Naaman Was Healed by Grace Through Faith
by Terry Wane Benton
At first, Naaman did not appreciate the simple instructions to dip in the Jordan seven times (II Kings 5:1-14). He wanted to be healed of leprosy, but he wanted it to be on his terms. He imagined that God would heal him some other way. He was wrong. God would not heal him until he washed in the Jordan as instructed.
God does not say something and then allow man to ignore or change what He said. There was nothing meritorious about Naaman that deserved healing. Thus, if Naaman gets healed at all, it would be by grace. God’s grace offered terms of healing. Naaman would have to believe God and His terms enough to obey. Even when Naaman obeyed, it was not works of merit that saved him from leprosy. Obedience is not works of merit whereby God owes us. God did not owe Naaman healing even when Naaman obeyed the terms. It was by God’s grace, and it was through faith that Naaman was healed. However, until Naaman obeyed the terms (dipping in the Jordan seven times), he was not demonstrating faith. He was showing unbelief.
The same is true of the terms of pardon from sin. 3,000 Jews cried out, “What shall we do?” on Pentecost (Acts 2:37). They were told to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38). Remission of sins was not theirs until they met the terms offered by God’s grace. By grace, they were saved through faith, but faith is not of the saving quality until it obeys, until repentance and baptism in the name of the Lord.
When faith is tested by the command to repent and be baptized, but instead, like Naaman, begins to argue about the terms, then it becomes unbelief. Unless the 3,000 actually repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, their conviction of sin does not bring them the remission of sins.
Faith is submissive and obedient to the command to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins. It is still a free gift offered by God. It is still by grace through faith. When the 3,000 gladly received his word and were baptized, their sins were washed away just as Naaman’s leprosy was washed away when he dipped seven times in the Jordan. His faith was challenged by the command to dip seven times in the Jordan. His faith was failing him until he obeyed. Likewise, the faith of the 3,000 would have failed them if they did not obey the terms of pardon.
Has your faith moved you to obey? Has your faith failed?
