Jesus Counsels the Rich Young Ruler^(A)

^16 (B)Now behold, one came and said to Him, ^(C)“Good^[a] Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”

¹⁷ So He said to him, ^[b]“Why do you call Me good? ^[c]No one is ^(D)good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, ^(E)keep the commandments.”

¹⁸ He said to Him, “Which ones?”

Jesus said, ^(F)“‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ^19 (G)‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^(H)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

²⁰ The young man said to Him, “All these things I have ^(I)kept ^[d]from my youth. What do I still lack?”

²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, ^(J)go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

¹⁴ for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ who show the ^(A)work of the law written in their hearts, their ^(B)conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ^16 (C)in the day when God will judge the secrets of men ^(D)by Jesus Christ, ^(E)according to my gospel.

Freed from the Law

7 Or do you not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law ^[a]has dominion over a man as long as he lives?

Sin’s Advantage in the Law

⁷ What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, ^(A)I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ^(B)“You shall not covet.”

¹² Therefore ^(A)the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.