Do Jesus and Paul Teach Different Paths to Eternal Life?

Jesus taught repentance, obedience to God’s commandments and wholehearted discipleship. In the account of the rich young ruler, He presents following Him as more than outward moral conduct or religious duty. Paul taught that salvation comes through God’s grace, received by faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. He also called believers to moral living, but described obedience as the result of faith and the work of the Spirit rather than a way to earn salvation. The apparent tension raises an important question: are Jesus and Paul teaching conflicting paths to eternal life, or are they emphasising different parts of the same message? The examples of the repentant criminal on the cross and the rich young ruler remain central to this debate.

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