“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest…And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved…” (Mark 10:17-22).
If professing Christians reject only one truth in the Bible, and accept everything else, can they still go to heaven? The answer depends on what truth they reject, and why. No true Christian will reject a fundamental truth – one that is necessary for salvation. Examples include the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the atonement, and so on.
What if they are rejecting a truth that is not considered fundamental? Again, it depends. Perhaps they never received any teaching about it. Or maybe they heard a poor explanation of it. They may also accept the truth, but not understand how it applies. However, if they realise that the truth is clearly taught in Scripture, and yet persistently reject it, something is fatally wrong.
Consider the rich young ruler. If someone like him was alive today, many people would assume that he was a true Christian. For instance, the ruler seemed to think very highly of Christ. Scripture describes him as running to Christ, kneeling before Him, and publicly addressing him as “Good Master” (Mark 10:17).
His life seemed consistent with his professed esteem for Christ. For example, he was rich, but not openly ungodly or irreligious like so many of his class. He was young, but had refused to pursue a life of pleasure. He was a ruler, yet claimed he had not used his power to defraud or steal from anyone.
But for all his outward morality and respect for Christ, he was not at peace. He did not seem completely sure that he was going to heaven. Why? Because he was still asking, “What good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?” In other words, “I have done many good things, but perhaps there is another thing I need to do.”
Christ said that he lacked only one thing. You might object and say, “Didn’t he lack many other things?” Yes. He did not have a spiritual understanding of God’s law (Psalm 119:96). He did not see that the law requires all our thoughts, desires, aims, words and actions to be perfectly holy, and that it condemns us if we do not continually obey it (Gal. 3:10). Nor did he see that it was impossible to be justified by the works of the law (Gal. 2:16). Otherwise, he would not have asked, “What good thing must I do…”
He lacked other things as well. His departure from Christ showed that he did not have a new nature – he was not born again. He did not have a pardon for his sins. He did not have any of the fruits of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, and so on.
He had a high opinion of Christ, but no faith in Him, or love to Him. He did not have a spiritual delight in God’s law (Rom. 7:22). His love of his possessions – a sin against the tenth commandment – showed that he was a transgressor of the whole law (James 2:10-11).
Why then does Christ say that he lacked only one thing? It was one failing that even this self-righteous young man could not deny: his love of the things of this world. This one failing revealed his true spiritual condition. Earthly things were more precious to him than Christ, who required a life of denying oneself, taking up the cross, and following Him faithfully.
We would be making a serious mistake if we thought that the story of the rich young ruler applies only to rich people. We must ask ourselves: Is there one thing I lack? Is there one truth I do not want to accept? One command I am not willing to obey?
Some people might think this is being “righteous overmuch.” But everything about Christ is precious: His Person, His offices of prophet, priest, and king, His gospel, His law, His truth. Cleaving to Him and His Word – including the least of His commandments and principles – is worth suffering the loss of all things (Matt. 5:19, Phil. 3:8). Sadly, the rich young ruler was spiritually blind and did not see Christ’s preciousness.
Lessons from Christ’s application of one truth
1. We must examine ourselves. Is there one principle, doctrine, or truth that I refuse to accept? One duty that I am refusing to perform?
2. Preaching must declare all the counsel of God. The rich young ruler was willing to hear many truths. For example, he gladly listened to exhortations to obey the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth commandments (Exod. 20:12-16). He likely would have appreciated sermons on the excellence of Christ, the duty of loving Him supremely, and the duty of publicly showing that we esteem Him highly (Matt. 10:32). He would have agreed with sermons that condemn the sin of being ashamed of Christ (Mark 8:38). But there was one truth that he did not want to hear.
3. Preaching must include searching and specific application, no matter how unwelcome that might be. Christ did not merely quote the tenth commandment; He showed how it applied to a wealthy person. This specific application was the one thing that the rich man refused to accept.
4. The faithful application of any truth must be done in love. Christ took special interest in the rich man, and spoke in love to him: “Then Jesus beholding him loved him…”
5. Faithful application awakens sinners out of their delusions and makes them see their ruined and dangerous condition. The rich young ruler was ignorant of his true spiritual condition until Christ showed him “the one thing lacking.” This is the most solemn and practical lesson for each of us to ponder. If we are ignorant of our sinful condition, we will not receive and rest upon Christ alone for salvation, and we will go away into everlasting punishment (Matt. 25:46).
6. Sound preaching emphasizes that Christ is able and willing to give us the “one thing” that we lack. If only the rich young ruler had remained at the feet of Jesus, and begged Him to make him willing to forsake all that he had! Christ would not have refused his request. His very name “Jesus” means “Saviour”. He had come into the world to save sinners like him (1 Tim. 1:15).
7. Faithful and searching preaching, when done with Christ-like wisdom and love, does not discourage even weak and doubting believers. Ultimately it strengthens their assurance and comfort. At first, they may fear that they are in the same condition as the rich young ruler. But unlike him, they find that they cannot depart from Christ. They say with other true disciples, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). They know that everything they lack is in Christ, who offers all things freely (Rev. 22:17). They seek grace to mortify all the sins that He brings to their attention.
8. Unfaithful preaching may set forth many truths but avoids addressing the “one thing lacking.” For example, it may be one truth that is widely ignored, because it is particularly offensive to the carnal mind. It may be a worldly practice that even professing Christians excuse. This unfaithfulness may have eternally tragic consequences: deluded sinners, presuming themselves to be lovers of Christ and His Word, go down to hell.
Faithful preachers are one of the Church’s greatest needs. We should pray unceasingly that the Lord would raise up many of them (Matt. 9:38). And when we are privileged to hear faithful preachers, we should say with Cornelius, “We [are] all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God” (Acts 10:33).