Luke 18:20 "Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.?(21) And he said, All these things I have kept from my youth. (22) And hearing this, Jesus said to him, Still you lack one thing... (23) But when he heard these things, he became very sorrowful... (27) But He [Jesus] said, The things that are impossible with men are possible with God.
The ruler came to the Lord Jesus and asked what he should do to inherit eternal life-God's life, which includes salvation and victory. The Lord listed five very severe conditions... Yet this young man amazingly said to Jesus, "All these things I have kept from my youth.?The Lord Jesus said that he still lacked one thing and that he could not get by without having that one thing. The purpose of the Lord's word was to prove to him that salvation and victory are impossible with man. Yet the young man thought that it was possible. Therefore, the Lord laid out one more condition before him. When the young ruler realized that he could not fulfill the Lord's conditions, he became sorrowful and left. If you try to be saved or if you try to overcome, God will often put "one thing?in front of you... It seems so strange that we can overcome many other sins, but that we are unable to overcome this one sin. We are helpless in this matter... God is proving to us that we are not able. Eventually, we will have to concede that we are not able. The Lord may allow us to become able in something, but He will show us that we still lack one thing. He has to show us that there is at least one thing which we are not able to do. In order for God to bring us into victory, He must first show us that we are not able. Victory is a gift from Christ; we cannot overcome in ourselves. Consequently, God leaves behind one or two things which are impossible for us to overcome. He is trying to show us that we "still...lack one thing."
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, The Overcoming Life, pp. 55-57. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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