As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.'” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With human beings this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

—Mark 10:17-27 (TNIV)

As we head toward Holy Week, this passage bears special attention because Jesus turns conventional Jewish wisdom on its head. He tells his disciples that it is impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom of God and they are astonished because in saying this, Jesus is refuting the mistaken notion that the rich are rich because they have led blameless lives and are now enjoying God’s blessing, of which wealth was a part.

Not so, says our Lord. It is impossible for humans to save themselves, despite what conventional wisdom says. Only God can save us and that is precisely the point of the cross.

Until you can fully grasp this, it will be virtually impossible for you to observe a holy Lent because you are still laboring under the delusion of self-help when it comes to the issue of salvation and eternal life. God became human and died for us to make it possible for us to live with him forever. None of us can save ourselves by our own personal merit or works, and none of our blessings is indicative of our goodness or favorable standing in God’s sight. Any blessings we have are due to God’s mercy and grace to us, not our own merit. Any hope we have of living forever with God is due to God’s sheer grace and mercy demonstrated to us on the cross, not our own merit.

Think on these things as Holy Week draws near, especially if any of this offends you. If it does, it is surely a sign that your pride has been wounded.

You can have a restored relationship with the living God—not through what you do, but through what he does on the cross.

—Dr. Darrell Bock

In 1727 I read Mr. Law’s “Christian Perfection,” and “Serious Call,” and more explicitly resolved to be all devoted to God, in body, soul, and spirit. In 1730 1 began to be homo unius libri [a man of one book]; (1) to study (comparatively) no book but the Bible. I then saw, in a stronger light than ever before, that only one thing is needful, even faith that worketh by the love of God and man, all inward and outward holiness; and I groaned to love God with all my heart, and to serve Him with all my strength.

—Journal, 3.213

Notice here the profound influence reading Scripture had on Wesley’s conception of Christian perfection.

Christian perfection, therefore, does not imply (as some men seem to have imagined) an exemption either from ignorance, or mistake, or infirmities, or temptations. Indeed, it is only another term for holiness. They are two names for the same thing. Thus, every one that is holy is, in the Scripture sense, perfect. Yet we may, Lastly, observe, that neither in this respect is there any absolute perfection on earth. There is no perfection of degrees, as it is termed; none which does not admit of a continual increase.

—Sermon 40, Christian Perfection

Removing soon after to another College, I executed a resolution which I was before convinced was of the utmost importance, —shaking off at once all my trifling acquaintance, I began to see more and more the value of time. I applied myself closer to study. I watched more carefully against actual sins: I advised others to be religious, according to that scheme of religion by which I modeled my own life. But meeting now with Mr. Law’s “Christian Perfection” and “Serious Call,” although I was offended at many parts of both, yet they convinced me more than ever of the exceeding height and breadth and depth of the law of God. The light flowed in so mightily upon my soul, that every thing appeared in a new view. I cried to God for help, and resolved not to prolong the time of obeying Him as I had never done before. And by my continued endeavour to keep His whole law, inward and outward, to the utmost of my power, I was persuaded that I should be accepted of Him, and that I was even then in a state of salvation.

—Journal, 1.99

I am struck by where the focus is here in Wesley’s writing. It seems to be on him. What are your impressions?

But he who raised Christ up from the dead will raise us up also if we do his will and walk in his commandments and love what he loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness, “not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing,” or blow for blow or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in his teaching.

—Polycarp, The Epistle to the Philippians 2.

That we may have to strive after goodness with an effort of our will is one of the lies invented by the mediocre part of ourselves in its fear of being destroyed. Such an effort does not threaten it in any way, it does not even disturb its comfort not even when it entails a great deal of fatigue and suffering. For the mediocre part of ourselves is not afraid of fatigue and suffering; it is afraid of being killed. There are people who try to raise their souls like a man continually taking standing jumps in the hopes that, if he jumps higher every day, a time may come when he will no longer fall back but will go right up to the sky. Thus occupied he cannot look at the sky. We cannot take a single step toward heaven. It is not in our power to travel in a vertical direction. If however we look heavenward for a long time, God comes and takes us up. He raises us easily.

—Simone Weil, Waiting for God