Luke 18:21 kjv
And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
Luke 18:21 nkjv
And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."
Luke 18:21 niv
"All these I have kept since I was a boy," he said.
Luke 18:21 esv
And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth."
Luke 18:21 nlt
The man replied, "I've obeyed all these commandments since I was young."
Luke 18 21 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Mt 19:20 | The young man said to him, "All these things I have kept..." | Parallel account, exact same statement. |
| Mk 10:20 | And he answered and said to Him, "Teacher, all these things I have kept..." | Parallel account, same assertion of obedience. |
| Rom 3:20 | Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight... | Law reveals sin, does not justify. |
| Jas 2:10 | For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. | Impossibility of perfect, sustained obedience. |
| Psa 14:3 | They have all turned aside; they have together become corrupt... | All humanity has fallen short. |
| Rom 3:23 | For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. | Universal human sinfulness. |
| Eccl 7:20 | Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does good and never sins. | Human sinfulness is pervasive. |
| Mt 5:21-22 | "You have heard that it was said... 'But I tell you...' " | Jesus deepens the Law beyond outward acts. |
| Mt 5:27-28 | "You have heard that it was said... 'But I tell you...' " | Intentions matter, not just actions. |
| Mk 7:6-7 | "...This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." | Outward conformity vs. heart condition. |
| 1 Sam 16:7 | "...for the LORD sees not as man sees: for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” | God's focus on the heart. |
| Gal 2:16 | "...we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ." | Justification by faith, not law-keeping. |
| Eph 2:8-9 | For by grace you have been saved through faith... not by works... | Salvation is a gift of grace, not earned. |
| Tit 3:5 | He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done... | God's mercy is the basis for salvation. |
| Rom 10:3-4 | For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness... | Rejection of God's righteousness for self-righteousness. |
| Phil 3:4-9 | "...as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ." | Paul's rejection of self-righteousness. |
| Lk 18:14 | "...For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” | Contrast to the Pharisee; humility needed. |
| Mt 18:3 | "Truly, I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." | Requirement for humility and trust. |
| Lk 16:15 | "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight." | God sees beyond human approval. |
| Rom 7:7-13 | Is the law sin? By no means!... I would not have known what coveting was unless the law had said, "You shall not covet." | Law reveals sin and brings knowledge of sin. |
| Col 3:5 | Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. | Greed, related to wealth, is idolatry. |
Luke 18 verses
Luke 18 21 Meaning
Luke 18:21 records the rich young ruler's confident declaration to Jesus. He asserts that he has perfectly observed all the commandments Jesus just listed, and has done so continuously since his earliest years. This statement reveals his self-perception of righteousness based on outward adherence to the Law, believing his actions were sufficient for eternal life, while demonstrating an unawareness of the deeper spiritual requirements of God's law and his own inherent shortcomings.
Luke 18 21 Context
Luke 18:21 is a pivotal line within the encounter between Jesus and the rich young ruler/official. This dialogue begins with the man asking Jesus, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus initially directs him to the Mosaic Law, listing several commandments from the Decalogue (Ex 20; Deut 5): against adultery, murder, theft, false witness, and the positive command to honor one's parents. The young man's response in verse 21 is a confident assertion that he has kept all these things since his youth. This sets up Jesus' subsequent challenging demand to sell all his possessions, which reveals the man's true obstacle: his love for wealth and self-reliance, rather than total devotion to God. The immediate literary context highlights Jesus' teachings on true righteousness and the demands of discipleship, especially contrasting with the self-justification seen in the preceding Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Historically and culturally, the Jewish understanding of achieving righteousness often involved meticulous observance of the Torah, a practice this young man believed he had mastered.
Luke 18 21 Word analysis
- And he said: Simple conjunction linking the young man's reply to Jesus' question. "He" refers to the rich young official, characterized by his self-assured, prompt response, indicating his readiness to affirm his perceived spiritual standing.
- All these: Greek: ταῦτα πάντα (tauta panta). This directly references the specific commandments Jesus just enumerated (Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother). The phrase implies a comprehensive and successful observance of these specific injunctions, and potentially a broader sense of having kept the entire moral code. The young man's tone suggests a belief in complete and unwavering adherence.
- have I kept: Greek: ἐφύλαξα (ephylaxa), derived from the verb φυλάσσω (phylassō), meaning "to guard, watch, keep safe, observe, obey." The aorist tense indicates a definitive past action, implying completed and sustained performance. The phrase asserts a deliberate and lifelong practice of obedience to these commands. It highlights a focus on outward behavior and a presumed mastery of the external requirements of the Law.
- from my youth up: Greek: ἐκ νεότητος (ek neotētos), literally "from youth." This adverbial phrase amplifies the preceding claim of obedience. It conveys that his law-keeping was not a recent effort but a consistent, habitual, and lifelong pattern, originating from his earliest conscious years. This detail emphasizes his deep-rooted self-righteousness and the ingrained belief that he had perfectly maintained blamelessness before God from an early age, thereby strengthening his perceived claim to inheriting eternal life through his own efforts. It reveals his perceived unblemished record.
Luke 18 21 Bonus section
- The rich young ruler's claim is humanly impossible (Rom 3:10-12; Jas 2:10), underscoring the universal human condition of sinfulness despite earnest efforts.
- His sincerity does not equate to correctness. He genuinely believed his claim, highlighting how individuals can be genuinely mistaken about their spiritual state when relying on their own performance.
- Jesus' engagement with him after this claim is not a debate over whether he actually kept them, but rather a probing question designed to expose the spirit of his obedience and his deepest affections (Lk 18:22).
- The emphasis on "from my youth up" showcases the deep conditioning and conviction of his perceived lifelong spiritual achievement.
Luke 18 21 Commentary
Luke 18:21 is a testament to the rich young ruler's sincere, yet profoundly flawed, understanding of God's demands for righteousness. His confident assertion, "All these have I kept from my youth up," reveals a man who genuinely believed his external conformity to the Mosaic Law was sufficient to earn eternal life. He saw the commandments as a checklist he had perfectly completed throughout his life. This mindset is a classic example of works-righteousness, common among those who prioritize outward performance over inward transformation and who lack self-awareness of the deeper demands of the Law, such as covetousness or inner purity (Rom 7:7; Mt 5:27-28). The law's true purpose, as explained by the apostles, is to reveal sin and to point people to their need for a Savior, not to be a means of justification (Rom 3:20; Gal 3:24). The young man's pride in his blamelessness would soon be challenged by Jesus, exposing his true "one thing lacking"—an attachment to his wealth that superseded his commitment to God, proving that his external adherence did not translate into a surrendered heart.