The Good Samaritan Gospel

“Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD. ” – Leviticus 18:5

This perfectly describes the Lord’s earthly ministry to Israel. He was the LORD, and he taught the law for life.

When a lawyer asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life, Jesus taught him the law of love toward God (Deut 6:5) and neighbor (Lev 19:18).

“And [Jesus] said unto him … this do, and thou shalt live.” – Luke 10:28

Jesus continued to give an example of loving your neighbor in an account of a beaten man ignored by a priest and a Levite, but helped by a Samaritan.

This account of the good Samaritan is one of the most popular passages in scripture. It was spoken while Christ was teaching eternal life through keeping the law.

That the good Samaritan is known more than Paul’s conversion tells us that Christianity is oriented towards law keeping and not grace preaching.

The good Samaritan gospel is not the gospel of grace. Eternal life cannot come from keeping the law, it is a gift of God given by grace to sinners without the good deeds of the law (Rom 4:25; 6:23). This was yet a mystery in Luke 10 when Christ ministered to Israel.

The good Samaritan was an example of keeping the law to the circumcised audience in Israel (Rom 15:8).

Paul is the pattern set by Christ of a sinner saved by God’s grace alone. Christ gave the dispensation of grace, and the mystery of this gospel first to Paul (Eph 3:1-2).

How do we get eternal life? Trust what Christ did on the cross for your salvation by grace, not what Christ taught Israel under the law.

For His glory,

Justin “not a Samaritan” Johnson