Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Luke 17:11-19.

“While He was on the way to Jerusalem, He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.  As He entered a village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him;  and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they were going, they were cleansed.  Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him.  And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed?  But the nine—where are they?  Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?”  And He said to him, “Stand up and go;  your faith has made you well.”  Luke 17:11-19.

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All ten lepers called on Jesus to heal them:  “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”  And, all ten lepers were healed by Jesus:  “When He saw them, He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”  And as they were going, they were cleansed.”  Verse 14.

But, Jesus singled only out one out of ten for praise.  That one was a Samaritan, but he was not singled out for praise because he was a Samaritan.  He was singled out for praise, because he “returned to give glory to God”.

Most importantly, Jesus singled out only one of the ten lepers (the Samaritan who “returned to give glory to God”) as having faith.  “And He said to him, “Stand up and go;  your faith has made you well.”  Verse 19.

Today’s Scripture leads us to question whether or not the many today have faith who only call on God to be healed or to receive some other thing from God, but who do not properly return to Jesus to give glory to God.

Let us consider the following article from the Belgic Confession on faith.

Article 22:  Of Faith in Jesus Christ.

We believe that, to attain the true knowledge of this great mystery, the Holy Ghost kindleth in our hearts an upright faith, which embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, appropriates him, and seeks nothing more besides him.  For it must needs follow, either that all things, which are requisite to our salvation, are not in Jesus Christ, or if all things are in him, that then those who possess Jesus Christ through faith, have complete salvation in him.  Therefore, for any to assert, that Christ is not sufficient, but that something more is required besides him, would be too gross a blasphemy:  for hence it would follow, that Christ was but half a Savior.  Therefore we justly say with Paul, that we are justified by faith alone, or by faith without works.  However, to speak more clearly, we do not mean, that faith itself justifies us, for it is only an instrument with which we embrace Christ our Righteousness.  But Jesus Christ, imputing to us all his merits and so many holy works which he has done for us, and in our stead, is our Righteousness.  And faith is an instrument that keeps us in communion with him in all his benefits, which, when become ours, are more than sufficient to acquit us of our sins.  Belgic Confession.

Faith “embraces Jesus Christ, with all his merits, appropriates him, and seeks nothing more besides him”.  Faith does not “pick and choose” what it wants from Jesus and what it wants from other persons and other things.

When we consider this definition of faith, we see that 9 out of the 10 lepers “picked and chose” the healing that they wanted from Jesus, but they did not return to Jesus.  They did not glorify Jesus.  They did not embrace Jesus with all of His merits and appropriate Him and seek nothing besides Him.  Likewise, there are many today who also do not so embrace Jesus with all of His merits and appropriate Him and seek nothing besides Him.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it;  but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”  Matthew 16:24-25.

“When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack;  sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven;  and come, follow Me.”  Luke 18:22.

“More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”  Philippians 3:8-9.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again;  and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”  Matthew 13:44-46.