caveat…i havent read all responses above so if i repeat someone else…sorry.
For me the statement by Christ “sell everything you own and come follow me” is explained in the following bible text
Teaching about Money and Possessions
Matthew 6:19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
Clearly the rich young ruler’s treasures were not heavenly.
I will be interested in your thoughts in due time.
I am not sure there is much difference between 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?" and “What shall I do to be saved?” as asked later by Paul’s jailer, though of course they were asked in different contexts - one by a rich Jew, and one by a Roman (presumably). Nevertheless the responses given are quite different. One has a pre-condition, one doesnt.
I suppose I am questioning the emphasis on ‘grace’ that we hear a lot about today. Where was the grace towards the rich young man? I very much doubt such a pre-condition would be given today. Yet Jesus also said that those who are not prepared for the cost of following him are not worthy of him. How does that fit with being saved by grace, which is ‘unmerited favour’?
Following is not part of grace. Following is an attempt at holiness. There is a difference here.
The grace of God is the forgiveness of sins. That has no criteria.(Unless you believe that it has to be accepted)
Grace is the start of being a Christian it is not the passport of Christianity. Following Jesus is a commitment to His ideals and that includes putting Him above (the love of) money.
The rich young ruler approached Jesus with what he had done to fulfill the law and his works. Jesus seems to be continuing the same line of reasoning by bringing up another task to execute, only this one while being a work of the flesh reflects a change that must first be made of the heart, which Is what Jesus requires.
That is hardly new. It has been the historic teaching of all major Christian traditions since the time of the apostles. Not that many of those same traditions have not departed from it for a time. That was a chief driver of the Protestant reformation: the recovery of classic Augustinian theology. And Augustinian theology is Pauline theology.