lukethreesix said:
Is it possible to cry out to the Lord for mercy, receive healing, but not be saved? In Luke 17:12-19, ten men cry out for mercy, they all get healed (restored), but only one "gets saved". What is this salvation that Jesus speaks of?
The entire text of the scripture reference is available in post #2 above.
There is nothing in the passage that speaks of being saved. No allegory, no metaphor and no tangential suggestions are mentioned alluded to or implied. It is entirely about the healing power of Christ by means of faith.
There is also a reference to gratitude, which seems to be more rare than faith. <--- Don't miss this important point !!!
Issues and convoluted interpretations arise when conclusions are taken out of context. In this instance there are none with regard to spiritual salvation.
The reader should also note that Jewish law forbade lepers from approaching close to anybody. This is why the lepers were crying out to Jesus. They had to do so in order to be heard over the distance.
Read the passage again. At no time did Jesus speak a word of healing. Instead He instructed the lepers to show themselves to the priests. According to Jewish law one cannot be allowed back into normal society unless one is pronounced clean by a priest. As the men walked they were healed, but only one had enough gratitude in his heart to turn back and thank the Son of God for his miracle.
The reader may consult any commentary he wishes and will not find any interpretations either direct or indirect to suggest the necessity and the process of being saved
in this passage alone. If such is required I recommend the reader review the night visit of Nicodemus to Christ. The subject of that passage is entirely about the second birth and it's necessity for salvation.
Can one can be healed of God and not saved?
Q:What is the purpose of divine healing?
A:Miracles and healing have always been employed to gain the attention of people so that they may focus upon the Word of God, hear it and be saved.
The Word is of paramount importance, not the healing not the miracles and not raising the dead. The most important thing is get the word out "you must be saved in the name of Jesus".
Lastly it should be understood that healing and salvation are gifts of God. It is the Lord of Hosts who decides when, if, how and to whom such gifts are to be dispensed. Jesus said that it is better to be saved than to be healed. It is better to have peace with God than peace with one's own flesh.
and that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
lukethreesix said:
Jesus was asked "How do I inherit eternal Life"? Jesus answers the question with a story, a story of a good Samaritan (today we would call him a Muslim). This story in Luke 10 points to a truth many christians refuse to hear. In chapter 9 Jesus is rejected by the Samaritans, and in John 4 He tells a Samaritan that her worship is corrupt. Samaritans shared ancestry with the Jews, claiming Abraham as their father (just as the Muslims do today). Notice in this parable that its not the people who proformed the right kind of worship, or those who knew the right NAME, or was part of the right religion. But it was a Samaritan who had the right heart, a heart of compassion who will inherit eternal life.
It did not matter of what race, or religion this man was...God looks only at the heart, NOT the label or group we are part of.
The allusion between Samaritan and Muslim is not exactly accurate. Samaritans were kin to the Hebrew tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh and Levi. Theirs was a semitic religion similar to Judaism. There were points at which the two ideologies differed, however, and these differences led to much tension between the Samaritans and the Jews. The tensions were geographic, cultural, religious and racial.
Therefore if any modern parallel is drawn, the story might tell of a white man lying in the ditch all beaten up and of a black man who rescues him. Title the story 'The Good N*****" and you'll get a taste in your mouth very similar to what the gospel intends to convey. Mercy is better than judgment.
But good deeds will not save you(*), only faith in Christ Jesus.
and that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...
(*)Good deeds won't save because you never know when you've done enough.
Christians are saved FOR good works, not BY them.