Jesus and the rich young ruler Part II

My last post was Jesus and the rich young ruler or Did Jesus forget the tickets? I received a comment with some interesting questions. I thought I would address the issues raised in the comment through a second post. The comment is in italics.

first we have to understand that Jesus would never say anything that was not true, so with that said the problem is that yes you must be able to gain eternal live by keeping "all" the laws/commands, otherwise Jesus was not being honest. But Paul writes that no one, except Christ, is perfect, so the Young Rich man was not being honest when he said he had kept all these from when he was young or age of accountability. This is the deception of Satan our view is skewed, so we rationalize and say were perfect, but were not.. But the Young man knew this was not true because he asked "what else?" this is s confession that he had not truly kept these. 
I agree that the Scriptures set forth the Law as a way of righteousness: Leviticus 18:5 So ye shall keep all my ordinances, and all my judgments, and do them; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the Lord your God. But we know,

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 8:3  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh
One of the fundamental problems with the Law is me

Galatians 3:21  for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Here is the other problem with the Law, it cannot give life

So what is the purpose of the Law?
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ

Therefore, Jesus was not being dishonest when he told the man to keep the Law. He was using the Law according to it’s purpose – to bring conviction of sin and to draw the man to himself. And it worked for the man responded, What lack I yet?

Then Jesus tells him "if you want to be perfect" interesting he does not say gain eternal life, but being perfect does gain eternal life? 
We put so much weight into the word perfect, especially in religious matters. As if the only meaning possible for perfect is “completely mistake free.” But the Greek word signifies to reach or attain a goal. As Adam Clarke, the old Methodist commentator noted: "If thou wilt be perfect— To be complete, to have the business finished, and all hindrances to thy salvation removed"

The man wanted to attain eternal life, so Jesus told him, If you want to reach that goal then…. Therefore he WAS saying, If you want to gain eternal life.

Then Jesus say's give everything away, but is this true, is giving everything away a requirement for entering the Kingdom of Heaven ? Can I not keep the law, but give everything I have away to gain it? I'm still perplexed about this, is what Jesus saying true or not? 
It is especially important here to pay attention to the grammar. Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Jesus did not say, "If you want eternal life go and sell all you have and give to the poor.” That is not the end of the sentence. There is no life in simply giving away all your things. The sentence finishes, and come and follow me. Come to me is where life is to be found and had.

As we read in 1 John 5:11-12
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 

Eternal life is in the Son. To have life you must have the Son. Whatever it takes, you must have the Son to have life. This, it seems to me, highlights the significance of two little words in the Bible, into and in. As in “baptized into Christ” and “of him are ye in Christ.” I must have Christ if I am to have eternal life.

Jesus told this man, this rich man, go and sell all you have, give to the poor and come follow me. Does this constitute a continuing condition for coming to Jesus? All and any who want to come and follow Jesus must first give away all they own? No more than the condition he laid down for the woman at the well, The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 

Go, call thy husband is not a condition for any and all who want to drink of the water of life. This was a word for her, to bring conviction of sin to her. So he tells the rich man, go sell what you have – get rid of that which is a hindrance to you - and come to me.

Can I gain eternal life merely by giving away all my things? No. Can I gain eternal life by keeping the Law? No. By going to church or otherwise being a good person? No. And why not? And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

In other words, the question is not, What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? but instead, How can I have the Son? And Jesus answers that:

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life

This is why Jesus told the man, come and follow me. That is the part that is for any and all who want eternal life. Come to me, believe in me, follow me and you will have eternal life.