Luke 18:26 kjv
And they that heard it said, Who then can be saved?
Luke 18:26 nkjv
And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"
Luke 18:26 niv
Those who heard this asked, "Who then can be saved?"
Luke 18:26 esv
Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?"
Luke 18:26 nlt
Those who heard this said, "Then who in the world can be saved?"
Luke 18 26 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lk 18:25 | For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. | Immediate preceding statement; reason for the question. |
| Lk 18:27 | But He said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” | Immediate clarifying answer to the disciples' question. |
| Mt 19:25 | When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” | Parallel passage, identical question. |
| Mk 10:26 | And they were greatly astonished, saying to Him, “Then who can be saved?” | Parallel passage, identical question. |
| Jn 3:3 | Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” | Entry into God's Kingdom is by spiritual rebirth, not human effort. |
| Jn 3:5 | Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” | Further clarifies necessity of spiritual birth for Kingdom entry. |
| Eph 2:8-9 | For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. | Salvation is entirely by God's grace and gift, not human work. |
| Tit 3:5 | He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy... | Emphasizes God's mercy, not human deeds, as basis for salvation. |
| Acts 4:12 | And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. | Jesus Christ is the sole means of salvation. |
| Jer 17:9 | The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? | Human inability and spiritual sickness, leading to need for divine intervention. |
| Rom 5:6 | For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. | Humanity's complete powerlessness and dependence on Christ for salvation. |
| Jn 6:44 | No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him... | Human inability to come to Jesus unless divinely enabled. |
| Zech 4:6 | ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts. | God's work is by His Spirit, not human strength or capability. |
| Phil 2:13 | For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. | God enables both the desire and the ability to obey Him. |
| 1 Pet 1:5 | who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. | Believers are saved and kept by God's power. |
| 1 Tim 6:10 | For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith... | Money's corrupting power, contributing to difficulty for rich to enter. |
| Prov 11:28 | He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like the green leaf. | Danger of trusting in wealth rather than God. |
| Ps 24:3-4 | Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart... | Old Testament question about who can be accepted by God, focusing on internal state. |
| Mal 3:2 | But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? | A question about standing before God's ultimate judgment. |
| Isa 45:22 | Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other. | God declares Himself as the only Savior. |
| 2 Cor 3:5 | Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God. | Human inadequacy and divine source of ability. |
| Ps 3:8 | Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be upon Your people! | Affirmation that salvation is of the Lord. |
Luke 18 verses
Luke 18 26 Meaning
Luke 18:26 records the disciples' astonished reaction to Jesus' teaching about the extreme difficulty for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. Their question, "Then who can be saved?", reflects a profound sense of human incapability, understanding that if even the seemingly righteous and blessed rich cannot attain salvation through their own means, then no one, relying on human effort, can. This highlights the complete dependence on God for salvation, rather than on human merit or societal standing.
Luke 18 26 Context
Luke 18:26 directly follows Jesus' encounter with a rich ruler (Lk 18:18-23). This ruler asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, claimed to have kept the commandments, but was unwilling to sell all his possessions and follow Jesus. Jesus then stated that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God (Lk 18:24-25). This shocking pronouncement defied the common Jewish belief that wealth was a sign of God's blessing and a mark of righteousness, thus seemingly indicating one was favored for salvation. The disciples, reflecting this societal view, were profoundly puzzled and troubled by Jesus' words, leading to their question: "Then who can be saved?" This question sets the stage for Jesus' clarification in Luke 18:27 that what is humanly impossible is divinely possible, shifting the focus from human effort to God's saving power.
Luke 18 26 Word analysis
- And: de (δὲ) - A common Greek conjunction, here serving to introduce the reaction or response following Jesus' profound statement. It signifies a transition or a natural next step in the dialogue.
- those who heard it: hoi de akousantes (οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες) - Refers to the disciples present, the immediate audience of Jesus' teaching. Their hearing is not passive but leads to an active reaction. They grasped the implications of Jesus' challenging words.
- said: eipon (εἶπον) - Simple past tense of "to say," indicating a direct, verbal response. Their bewilderment immediately found expression.
- Then: kai (Καὶ) - Often "and" or "even," but in this context, when combined with a question, it functions more like "then," "consequently," or "so then," introducing a logical deduction from the preceding statement. It expresses their astonished conclusion: "If this is true, then what?"
- who: tis (τὶς) - An interrogative pronoun, signifying "who" or "what." In this instance, it poses a universal question regarding humanity's capacity for salvation. It’s a question born of confusion and a realization of immense difficulty.
- can be saved?: dynatai sōthēnai? (δύναται σωθῆναι?) - This phrase is pivotal.
- dynatai (δύναται): "can," "is able," "has the power." It conveys capability or possibility.
- sōthēnai (σωθῆναι): This is the aorist infinitive passive of sōzō (σῴζω), meaning "to save," "to rescue," "to heal," "to preserve." In this spiritual context, it distinctly means to attain eternal life, to enter the Kingdom of God, to be delivered from spiritual death and judgment. The passive voice implies that salvation is something received or done to someone, rather than something a person actively achieves.
- "Then who can be saved?" (Καὶ τίς δύναται σωθῆναι;) - This whole phrase expresses deep dismay and logical quandary. The disciples' understanding of salvation was often tied to outward religiosity, adherence to the law, and perceived divine blessing (like wealth). If a rich, seemingly devout person finds it so difficult, the implication is that it must be utterly impossible for anyone through human effort, given their limitations. It pushes them to the brink of despair regarding human self-sufficiency in the spiritual realm. This query functions as a transition to Jesus’ affirmation of God’s absolute power.
Luke 18 26 Bonus section
The shock experienced by the disciples stemmed from a deep-rooted cultural belief that material wealth was often a sign of God’s blessing, indicating divine favor and a higher likelihood of inheriting eternal life. In this view, poverty could sometimes be seen as a sign of divine disfavor or lack of righteousness. Jesus’ teaching directly contradicted this notion, turning their theological and cultural expectations upside down. His statement, followed by the disciples’ question, forced a confrontation with the true nature of God's Kingdom, where human merit and earthly advantages hold no sway, and where all stand equally dependent on divine grace. This polemic against self-reliance and the illusion of earned favor sets apart Christ's teaching from prevailing self-help spiritualities of any age. The question 'who can be saved' ultimately answers with 'God alone can save'.
Luke 18 26 Commentary
Luke 18:26 captures the essential human predicament regarding salvation. The disciples, reflecting a common human perspective, measured spiritual success by worldly achievements and ethical endeavors. Jesus' stark statement about the rich man shattered this paradigm. If one so advantaged could not attain salvation, the immediate and despairing human logic follows: "Then who can?" This rhetorical question perfectly illustrates humanity's absolute incapacity to secure salvation by any self-effort, good works, or inherent merit, however outwardly impressive. It sets the stage for Jesus to reveal the foundational truth that salvation is not a human possibility but a divine miracle, achievable only by God's grace and power (as clarified in the very next verse). It is a vital moment in understanding the nature of God's Kingdom: it is received through faith and humility, not earned through human strength or social standing.