Adding to eternity

A religious young man asked Jesus what he must do to gain eternal life. Jesus said, “Keep the commandments.” (Mat 19:17) That statement should have driven him to throw himself on the mercy of the court and receive the grace found in Christ. Instead, he claimed to have kept them. Rather than challenging his assertion, Jesus gives him the benefit of the doubt and urges him to take the next step, “If you want to be perfect, sell your possessions, give to the poor and follow me.” (Mat 19:21) None of us meet the minimum requirements. We are all dependent on Jesus for righteousness. However, if we trust Christ for your righteousness, we have an opportunity to build on that foundation. What we do with his gift of eternal life matters! Jesus said those who make sacrifices in the pursuit of him will, in addition to eternal life, be rewarded now and in the coming kingdom (Mat 19:28-30). Paul confirms this concept in 1Corinthians 3:10-15. No one can change the foundation of Jesus’ righteousness, salvation, eternal life. But we can build upon it and how we build determines reward in the Kingdom now and in the future.