The Mind of Christ

Matthew 19: 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 

In this section of scriptures Jesus is talking to His disciples and explaining to them that it is easier for a “camel to go through the eye of a needle then for a rich man to go to heaven.” However what seems impossible, like a camel shrinking down to a micron, Jesus is able to accomplish. There is one key point to note here, and that is salvation is ALL the work of the Lord!

Jesus is saying is that no amount of human effort, self-reliance, or worldly merits will get you into heaven. For some this is not good news but for others it may be good news. We first must understand that we are fallen humans and are dead in sin, making self-salvation or choosing God on one’s own merit completely impossible. We are told in Romans chapters 1-4 the purpose of the Mosaic Law and that is to expose our sins. The Law was never intended to be a rule book to follow but a means to show a fallen humanity their need for a Saviour. We need to understand that we are dead in our sins. Ephesians 2:1-5 Explains that humans are spiritually dead in transgressions until God makes them alive together with Christ by grace. This may sound like bad news but if you take a moment to think about it then it is the best news ever. why???? Well if I had to rely on my behaviour, or my believing enough then I would fail miserably! However, because God is the one who calls us. John 6:44 says No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. We don’t willingly come to the Father, we fight, scream, and run the opposite way, but we have father who doesn’t leave us drowning in our sin and comes to rescue us. Romans 9:15-16 says For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

It is impossible to go through the eye of an needle and it sounds silly but what doesn’t sound silly is how we do put stock in our own abilities…perhaps through fame, money, status, possessions, character, or maybe good works. What Jesus is saying is don’t put your love on anything other than me because I am the one who saves. God alone does the the work of salvation, from His election, His drawing us to the Word, opening our ears to hear the Truth, and paying the price by sending His beloved Son to die a sinners death on our behalf, then ascending back to the father. This is the good news for us that we do not have to rely on our merits but only on the one who loves us the most…Jesus Christ!