If you could boil down the essence of salvation to one word, which one would you choose? Can any thing as complex as how God saves sinners be reduced to one word? Is it presumption to take the grand design of God and simplify it to one word? On the assumption that it's possible, what word would you choose--grace, blood, justification, salvation, gospel?
Jesus tells the story of a rich young man who came to Him asking, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17).* Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, to obey (v. 19). It seems that Jesus reduces salvation to one word--obedience.
On another occasion a group of Jews came to Jesus asking the same question, what must we do to get eternal life (John 6:28)? This time Jesus introduces a different word--belief. "Believe in the one he has sent" (v. 29). How could Jesus give such different answers to the same question? Is it true that one has to keep the commandments to get to heaven? Is commandment keeping the basis of salvation? If it is, then it seems to contra dict Jesus' second statement, as quoted above, and the clear message of Romans and Galatians.
Same message
Actually Jesus was saying the same thing in each of the passages. Jesus takes individuals where they are and adapts His language to meet their needs. Consider the passage in John 6. Jesus continues with an analogy comparing His body with bread and His blood with wine. Unless one eats His flesh and drinks His blood, one cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. This analogy was so difficult to grasp that many of His disciples immediately ceased to follow Him (v. 60).
The analogy is not so difficult to understand. When you take bread into your mouth, how much of it do you eat? When you take liquid into your mouth, how much do you swallow? All of it, of course. You swallow 100 percent of the food and liquid. Jesus was trying to tell the Jews that belief means accepting Jesus completely, not partially. Halfway measures do not work with God. Ninety-nine percent converted is as lost as 9 percent converted. You cannot say to your spouse, "I am faithful 364 days of the year. You would not mind if I am unfaithful just one day in the year, would you?" You would not think it unreasonable for your spouse to want you to be faithful 100 percent of the time.
But what about the rich young ruler? Where was belief there? When the young man protested that he had kept all the commandments, Jesus did not argue with him. Jesus told him to sell all that he had and follow Him. This the young man reluctantly refused to do. Again it seems that Jesus is emphasizing the doing rather than the being, obedience rather than faith.
To really understand what Jesus was trying to say, we need to look at the story immediately preceding this one. Mark tells the story of the little children coming to Jesus and then says, "Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (Mark 10:15). What is unique about a little child? Some will answer, "Trust, innocence, naivete." However, adults can also have these qualities. If you were to place a little child with a backpack and full survival kit out in the wilderness, alone, in subzero weather, how long would that child survive? By contrast, place a grown man, fully trained, with the same resources in the same situation, and he could live for a long time.
Dependence
Little children are totally dependent on others for their existence. Not partially, not somewhat, not almost, but totally. So Jesus wanted the rich young man to sell everything so that he would then be dependent on Jesus. With all his possessions he lacked nothing. Anything he needed he bought. If he sold everything, suddenly he would be come dependent on another person, Jesus. That was too much for him. He was not willing to make that kind of sacrifice.
The message of Jesus in Matthew and John is the same dependence. Whether it was being a little child, selling everything, drinking food and liquid, the message of Jesus was always the same. The essence of salvation can be reduced to one word dependence. Dependence on Jesus from beginning to end. Dependence on the cross, His death, and resurrection. Dependence on His work for me. Dependence on His work in me. God does not accept partial surrender. He is a jealous God. He wants all our affections, all our devotion, all our mind, all our talents. He wants our whole being. Salvation is living every minute of every day totally dependent on Jesus. Because of His death for us, because He gave everything for us, we give every thing back to Him. We live a life of joyful obedience.
When traveling on an airplane, I am totally obedient to the pilot. I put on the seat belt, make sure my seat is upright, refrain from smoking, watch the flight attendants give their instructions. Throughout the flight, if the pilot say s to return to my seat and buckle up, I do. I am completely obedient to that pilot. My life is in that person's hands. I am totally dependent on the pilot's skill. If I am willing to give that kind of control and obedience to a fellow human, why should I not give as much to my Lord and Saviour? Obedience is never the way to heaven. Obedience is the necessary fruit found in those who are living lives of total dependence on God.
Unlike the airplane pilot, whom I do not know but whom I obey, I know my heavenly pilot, and I obey because I know Him and love Him and know that He knows me and loves me. And living a life of dependence is never a duty, but a privilege. It is a life full of joy and peace.
Scripture passages are from the New International Version.
