Christ, the Son of God, created the universe and has inherited the earth as a possession as well as being its King. Jesus wants to mature Christians through sanctification and suffering so that they can become sons as well, and serve as co-rulers with Him in the future. He has already saved us to be children of God, and He considers us brothers. He wants many brothers to also share His glory.
Here, Paul details one of the most significant, prevalent themes of this book. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the central focus. He is what gives life purpose. God created the earth through Him and has given Him the earth as a reward for His obedience to God by being willing to die on the cross. All things were made through Jesus, and all things now belong to Him; Jesus’ goal in obeying God was to bring many sons to glory, and he completed his work by suffering death. The glory that is contemplated, the glory Jesus wants to lead His brethren to is the glory of ruling the earth in perfect harmony, as originally intended. Verses 7 and 9 speak of the glory of man ruling the earth, making it clear that this glory is not currently a reality on the earth, but that Jesus has been crowned with this glory as a reward for His obedience. Now Jesus wants to share that glory, and the path to obtain it is to follow His example. To neglect this opportunity is to lose this amazing chance at sharing this incredible inheritance. It takes faith to see what cannot be seen, as Paul will emphasize throughout this letter. Paul’s admonitions are to work for a reward that transcends the rewards we can gain in this life.
The sacrifice Jesus made of Himself on the cross provides the means for every believer to be sanctified (set apart) to God. But both Jesus who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father. Therefore, Paul argues, Jesus is not ashamed to call those who have believed brethren (brothers). So now what does Jesus want for his brothers and sisters? The same thing Jesus gained. Jesus fulfilled what God called Him to do by continuing in obedience. And that led to Jesus becoming a “Son” as a human. Jesus wants his brothers and sisters who have believed to follow His example, and also suffer His sufferings by following in obedience to the will of the Father.
Paul references Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 8:18 to display Christ’s attitude toward faithful Christians. Christ calls us brothers. We are children of one Father: God. Jesus, the Son of God, wants us to share in His reward as sons. Christians are already children of God, but sonship is different. The way son is meant here means someone who is given governance over something as a reward for faithful service. A son is a co-ruler, someone who is appointed to help rule, by being adopted into the position as a reward for faithfulness to a king. The salvation discussed in this chapter concerns being “delivered” from loss of our proper place; being restored back to our proper position.
Verse 10 says Jesus is the author of our salvation, and He was made perfect through sufferings. The word “perfect” here does not mean to make flawless. Jesus had already lived a perfect life, so there were no flaws to remove from Him. The word “perfect” in this verse is a translation of the Greek word teleiosi, which means to reach the desired end. It is found often in Scripture and is also translated as “finish,” as in Acts 20:24, as well as “fulfill” as in John 19:28. Jesus Himself uses this word in John 4:34, Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish (teleiosi) His work. Teleiosi is also used when Christ gives His famous, final utterance, It is finished (John 19:28). Jesus declares His purpose has finally been accomplished. He has finished His job. It is done.
It is helpful to understand that teleiosi means to complete, or finish, or fulfill something—now we can make sense of Paul’s message. He is not writing that believers are supposed to be perfect, rather, we have a purpose to fulfill or complete. The perfecting of our faith is our sanctification, when we mature into becoming Sons. Christ did not only come to save our souls from Hell and leave it at that, He came to bring many sons to glory. He restored our relationship to God so that we could become sanctified, mature, and share His reward of rulership over the coming kingdom. This is the perfecting of our salvation, it is the fulfillment of what we were saved for. We were saved from separation from God to a restored relationship with Him, that we might also serve Him obediently (through suffering too, just as Christ did), and find the completion of our faith. This is what the life of a Christian is meant to be. This is what Paul means in 2 Timothy 4:7, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith. He lived his life in continued obedience to God and suffered much for the sake of Christ.
Essentially, the whole book of Hebrews is about salvation through sonship. The sonship Paul writes about is something that comes through faithful service. Every Christian is born again as a child and will spend eternity with God. But not every child of His goes on to maturity and becomes a son. Even Jesus, the author of our salvation (verse 10), was made perfect through sufferings. He finished His work and was rewarded for it. He did not inherit the earth before He died for our sins, but afterward, when God raised Him up to sit at His right hand.
The Christian who does not neglect this salvation is considered a son by God. Paul is writing about being a faithful Christian who matures, who grows into someone God calls a son. He doesn’t want his readers to drift away from it (verse 1).
10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,12 saying,
“I will proclaim Your name to My brethren,
In the midst of the congregation I will sing Your praise.”
13 And again,
“I will put My trust in Him.”
And again,
“Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.”
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