wrong. He asked, What shall I do…? He thought it was within his grasp to obtain it. Unwittingly, you may also fall into this trap, thinking you may only go to the Lord with your sins after you have overcome some of them; you think you must do something before you may approach the Lord. Maybe you even think you are able to do this. The lawyer in our text thought he could, but the Lord Jesus taught him otherwise.
Christ knew that the lawyer was not concerned about the question itself. Yet He answered seriously, asking him what the law required. Today we might ask: What does the Bible say? In His Word we are confronted with what the Lord requires of us. In many discussions we often hear what a particular person thinks of a certain topic, but the supreme question is what God reveals about specific issues in His Word. That is also true about our words and attitudes regarding immigrants and foreigners. It might be interesting to have a Bible study about this subject with your friends.
Thought: Which do you think is more important: what people think or what God says in His Word?
Psalter 428:1,4 (based on Psalm 119) How blessed are the perfect in the way Who, walking in Jehovah’s law with pleasure, Preserve their piety from day to day. How blessed are they who make His Word their treasure, Who keep His testimonies and display heir love for Him whose goodness none can measure. Thy precepts have I hid within my heart, Lest I should stray and fall into transgression; O teach Thou me and unto me impart Thy statutes for a permanent possession. In all Thy judgments Thou most righteous art; Thy truth I praise in rapturous confession.