And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Being made complete by finishing the work appointed to Him, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. Being made perfect does not mean He had been imperfect, but that He was fitted for His work as Saviour and High Priest. Though He was the Son, He learned obedience by experience in fallen human nature, offering prayers with strong crying and tears, tempted in all points as men are yet without sin, and bearing the penalty of sin at Calvary. Thus completed, He was appointed by God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, merciful and faithful, touched with the feeling of human infirmities and able to succor the tempted and make reconciliation for sins. This salvation belongs only to the obedient, for obedience is its sole condition, requiring complete surrender to His authority and to God's law, which His grace enables men to render.
Made Perfect Through Suffering
To be made perfect means to be made complete and fitted for the work by finishing the work appointed, not to be made better after having been imperfect. Through suffering and by learning obedience He was made a complete Saviour, and in that completed state He gives everlasting deliverance. His victory over temptation qualifies Him to provide a perfect character and to break the power of the prince of darkness over the race.
Though He was the Son, He learned obedience by the things He suffered in the days of His flesh, when He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. Through that experience He learned by experience what human beings suffer, even what a wounded, bleeding heart means. Being made perfect through the obedience learned by that suffering, He laid aside heavenly glory and approached God in human nature as well as in divine nature.
He did this by humbling Himself to take fallen human nature as it existed four thousand years after Eden, becoming bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh and one with the human family. He took that nature with its physical, mental, and moral degeneracy, weakness, infirmity, and sin-bearing, with human weakness upon Him. Standing in Adam's place where Adam failed, He was in all things made like His brethren and endured on every point where man can be assailed, tempted in all points like men are tempted yet without sin. He humbled Himself to the lowest depths of human woe and bore the penalty of sin in the offering of Calvary.
Merciful Faithful High Priest
Being made perfect through what He suffered, He was called of God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Teaching about that priesthood is hard to receive for those who are dull of hearing. He did not glorify Himself to take the priesthood upon Himself, but was appointed by the Father both as Son and as priest forever, not self-appointed.
In that completed state He is a merciful and faithful High Priest, touched with the feeling of human infirmities. He can have compassion on the ignorant and on those out of the way, and because He Himself suffered being tempted He knows how to succor those beset by the powers of darkness. Having been in all things made like His brethren and tempted in all points like men are tempted yet without sin, He is able to make reconciliation for sins and to help those who are tempted. By taking fallen human nature with its weakness and bearing it through temptation and victory on humanity's behalf, He was qualified to save and to help the tempted.
That suffering victory qualified Him to reach fallen man where he was and to lift him from degradation. He humbled Himself to the lowest depths of human woe to do this work in the sinner's behalf. He now pleads before the throne of God in behalf of His people as a compassionate, sympathetic and faithful High Priest, One who is too wise to err and too good to do them harm, so that those in trouble can bring their sorrows to Him and a suffering church can know His sympathy and help.
Eternal Salvation for Obedient
Being made perfect, He became the author and source of eternal and complete salvation, able to save completely and to the uttermost all who come to Him. This holds the mystery of godliness and gives His people power beyond themselves to overcome sin, share in the divine nature, and become overcomers through His merits, breaking the prince of darkness's power over the human race. God provided in Him as His only begotten Son the only means for redemption to life of the human race appointed unto death, and those who receive Him are cleansed, sanctified, and ennobled.
He accomplished this as the Sent of God and the only begotten Son, one with God, who covenanted from the beginning to be humanity's substitute, became human, took upon Himself the wrath brought by sin, and gave Himself in humiliation, rejection, abuse, sacrifice, and crucifixion. This is a mystery of redemption whose full meaning surpasses finite understanding. His saving work is shown at the cross where He gives His life for sinners and in His resurrection which confirms His victory over death, and as Prince of life He stands in contrast to Satan, the author of sin. The Bible imparts this knowledge of Christ essential to all, telling of God's love in the plan of redemption, making wise unto salvation and telling how to reach eternal happiness and the abode of eternal happiness, including His divinity shown by His previous existence with the Father.
He is superior to the prophets because He originated all that they wrote and spoke, and His life is a perfect model of faith and practice. His life honored God's law and showed people both that they ought to obey and how to obey, His perfect obedience in human nature making Him the source of eternal salvation for those who obey Him. His suffering and obedience fitted Him to save humanity and provide the perfect character needed for people to be prepared for life with the angels.
This salvation is unto all them that obey Him and belongs only to the obedient. Obedience is the only condition of eternal salvation and God's appointed way of saving, requiring complete surrender to Christ's authority and implicit obedience to God's law as the rule of life, with Christ's life as the pattern and God's glory as the chief aim. Through His grace He enables men to render perfect obedience to the laws of God and so obtain eternal life, to become obedient sons and daughters of God and members of the royal family, and to be received by the Father, accepted in the Beloved, clothed with the robe of righteousness, cleansed, sanctified, and ennobled. This true obedience softens and subdues the heart, brings the soul into harmony with Christ and fellowship with God, and this submission is freedom in Christ.
Knowing this salvation requires spiritual perception, growth, and memory, advancing onward and upward in themes of eternal interest and retaining truths essential to character building. Dullness of hearing, spiritual weakness, lack of consecration, and remaining half Christian and half worldling give only an indistinct view of what He can do for His people and leave those who should be teachers needing milk and unable to bear strong meat and the plain requirements of Scripture. Teaching about His priesthood after the order of Melchizedek is difficult for those dull of hearing. Those who surrender unreservedly, deny self, take up the cross and follow Him, becoming as little children in humility willing to learn every lesson God gives and to work the works of God, walk with Him, learn His lessons, receive His impress, and become wholehearted Christians who understand and practice His words, without which God cannot accept the labor.
Those who on earth share in His sufferings in close union with Him will in the world to come share in His glory, so believers should not worry but be patient under disappointment and suffering and be content to be partakers with Him that they may at last be glorified with Him. Like Him they are made perfect through self-denial, conflict, and obedience rather than ease. They are to follow His example by showing compassion and seeking to restore those gone astray rather than hurting or condemning, and by coming boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need instead of speaking words that hurt Him in the person of His family members. They are to make obedience known to others by what they teach and by their example, and, if ministers, by remembering His infinite sacrifice, dwelling on His exalted character and all-sufficient merits to increase faith and holy earnestness in prayer, remaining humble and relying on Him rather than becoming self-sufficient or treating Him as commonplace. Those who neglect so great salvation have no second probation and are left without hope.
Being made complete by finishing the work appointed to Him, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. Being made perfect does not mean He had been imperfect, but that He was fitted for His work as Saviour and High Priest. Though He was the Son, He learned obedience by experience in fallen human nature, offering prayers with strong crying and tears, tempted in all points as men are yet without sin, and bearing the penalty of sin at Calvary. Thus completed, He was appointed by God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, merciful and faithful, touched with the feeling of human infirmities and able to succor the tempted and make reconciliation for sins. This salvation belongs only to the obedient, for obedience is its sole condition, requiring complete surrender to His authority and to God's law, which His grace enables men to render.
Made Perfect Through Suffering
To be made perfect means to be made complete and fitted for the work by finishing the work appointed, not to be made better after having been imperfect. Through suffering and by learning obedience He was made a complete Saviour, and in that completed state He gives everlasting deliverance. His victory over temptation qualifies Him to provide a perfect character and to break the power of the prince of darkness over the race.
Though He was the Son, He learned obedience by the things He suffered in the days of His flesh, when He offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. Through that experience He learned by experience what human beings suffer, even what a wounded, bleeding heart means. Being made perfect through the obedience learned by that suffering, He laid aside heavenly glory and approached God in human nature as well as in divine nature.
He did this by humbling Himself to take fallen human nature as it existed four thousand years after Eden, becoming bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh and one with the human family. He took that nature with its physical, mental, and moral degeneracy, weakness, infirmity, and sin-bearing, with human weakness upon Him. Standing in Adam's place where Adam failed, He was in all things made like His brethren and endured on every point where man can be assailed, tempted in all points like men are tempted yet without sin. He humbled Himself to the lowest depths of human woe and bore the penalty of sin in the offering of Calvary.
Merciful Faithful High Priest
Being made perfect through what He suffered, He was called of God a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Teaching about that priesthood is hard to receive for those who are dull of hearing. He did not glorify Himself to take the priesthood upon Himself, but was appointed by the Father both as Son and as priest forever, not self-appointed.
In that completed state He is a merciful and faithful High Priest, touched with the feeling of human infirmities. He can have compassion on the ignorant and on those out of the way, and because He Himself suffered being tempted He knows how to succor those beset by the powers of darkness. Having been in all things made like His brethren and tempted in all points like men are tempted yet without sin, He is able to make reconciliation for sins and to help those who are tempted. By taking fallen human nature with its weakness and bearing it through temptation and victory on humanity's behalf, He was qualified to save and to help the tempted.
That suffering victory qualified Him to reach fallen man where he was and to lift him from degradation. He humbled Himself to the lowest depths of human woe to do this work in the sinner's behalf. He now pleads before the throne of God in behalf of His people as a compassionate, sympathetic and faithful High Priest, One who is too wise to err and too good to do them harm, so that those in trouble can bring their sorrows to Him and a suffering church can know His sympathy and help.
Eternal Salvation for Obedient
Being made perfect, He became the author and source of eternal and complete salvation, able to save completely and to the uttermost all who come to Him. This holds the mystery of godliness and gives His people power beyond themselves to overcome sin, share in the divine nature, and become overcomers through His merits, breaking the prince of darkness's power over the human race. God provided in Him as His only begotten Son the only means for redemption to life of the human race appointed unto death, and those who receive Him are cleansed, sanctified, and ennobled.
He accomplished this as the Sent of God and the only begotten Son, one with God, who covenanted from the beginning to be humanity's substitute, became human, took upon Himself the wrath brought by sin, and gave Himself in humiliation, rejection, abuse, sacrifice, and crucifixion. This is a mystery of redemption whose full meaning surpasses finite understanding. His saving work is shown at the cross where He gives His life for sinners and in His resurrection which confirms His victory over death, and as Prince of life He stands in contrast to Satan, the author of sin. The Bible imparts this knowledge of Christ essential to all, telling of God's love in the plan of redemption, making wise unto salvation and telling how to reach eternal happiness and the abode of eternal happiness, including His divinity shown by His previous existence with the Father.
He is superior to the prophets because He originated all that they wrote and spoke, and His life is a perfect model of faith and practice. His life honored God's law and showed people both that they ought to obey and how to obey, His perfect obedience in human nature making Him the source of eternal salvation for those who obey Him. His suffering and obedience fitted Him to save humanity and provide the perfect character needed for people to be prepared for life with the angels.
This salvation is unto all them that obey Him and belongs only to the obedient. Obedience is the only condition of eternal salvation and God's appointed way of saving, requiring complete surrender to Christ's authority and implicit obedience to God's law as the rule of life, with Christ's life as the pattern and God's glory as the chief aim. Through His grace He enables men to render perfect obedience to the laws of God and so obtain eternal life, to become obedient sons and daughters of God and members of the royal family, and to be received by the Father, accepted in the Beloved, clothed with the robe of righteousness, cleansed, sanctified, and ennobled. This true obedience softens and subdues the heart, brings the soul into harmony with Christ and fellowship with God, and this submission is freedom in Christ.
Knowing this salvation requires spiritual perception, growth, and memory, advancing onward and upward in themes of eternal interest and retaining truths essential to character building. Dullness of hearing, spiritual weakness, lack of consecration, and remaining half Christian and half worldling give only an indistinct view of what He can do for His people and leave those who should be teachers needing milk and unable to bear strong meat and the plain requirements of Scripture. Teaching about His priesthood after the order of Melchizedek is difficult for those dull of hearing. Those who surrender unreservedly, deny self, take up the cross and follow Him, becoming as little children in humility willing to learn every lesson God gives and to work the works of God, walk with Him, learn His lessons, receive His impress, and become wholehearted Christians who understand and practice His words, without which God cannot accept the labor.
Those who on earth share in His sufferings in close union with Him will in the world to come share in His glory, so believers should not worry but be patient under disappointment and suffering and be content to be partakers with Him that they may at last be glorified with Him. Like Him they are made perfect through self-denial, conflict, and obedience rather than ease. They are to follow His example by showing compassion and seeking to restore those gone astray rather than hurting or condemning, and by coming boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need instead of speaking words that hurt Him in the person of His family members. They are to make obedience known to others by what they teach and by their example, and, if ministers, by remembering His infinite sacrifice, dwelling on His exalted character and all-sufficient merits to increase faith and holy earnestness in prayer, remaining humble and relying on Him rather than becoming self-sufficient or treating Him as commonplace. Those who neglect so great salvation have no second probation and are left without hope.