What does the Bible say about inheriting eternal life?

In Mark 10:17-31, the rich young ruler approached Jesus asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, but the man's reliance on his own righteousness is evident when he claims to have kept all of them. Jesus then offers a challenge—inviting the man to sell all his possessions and follow Him, revealing that true eternal life requires total surrender and reliance on Christ, not on personal merit. This illustrates that salvation is found in Christ alone, as the rich man's own attempts at righteousness ultimately left him sorrowful and lacking.