THE STORY OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN
Although John 3 and other places may say what we have said, some may ask: "What about Luke 10?" Let us now read what Luke 10 says. Luke 10:25 begins, "And behold, a certain lawyer stood up." This man had a wrong profession. "A certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test." His motive was wrong. His intention was not right. "Saying, Teacher." He had a wrong understanding. His understanding concerning the Lord was wrong. He did not know who the Lord was. "What should I do to inherit eternal life?" His question was wrong. This man was wrong in his profession, wrong in his motive, wrong in his intention, wrong in his understanding of the Lord, and wrong in the question he asked.
He asked, "What should I do to inherit eternal life?" What did the Lord Jesus say? "And He said to him, What is written in the law?" You are a lawyer. You should know what the law says. "How do you read it?" Something may be written in the law. But man can be wrong in reading it. The Lord asked a double question. What is written in the law, and what have you read from it? Sometimes the law is written one way, but man reads it another way. "And he answered and said." He answered what the law says, and how he read it. "You shall love the Lord your God from your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole strength and with your whole mind, and your neighbor as yourself." This lawyer was well acquainted with the law. He knew that the sum of the law is to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole strength, and our whole mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He could sum up the whole law in one sentence. This was an intelligent man. Probably everyone who comes to tempt is intelligent. Only the intelligent ones try to tempt. What is it to tempt others? Those who want to be taught ask questions, and those who come to tempt also ask questions. The ones who want to be taught ask questions because they do not understand. The ones who want to tempt ask questions because they do understand. Some ask because they do not understand; they come humbly to be taught. Some ask because they understand; they want to show you how much they understand. This is the meaning of tempting. This man came to the Lord asking how he could be saved. He said that he wanted eternal life, and that he wanted the life of God. What then must he do? The Lord said, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" The man could recite it by heart. He knew it long ago. One has to love God with his whole heart, his whole soul, his whole strength, and his whole mind, and has to love his neighbor as himself. He knew all these. That was why he recited them immediately. When he answered this way, the Lord told him to do it and he would be able to have eternal life.
Here is a problem. Whatever the Lord Jesus may have meant when He spoke to the lawyer, and whatever the circumstances may have been, all those who are not familiar with the truth and the meaning in God’s word would say, "Is it not clear enough that to have eternal life, a man must love God and love his neighbor? If a man does not love God and his neighbors, is it not true that he cannot possibly have eternal life?" Although the Gospel of John mentions eighty-six times that eternal life is obtained through faith, some may say that the Gospel of Luke says at least once that eternal life is obtained through loving God. If a man does not love God or his neighbor, he cannot possibly be saved.
(Gospel of God, The (2 volume set), Chapter 13, by Watchman Nee)
