Section 10
surgeon's needle. The Lord's word here indicates the impossibility of entering into the kingdom of God by our natural life.
SALVATION AND THE KINGDOM OF GOD
In verse 26 of Luke 18 we see that those who heard the Lord's word said, "Then who can be saved?" The hearers, like most Christians today, confused salvation with the kingdom of God. The Lord's word to the ruler concerned enter ing into the kingdom of God. But the disciples thought that it referred to salvation. They had the natural, common concept of being saved. They did not grasp the Lord's revelation concerning entering into the kingdom of God.
In verse 27, the Lord went on to say, "The things that are impossible with men are possible with God." By our human life it is impossible to enter into the kingdom of God. But this is possi ble by God's life, the divine life, which is Christ Himself imparted into us so that we may live the kingdom life. We can fulfill the requirements of the kingdom by Christ, who empowers us to do all things (Phil. 4:13).
In Luke 18:28 Peter said to the Lord, "Behold, we have left our own things and have followed