Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur Cincotti. 10/24/2021
Listen to our Bible Study Discussion at: Inheritance Bible Discussion Podcast
Luke 10:25-30 Inheritance
There are four options
we have available to us for that day when we shall stand before the Creator of
all that is seen and unseen.
But first we must meed
through some Scripture:
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and
tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
It seems clear, in this passage, that the questioner wasn’t
really wondering about the answer. The title, “lawyer” meant expert in
the Mosaic Law, so he clearly had a well formed answer already in his mind.
It strikes me as very interesting that he uses the phrase, “inherit
eternal life”. This phrase occurs
four times in the NT. Mt. 19:29, Mk. 10:17, Lk. 10:25, Lk 18:18. It is likely that, as a Jew, he intended to “inherit eternal
life” as Abraham’s seed. In an exchange with some Pharisees, (Jn. 8) they said,
33 “We are Abraham’s descendants” and 39 “Abraham is our father”. Also, in Lk. 3:8, John the Baptist, speaking to a multitude said, “and do not
begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’”
The notion is that their pedigree would bring them before
God. This is a partial truth… explained later.
Back to Lk.10
26 Jesus gives a glib response, knowing that He
would get the standard, appropriate answer.
27 The lawyer accommodates.
28 Jesus tells him, “You have answered rightly; do
this and you will live.” …End of conversation; right???
29 The lawyer, “wanting to justify himself”
There are four
approaches to stand before a Holy God.
1. On the laurels of
your pedigree, ie: “I’m a Christian” or “I’m Catholic”,
or “I’m Methodist”, or “I’m Abraham’s”
This is a partial truth…we’ll get back to this.
2. In your own
righteousness. In a similar exchange with the “rich young ruler” (Mat. 19:20, Mk. 10:20, Lk. 18:21) the young man
says, “All these things I have kept from my youth”. Jesus gently points out one insurrection. Js. 2:10 says, “For whoever
shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.”
3. Justifying yourself.
There is an ugly notion that we can dicker with
God. That we’ll point out some unique circumstance, or condition that gets us off the hook. “God knows my heart” is a common response in these cases. God does
know your heart. He says, “The heart is
deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked” Jer. 17:9
4. On the laurels of
your pedigree, and by virtue of inheritance.
The Jews had it right because this principle was woven into the Old Covenant. The place they stumbled was
at the “rock of offense”. They didn’t
yet realize that they needed to be “born
again” into the family of God. Jn. 3:3. In the Jn. 8 passage,
Jesus calls them out, 44 “You are of your father the devil.” So, in truth, we do inherit
eternal life as joint heirs with Christ;
Rom. 8:17, “and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” We, of
course, believe this by faith, taking
God at his word. When Isaac blessed Jacob, in
Gen. 27, he just gave him his word, and the blessing was known to have been conveyed.
Gal. 3:26 – 4:7 Gives
greater clarity by weaving back the understanding of being 29“Abraham’s seed”, though
26 “faith in Christ”.
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