Without careful thought, Hebrews 5:8-9 can be confusing or dangerous! The truth of the verses, however, is a glorious promise held forth for all who follow Christ! “Although He was a son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
The confusion arises when one tries to understand how the Son of God can “learn” anything? How can the Son of God be “made perfect?” Isn’t He God? Doesn’t He know all things already? Isn’t He already perfect? As God the Son, yes, He does know all things and He is perfect! These verses are not addressing the nature of His deity. These verses are addressing the task of redemption that Christ came to accomplish!
In order to redeem fallen man, Christ had to become a man and fulfill what no man had ever been able to achieve - perfect righteousness! That is, complete adherence to the law of God in act, thought, and will. There was a kind of learning process as He, as man, suffered for us, being like us. He was obedient even unto the point of death! Through it all He obtained a perfection as a man, the God-man, but a man nonetheless. Therefore, all who are in Christ have this perfect righteousness bestowed upon them in response to their faith and are enabled to stand before God.
Notice though that verse nine describes those who have eternal salvation as those who obey Christ! It is not those who simply “ask” Him into their hearts. It is not those who merely just pray a prayer. It is those who follow Him! Followers of Christ are the ones who truly believe in Him! His perfection is our perfection!
No comments:
Post a Comment