The incident with the “ruler” in Luke 18 begins with a question about how to inherit eternal life, and ends with the promise of “eternal life” (v 30). Along the way, Jesus has radically transformed the path to eternal life. Jesus does not say that one inherits life by doing NOTHING. He says that there IS something that must be done to inherit eternal life. But it is not a matter of accumulating goods, or accumulating merit through law-keeping. What must be done to inherit life is to give up inheritance. To receive riches, you must renounce riches for Jesus’ sake. To possess life you must be dispossessed.
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