Jesus Speaking to a Troubled Young Man and the Crowdby CBPepper
10:27Mark 10:27
And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.
Jesus' words answer the disciples' question about who can be saved, asked after His warning that trust in riches makes entry into God's kingdom exceptionally difficult. The impossibility He describes is the inability of people by human effort alone to save themselves or to overcome the danger riches pose to entering the kingdom. The only hope He points to is God, with whom what is impossible for people is possible, and the remedy is relinquishing possessions held as an idol and following Him.
The saying belongs to the event of the young ruler, which opened the way to teach the right principles of God's free grace. It corrects the idea that God's favor and the righteous person's reward must be earned by human works. It belongs to the account of the ruler who asks how to receive eternal life, revealing that he approaches it as something achieved by doing a good thing. Jesus directs him instead to God's goodness and to the principles of God's law as the pattern for a life in harmony with God.
Human beings cannot by their own effort save themselves, free their hearts from the grip of wealth, or overcome the danger riches pose to entering the kingdom, but what is impossible for people is possible with God through Christ's grace. Wealth gives no right to heaven, yet when Christ's love melts selfishness the rich can treat possessions as God's trust and use them to help the poor, comfort the suffering, and save the lost. Holiness of character is not inherited by nature, and loyalty and truth to God cannot be gained by any method people devise, since without Christ nothing can be done and human righteousness is as filthy rags. With God such change is possible, because those who receive Christ are given power to become sons of God and are transformed by His Spirit from self-indulgence and supreme love for self to self-denial and supreme love for God, so that weak, erring people receiving grace for grace from His fullness are made more than conquerors over besetting evil in the Redeemer's strength. Eternal life cannot be secured by following one's own ideas or doing as one pleases, and the rich are to place their means in God's cause and let His blessing direct its use rather than making their own way the condition for doing good.
The conversion of rich people whose lives are devoted to money-getting is beyond human power yet within God's power, for God works on their minds and even the greatest and most influential people are not beyond Him, so that through the Holy Spirit they can accept divine principles. Though labor for the money-devoted class brings discouragement and heart-sickening revelations, God can and will work through faithful human agencies to work miracles of genuine conversion not now discerned. When workers together with Him do their duty bravely and faithfully He will convert people who occupy responsible places, people of intellect and influence, leading many to accept divine principles. Through the Holy Spirit the greatest people can prefer Christ to themselves and take hold of eternal life.
What is hopeless and impossible with people is possible with God, since human wisdom is foolishness and human strength is weakness and without being upheld by Jesus people are utterly helpless and inefficient. Simple, implicit, constant faith that moves in God's strength and wisdom rather than human ways enables a person to press through difficulties and overcome obstacles insurmountable to human power, because God delivers those who rely on Him rather than their own power. To receive this power a person must lose self-confidence, realize helplessness, place a very low estimate on personal qualifications, submit to God's discipline, and trust God by willingly obeying His commands whether human reason calls them proper or not without pleading education to show their unreasonableness and impossibility. Thereby such a one becomes a sanctified channel, representative person, and co-worker in partnership with the Lord through whom God manifests great power and pours out blessing, as Moses proved when his mission to deliver Israel from bondage was to all human appearance most hopeless yet he confided in Him with whom all things are possible. God can accomplish what human plans and strength cannot in carrying the message of truth throughout the world, so the apparent impossibility of reaching great cities and many nations is no reason to limit effort when His people move forward humbly and faithfully and He works with great power. What people cannot pay or accomplish on their own God is able to bring about for His work by directing timing and even delays in securing property to give time to raise the purchase money, moving believers to provide it through freewill offerings and gifts without interest-bearing loans, and releasing schools and other institutions from debts held for years.
Jesus' words answer the disciples' question about who can be saved, asked after His warning that trust in riches makes entry into God's kingdom exceptionally difficult. The impossibility He describes is the inability of people by human effort alone to save themselves or to overcome the danger riches pose to entering the kingdom. The only hope He points to is God, with whom what is impossible for people is possible, and the remedy is relinquishing possessions held as an idol and following Him.
The saying belongs to the event of the young ruler, which opened the way to teach the right principles of God's free grace. It corrects the idea that God's favor and the righteous person's reward must be earned by human works. It belongs to the account of the ruler who asks how to receive eternal life, revealing that he approaches it as something achieved by doing a good thing. Jesus directs him instead to God's goodness and to the principles of God's law as the pattern for a life in harmony with God.
Human beings cannot by their own effort save themselves, free their hearts from the grip of wealth, or overcome the danger riches pose to entering the kingdom, but what is impossible for people is possible with God through Christ's grace. Wealth gives no right to heaven, yet when Christ's love melts selfishness the rich can treat possessions as God's trust and use them to help the poor, comfort the suffering, and save the lost. Holiness of character is not inherited by nature, and loyalty and truth to God cannot be gained by any method people devise, since without Christ nothing can be done and human righteousness is as filthy rags. With God such change is possible, because those who receive Christ are given power to become sons of God and are transformed by His Spirit from self-indulgence and supreme love for self to self-denial and supreme love for God, so that weak, erring people receiving grace for grace from His fullness are made more than conquerors over besetting evil in the Redeemer's strength. Eternal life cannot be secured by following one's own ideas or doing as one pleases, and the rich are to place their means in God's cause and let His blessing direct its use rather than making their own way the condition for doing good.
The conversion of rich people whose lives are devoted to money-getting is beyond human power yet within God's power, for God works on their minds and even the greatest and most influential people are not beyond Him, so that through the Holy Spirit they can accept divine principles. Though labor for the money-devoted class brings discouragement and heart-sickening revelations, God can and will work through faithful human agencies to work miracles of genuine conversion not now discerned. When workers together with Him do their duty bravely and faithfully He will convert people who occupy responsible places, people of intellect and influence, leading many to accept divine principles. Through the Holy Spirit the greatest people can prefer Christ to themselves and take hold of eternal life.
What is hopeless and impossible with people is possible with God, since human wisdom is foolishness and human strength is weakness and without being upheld by Jesus people are utterly helpless and inefficient. Simple, implicit, constant faith that moves in God's strength and wisdom rather than human ways enables a person to press through difficulties and overcome obstacles insurmountable to human power, because God delivers those who rely on Him rather than their own power. To receive this power a person must lose self-confidence, realize helplessness, place a very low estimate on personal qualifications, submit to God's discipline, and trust God by willingly obeying His commands whether human reason calls them proper or not without pleading education to show their unreasonableness and impossibility. Thereby such a one becomes a sanctified channel, representative person, and co-worker in partnership with the Lord through whom God manifests great power and pours out blessing, as Moses proved when his mission to deliver Israel from bondage was to all human appearance most hopeless yet he confided in Him with whom all things are possible. God can accomplish what human plans and strength cannot in carrying the message of truth throughout the world, so the apparent impossibility of reaching great cities and many nations is no reason to limit effort when His people move forward humbly and faithfully and He works with great power. What people cannot pay or accomplish on their own God is able to bring about for His work by directing timing and even delays in securing property to give time to raise the purchase money, moving believers to provide it through freewill offerings and gifts without interest-bearing loans, and releasing schools and other institutions from debts held for years.