“ON WHAT BASIS DOES GOD ACCEPT MAN? IS IT A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW, FAITH IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS Christ OR SOME OTHER WAY?”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about the age old question of how to be acceptable to God for the purpose of inheriting eternal life…

…One of the most illustrative stories Jesus Christ ever told while walking this earth was what is often called “The Parable of the Good Samaritan.” This account is found in the New Testament Gospels, Luke 10:25-37. Now this account first of all is called a parable. Parables in Scripture, especially those of Jesus, were told to provide a vision of life God expects from His creature, man, especially his life and living in God’s coming kingdom. I a more restricted sense, a parable is a short story told to compare of earthly things with heavenly things, or “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” This is what parables in Scripture are. However, what is commonly called the “Parable of the Good Samaritan,” may not be a parable at all as we shall see after we pause once again for a musical moment. Then I’ll return to share with you what may well be your greatest understanding of the Bible and God’s requirements for you to have eternal life. Don’t go away, I’ll be right back with today’s message entitled: ARE YOU ACCEPTABLE TO GOD?..
…I opened the program with a startling question. 

“ON WHAT BASIS DOES GOD ACCEPT MAN? Is it...

(1) A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW?

(2) FAITH IN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST? OR

(3) SOME OTHER WAY?”

The most shocking thing is almost the majority of people including Christians may answer wrongly! The correct answer is –  #1 “A LIFE OF OBEDIENCE TO THE LAW!”

Now don’t be shocked, or think, this preacher has gone astray and apostate. Hear me out, as Jesus asked those who listened to his story of the Good Samaritan. Now to explain this we must go to the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We read in,

Luke 10:25-37 (NIV) on one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho , when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Here we face one of Jesus Christ’s most potent truths ever taught among men. A lawyer or Old Testament Jewish Scribe, a master of the Word, came to him one day and posed this question,

Luke 10:25 (NIV)  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Every God fearing Jew knew that God, the Creator and sustainer of all life, was the one who granted us life after death. The term “eternal life,” is an expression of the quality and quantity of living beyond the realm of earthly life. This Jewish teacher of the Word of God knew that to receive eternal life, one had to be acceptable to God. The question was what made us acceptable to God? In answer to his honest and perplexing question Jesus rightly responded,

Luke 10:26-27 (NIV)  “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

The Jewish scribe rightly quoted the Old Testament Law God gave through Moses to Israel found in the Book of Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18.  God’s Law required the Jew and every human being for that matter to love God and mankind with all your ability and strength. But in addition to that the Law stated we must love our neighbor as much as we love, care for and protect ourselves. Now this last part was the fulcrum of all ability and fulfillment. Now we are not sure if this Jewish scribe wanted to trap Jesus in his words, or he was genuinely inquisitive to know what this new teacher in Israel thought the answer was. I tend to believer the latter. But the expert in the Bible said  “ WHO THEN IS MY NEIGHBOR? Jesus responds with this illustration and story of the Good Samaritan.

Now it’s important to understand the terms used by Jesus in this account. So let’s define the characters.

1. There was the Jewish traveler - He was a Jewish man traveling down from Jerusalem to the city of Jericho (Luke 10:30 ). The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was a very dangerous road.  Jerusalem is 2,300 feet above sea-level; the Dead Sea , near which Jericho stood, is 1,300 feet below sea-level.  So then, in somewhat less than 20 miles, this road dropped 3,600 feet.  It was a road of narrow, rocky defiles, and of sudden turnings which made it the happy hunting-ground of thieves and robbers.  In the fifth century Jerome tells us that it was still called "The Red, or Bloody Way ."  This man was traveling alone and was ripe for the picking of bandits. In the story he is attacked by them, beaten badly and left for dead and robbed of all that he had. Next we see,

II. There was the JEWISH priest -  He came upon the beaten man lying on the road. He looked but didn’t stop and hastened past.  No doubt he was remembering the Law that stated anyone who touched a dead man was unclean for seven days (Numbers 19:11 ).  As a priest, he feared the man was dead and to touch him would mean losing his turn of duty in the Temple ; and he refused to risk that.  This Jewish priest, one expected to love other, set the place and position of his ministry above that of personal love and charity.  The Temple and its liturgy meant more to him than the pain of man lying there badly needing help. The third we come across another Jewish man,

III. There was the Levite -  Levites were descendants of Levi but not of Aaron, therefore they were assistants to the priests (Aaron’s descendants) in the temple. He seems to have gone nearer to the man before he passed on.  Yet he must have thought about the fact that bandits were in the habit of using decoys.  One of their number would act the part of a wounded man; and when some unsuspecting traveler stopped over him, the others would rush upon him and overpower him.  The Levite was a man whose motto was, "Safety and self first."  He would take no risks to help anyone else. If it would cost him something to minister to another, it would not be done. We have many in the world of Christian ministry these days just like that – only what profits them will receive their attention. But now comes the crux of Jesus’ story. He introduces us in the eyes of Jews of His day, to the most hated and despicable of men, Samaritans. Our fourth character in the story,

IV. There was the Samaritan – Jesus’ listeners would obviously expect that with his arrival the real villain of the story had arrived.  You see, the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans and they hated them. In the days of Christ, the relationship between the Jews and the Samaritans was greatly strained (Luke 9:52 -54; 10:25 -37; 17:11 -19; John 8:48 ). The animosity was so great that the Jews bypassed Samaria as they traveled between Galilee and Judea . They went an extra distance through the barren land of Perea on the eastern side of the Jordan to avoid going through Samaria . Yet this man, a Samaritan, was in fact the hero of the story. He sees the injured Jewish man, a man who most likely would have spit on him than talk with him, lying near death there beaten badly. We read,

Luke 10:33-34 (NIV)  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.

Within this story we see that to the thieves, this traveling Jew was a victim to exploit, so they attacked him. To the priest and Levite, he was a nuisance to avoid, so they ignored him. But to the Samaritan, he was a true “neighbor” to love and help, so he took care of him. The Jewish scribe was then asked by Jesus,

Luke 10:36 (NIV)  “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

Of course, he could only answer the third, the hated Samaritan!\

Luke 10:37 (NIV)  The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Now this gets us back to my premise I proposed in the beginning. One what basis is a man acceptable to God? The Jewish lawyer and expert in the Law of Moses answered Jesus’ question correctly.

Luke 10:27 (NIV)  He answered: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

And my friend, this is the ONLY answer to the question: “On what basis is a man acceptable to God?” Although it sounds legalistic it is not. We further read and should understand this by Paul the apostles words,

Rom 2:12-13 (NLT)  God will punish the Gentiles when they sin, even though they never had God’s written law. And he will punish the Jews when they sin, for they do have the law. 13 For it is not merely knowing the law that brings God’s approval. Those who obey the law will be declared right in God’s sight.

Well, there you have it – “Those who obey the Law will be declared right in God’s sight!” Ah, but the truth is none of us can and no human being ever living or shall live can do this! The Bible is unequivocal – “NONE BUT THE DOERS OF THE LAW WILL BE JUSTIFIED” This is God’s eternal principle He will never stray from. God has never changed His mind. A life of absolute obedience and righteousness is the way to being fully acceptable to God and to inherit eternal life. Man strives for this by doing good works, or being religious, but we fail. You see we are not sinners because we sin, but sin because we are sinners! The Bible says,

Eccl 7:20 (NIV)  There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.

Rom 3:23 (NIV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

James 2:10 (NIV)  For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

God demands perfect obedience to qualify for heaven and eternal life. Since none of us can achieve it as hard as anyone may try, God has provided another way. He has sent to us a substitute who could and would keep the Law perfectly. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This man, a bonafide human being, is Jesus Christ. How could he keep the Law which we sinner could not? The answer is found in John’s gospel,

John 1:1-3 (NIV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John 1:14 (NIV)  The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God Himself became a man. Only God is perfectly righteous, pure and holy. Only God can keep His perfect Law, so because God’s loves the sinner, He Himself became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. He lived a pure, holy and sinless life. He qualified for heaven and eternal life as a human being, but being God His life was no mere finite creation. His life is the source of all life, it is infinite life, and as such when He offered to pay for our sins on the cross of Calvary , God Himself accepted Jesus as a worthy substitute to pay for all mankind’s sins. So the gospel story of Christianity is this. All of us are sinners, the way to heaven by keeping the Law of God is forever forfeited and closed. Yet it still stands, man is justified by perfect obedience to the Law. So God Himself kept it for us and offers to give us His righteousness, thus qualifying us for heaven and eternal life.

Now how Does God do this? Quite simply, when we transfer our trust from our sinful selves to the resurrected and living Christ, God grants His acceptable sin payment as yours, thus freeing you from the penalty of sin to come. The apostle Paul explains this for us in,

Rom 3:21 -26 (NLT)  But now God has shown us a different way of being right in his sight—not by obeying the law but by the way promised in the Scriptures long ago. 22 We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done. 23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. 25 For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us. God was being entirely fair and just when he did not punish those who sinned in former times. 26 And he is entirely fair and just in this present time when he declares sinners to be right in his sight because they believe in Jesus.

Just believing in the gospel of Jesus Christ does not save us! Belief is just the instrument that conveys God’s forgiveness, acceptance and love. It is Christ’s keeping of the Law that saves us!

This is indeed the radical basis of acceptance with God, and only those who turn to Christ and believe in him and His Person and work, will be saved from the penalty of eternal death coming for all mankind. The Jewish Lawyer was told that the Samaritan alone showed he was on the right path. No he didn’t earn heaven or eternal life because he was the right kind of neighbor. But it was such sacrificial obedience that pointed the way, which we all miserably fail to do. Even the great apostle Paul bemoaned his sinfulness when he said,

Rom 7:19 (NIV)  For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.

Friend, this righteousness of God is the demand of God for every human being who has ever lived. Now if you’ve rightly understood this, it should drive you to your knees in repentance and faith to seek God’s forgiveness through the offer of Jesus Christ who said,

Mat 11:28 -29 (NIV)  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

 The apostle Peter cried  out to his Jewish leaders one day at Pentecost,

Acts 4:12 (NIV)  Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Friend, where does this broadcast find you? Are you striving to live a good life, or be religious, to be acceptable to God? Billions of human beings are trying to do this right now. But Jesus tells us if we are on this road here is the requirement to achieve it,

Mat 5:48 (NIV)  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The way is closed to you and all men forever! Now seek the only other way. Find God’s substitute to keep the Law for you. That substitute is Jesus Christ. How can you receive His perfect keeping of the Law? The answer is,

John 1:11-12 (NIV)  He [Jesus]  came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

Acts 16:31 (NIV) “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

May God enlighten you to see your need to be saved from your sins and may you see the futility of self righteousness, good works, religiosity, and anything else that will make us acceptable to God. The Bible cries out -  “By the keeping of the Law in absolute perfection, is God’s only way!”

… Well friends, you’ve listened to another biblical account of the Christian faith through this speaker. I trust that your spiritual eyes have been opened, and your heart seeks to find peace with God. We can and we can know of it too. The Bible says,

1 John 5:13 (NIV)  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Eternal life comes here and now and stays forever with those who cast off a works relationship to God, and trust alone in the finished perfect work of Christ. Herein is the message of the Gospel. May you be God’s recipient of it.