Hebrews 5:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

NIV: and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him

NASB: And having been perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey Him,

CSB: After he was perfected, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,

NLT: In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him.

KJV: And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

NKJV: And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

The Bible describes Jesus as learning and growing during His earthly life (Luke 2:52). This is not always easy to understand, since an omnipotent and omniscient God does not need to learn anything. However, Jesus' role as Messiah required Him to experience our humanity. Just as a weightlifter is able to voluntarily use only a fraction of his strength, there is no reason to think God could not choose to restrain His abilities when He walked the earth as a man. The prior verse explained that Jesus "learned" obedience, which also should be understood as a focus more on experience than on knowledge.

Here, it is said that Jesus was "made perfect." The term "perfect," in most biblical contexts, carries the idea of completion or maturity. So far, the writer of Hebrews has been explaining how Jesus fulfills the requirements of both a king and a high priest. In order to act as our ultimate High Priest, Jesus had to be fully human (Hebrews 2:17), and to offer prayers and sacrifices on our behalf (Hebrews 5:1; 7). Having done so, Jesus was "made perfect," in the sense of being brought to a complete fulfillment of those conditions.

While Jesus' role as High Priest involves earning eternal salvation for all who believe, the context of this verse must be kept in mind. The "salvation" being mentioned here is not, in fact, the eternal rescue from Hell. This passage is still in the context of Hebrews 1:14, and later verses such as Hebrews 9:15, which are in the context of our "inheritance." As mirrored in Mark 8:34–35, this verse points to the "sanctification" aspect of salvation, which is dependent on our obedience to God.

In the context of obedience, inheritance, and so forth, we can fully understand the writer's meaning. Jesus' role as High Priest makes Him the mediator between us and God (1 Timothy 2:5). His ability to sympathize with our weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15) and our confidence in approaching Him (Hebrews 4:16) mean we are fully equipped for our Christian lives. As the writer will say later, Jesus gives us all we need in order to successfully live out the will of God (Hebrews 7:25; 1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Peter 1:3–4).

Hebrews 5:1–10 explains how Jesus fits the requirements of a high priest. Earlier verses showed that the Messiah promised by the Old Testament would be entirely human (Hebrews 2:17). That humanity allows Christ to sympathize with our temptations and weaknesses. Here, the writer of Hebrews points out that this also makes Jesus qualified to be our ultimate High Priest. Because of His humanity, His prayers, His sacrifice for sin, and His appointment by God, Jesus' status is far superior to any other figure.

Hebrews chapter 5 completes the previous commentary about Jesus' humanity. His human existence qualifies Him to understand other men and to offer sacrifice to God on our behalf. Jesus also fulfills the roles of both high priest and king, which the author demonstrates by returning to the Old Testament. The figure of Melchizedek is used to illustrate this point: that Christ, unlike any before, was able to be both the kingly Son of David and the High Priest for all people. The deeper meaning of this example, however, may well be lost on the letter's audience, since they are languishing in spiritual immaturity.

The book of Hebrews shows how Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of God's purpose for mankind. For the sake of Jewish Christians, in particular, the author explains that Christ is superior to all other figures, and His covenant is superior to all other relationships. Chapter 5 continues the point made in chapter 4, that Christ's humanity makes Him a uniquely qualified High Priest. This passage bridges that idea into the writer's next warning: spiritual immaturity. This call to avoid apathy will run through all of chapter 6, before the writer returns to Jesus' priesthood in chapter 7.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.