14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
Ceremonial Law still in effect, Jesus bade the lepers to go and present themselves to the priest. Interestingly, He did not cleanse them and say “go” rather He sent them uncleansed and as they went they were cleansed. Often our faith is tried through our obedience to prove it true. Remember, we act on what we believe. James certainly condemns a spurious boast of faith. We find in the Book of James:
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. James 2:14-19 (NIV)
A faith consisting of all talk and no walk is worthless – it is no more than a habitual empty boast. Genuine faith will always be evidenced by works. While works alone will save no one – salvation comes through faith alone in Christ alone – a true faith in Jesus will always manifest itself in works. Faith sans works is not saving faith. Our faith is proved true through what we do. Our intellectual assent of God, according to James, only places us in the category of demons! Peter tells us:
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1 Peter 1:1-2 (NIV)
We are strangers in this world – foreigners, who have settled down, however briefly, among the native people, chosen for obedience to Jesus Christ through the power and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Obedience denotes the goal of sanctification – which is conforming us to the image of Jesus. We find later in this same chapter of 1 Peter:
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:22-23 (NIV)
A positive result of obedience is a holy life which, I might add, we are called to live:
15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NIV)
“Be is ever in your remembrance, that to keep strictly in the path of your Saviour’s command is better than any outward form of religion; and to hearken to His precept with an attentive ear is better than to bring the fat of rams, or any other precious thing to lay upon His altar.” C.H. Spurgeon
Psalm 119 gives us insight on how we are to go about this:
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. 10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Psalms 119:9-11 (NIV)
We keep our way pure by adhering to or being obedient to God’s revealed will found within the pages of Scripture.
"Faith, as Paul saw it, was a living, flaming thing leading to surrender and obedience to the commandments of Christ." A.W. Tozer
"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others.
Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian." A.W. Tozer