Matthew 19:17-21 He answered him, Why do you ask me about what is good? Only one is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments. Which ones? he said to him. And Jesus answered,
You shall not kill; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The young man said to him, All these things have I kept; what do I still lack?
Jesus said to him, If you would be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.
This passage is often misinterpreted by some movements who twist its meaning to claim that Jesus rejects the importance of doing good or obeying God’s Law in order to be saved. They claim that when the young man asks Jesus what is “good,” and Jesus answers, “Only one is good,” this would mean that man cannot enter the kingdom of God through his personal righteousness, because none of man is “good”.
However, a closer analysis reveals that this interpretation is erroneous and contrary to Jesus’ message.
Jesus begins by answering the young man that keeping the commandments is essential to entering into life. By listing specific commandments, such as not killing, not stealing, and loving one’s neighbor, Jesus confirms that God’s Law saves when it is observed faithfully and humbly. This is not a denial of the Law, but a reaffirmation of its central role in salvation.
When Jesus says, “Only one is good,” He is not rejecting the hmain ability to do what is required by God through of his Law. He is reminding a general statement for all men of the goodness, the greatness and the oneness of Almaighy God. This is not a rejection of obedience, but an exhortation to complete holiness and purity of heart. His continued exhortation, “Sell what you have, and come and follow Me.” Through Jesus he will receive forgiveness of if he follows him, then he can fully walk according to the Law of God to maintain his forgiveness and to achieve salvation till the final justification. Romains 2.
However, Jesus perceives a spiritual barrier in the young man’s heart: his excessive attachment to his wealth. Although he claims to have kept the commandments, his love for his possessions reveals an incomplete justice. By asking him to sell everything he owns, Jesus highlights a fundamental flaw: his heart is divided and his wealth is taking the place that should belong to God. God’s Law demands total obedience, which leaves no room for idols. Partial obedience or an external justice are not enough. “Sell what you have” is a fundamental condition for every child of God who wants to enter the Kingdom, any sin, including wealth, can be an obstacle to the Kingdom.
As Jesus said in Luke 12:33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old.
Contrary to what the lying movements claim, on a supposed “incapacity” this passage does not reject the idea that man can enter the kingdom by observing the Law of God and by ripe fruits of holiness while being forgiven by the Blood of Christ. Jesus doesn’t talk about ambiguities and does not lie. If he says to keep the commandments to enter the Kingdom, it means that’s how it is.
The Law and Salvation
The law is essential for salvation, but it must be followed with a sincere heart and full love for God, as it says in Luke 10:25-28:
And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?’ So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’
And He said to him, ‘You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.’
In conclusion, this passage demonstrates that Jesus calls for complete righteousness and total obedience to the Law of God. He teaches that salvation is based on complete holiness and purity without sin, but also on a heart totally consecrated to God by love, which was the opposite of the rich young man. Any interpretation that minimizes the importance of the Law or of complete holiness for final salvation is a distortion of Jesus’ message, which here clearly states that the Law of God saves when it is lived faithfully and especially humbly.
If we focus without the sectarian influence of Christian movements, Matthew 19:17 powerfully declares that obedience to God’s commandments in complete holiness, without sin, is a criterion for accessing eternal life.
Jesus answers the young man’s question in a clear and direct manner, without making him understand anything other than simplicity:
“If you want to enter into life, obey the commandments.”
I reject with all my energy beliefs that deny the necessity of conforming to God’s Law in order to be saved.
I regard these doctrines as heresies and firmly reject Lutheran-Calvinist doctrines and all beliefs associated with them which are defeatist, fatalistic, antinomian, fantastic, blasphemous, lukewarm and indifferent.
Love, Intention, and Obedience
Let us take the example of a man or a woman stopping at a red light. Why does he or she do it? To avoid a fatal accident or a fine. This is a hypothetical imperative: he or she acts out of fear of death first, and of a fine second. It is not out of honor or a deep desire, stemming from love for the institution of justice, but out of fear of the consequences for oneself. This is the worst mentality to obey the law of God out of constraint, out of obligation, to escape hell or the day of judgment, it inevitably leads to perdition and the disfavor of God. It is as if a woman marries a man because the man is rich and has a lot of wealth, the man finds out, how would this man react? Obedience to the law of God must flow from a deep and sincere love filled with joy, filial relationship and desire to please Him.
Psalm 119:47-48 I delight in your commandments; I love them. I lift up my hands to your commandments, which I love; and I will meditate on your statutes.
Another example, A man may perform a good deed, but this does not guarantee that his intention is also pure. His motives may be guided by self-interest, a simple sense of duty, or even hypocrisy. An action can be truly good and virtuous only if it is motivated by a sincere intention, borne of pure love and benevolent kindness toward one’s neighbor and toward God. It is this purity of intention that gives its true moral value to the act performed.
Matthew 6:21-23 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. The light of the body is the eye. If your eye is single, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
Against False Doctrines of “Grace for Future Sins”
Yet, the followers of lying and sectarian movements have invented a “grace” in Christ that legitimizes future, occasional sins. The law of God in the heart of man maintains the salvation received through the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ and leads to a permanently holy and a life without sin, consequently, it has a salvific role. (Matthew 19:17) and I say this for those who, influenced by these deceptive sects, have annulled, despised, blasphemed the law under the pretext of faith, thus falling into the traps of the devil. This is addressed to those who commit sins periodically or occasionally and who wrongly imagine that this state is that of the Christian in Christ.
Clarification of “Only One is Good”
In Matthew 19:16-17, when Jesus states that “only one is good,” namely God, is a general statement of the greatness and the goodness of God and affirms in the same time the oneness of God that every Israelite must know and confess, and as a Jew, Jesus included Himself when He said, ‘Why do you call Me good?’— demonstrating an example of humility in everything.
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) (Mark 12:29-30)
“For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13).
However, this in no way replaces man’s responsibility to obey the Divine Law, nor does it question his natural capacity to do what is right. By directing the young man to the observance of the commandments, Jesus confirms that obedience to the Law remains essential for anyone seeking eternal life. This statement does not deny man’s capacity to do good, but emphasizes the righteousnessess must conform to divine justice revealed in the Law. Jesus reminds us that perfect goodness belongs to God, but this does not excuse man from his moral and spiritual duties, nor does it diminish his active role in the journey toward justice and eternal life.
Matthew 19:26 – With God All Things Are Possible
Matthew 19:26 Jesus looked at them and said, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.
This verse comes after Jesus explains how difficult it is for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. The disciples, astonished, ask, “Who then can be saved?” Their astonishment reveals a cultural view in which wealth was seen as a sign of success and power. Jesus, however, teaches that riches, while not evil in themselves, can become a spiritual barrier, for they captivate the heart and turn man away from the purity and complete holiness necessary for salvation.
But Jesus adds an essential key: “With God all things are possible.” Without denying human responsibility and his act in giving up wealth, he emphasizes the awakening, enlightening and motivating impact of God’s love in his heart. This love, when fully revealed, breaks the chains of the idolatry of wealth and leads to true repentance and a life in conformity with the Law of God.
The salvation of the rich is possible when their hearts are touched by divine love. It is not man who remains passive without working to achieve his salvation, but the love of God, revealed by His Word and by the Holy Spirit, which motivates, which pushes man to act. This divine revelation leads to abandoning excessive attachment to earthly goods and to walking in perfect justice. So it is in the impact of this divine love that the impossible becomes possible at least if man lets this impact penetrate him.
Faith, Obedience, and Moral Conduct
Claiming that our salvation is completed by faith can be confusing and lead some to think that they do not need to monitor their moral conduct. By relying on an eternal security supposedly acquired by faith alone, it becomes tempting to minimize the importance of living in alignment with God’s will. This approach risks creating spiritual neglect, giving the illusion that moral commitment and obedience to God’s law are not necessary to maintain salvation.
Matthew 19:17 If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.
1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is everything.