John Calvin Commentary Luke 10:26

"And he said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?" — Luke 10:26 (ASV)

What is written in the law? He receives from Christ a reply different from what he had expected. And, indeed, no other rule for a holy and righteous life was prescribed by Christ than what had been laid down by the Law of Moses, for the perfect love of God and of our neighbors comprehends the utmost perfection of righteousness.

Yet it must be observed that Christ speaks here about obtaining salvation, in agreement with the question that had been asked him. He does not teach absolutely, as in other passages, how people may arrive at eternal life, but how they ought to live in order to be accounted righteous in the sight of God.

Now it is certain that the Law prescribes to people a rule by which they ought to regulate their lives, so as to obtain salvation in the sight of God. The fact that the Law can do nothing but condemn—and is therefore called the doctrine of death and said by Paul to increase transgressions (Romans 7:13)—does not arise from any fault in its doctrine, but because it is impossible for us to perform what it commands. Therefore, though no one is justified by the Law, yet the Law itself contains the highest righteousness, because it does not falsely hold out salvation to its followers, if anyone fully observed all that it commands.⁷²

Nor should we consider this a strange manner of teaching: that God first demands the righteousness of works, and then offers a gratuitous righteousness without works. For it is necessary that people should be convinced of their righteous condemnation, so that they may turn to the mercy of God. Accordingly, Paul (Romans 10:5, 6) compares both kinds of righteousness, to inform us that the reason we are freely justified by God is that we have no righteousness of our own.

Now Christ in this reply adapted His response to the lawyer, and attended to the nature of his question; for he had inquired not how salvation must be sought, but by what works it must be obtained.

⁷² “S’il s’en trouvoit quelqu’un qui observast entierement ce qu’elle commande;” — “if any one were found who observed entirely what it commands.”;” — “if any one were found who observed entirely what it commands.”