The Source of Eternal Salvation

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Hebrews 5:8-10 NIV

Who is Jesus? The author of Hebrews has made it clear that He is the divine Son of God, the agent of creation (Heb. 1:1-3), who entered into His creation as a man, becoming like us in every way (Heb. 2:14-18). And, as a man, He suffered death to bring many to glory (Heb. 2:10). Jesus is fully God and is fully man. And He is the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.

As the divine Son, Jesus intellectually knew what we face as humans. But as the human Jesus, He experienced the pain and suffering that is often a part of our lives. And in particular, He experienced what it was to suffer and die a criminal’s death on a Roman cross. And through that experience of suffering, He learned obedience, submitting Himself to the Father. “Not my will, but yours be done” (Matt. 26:39).

Through His obedience, He became perfect. This is not a reference to moral perfection; Jesus was without sin. Instead, it refers to suitability for a task. A piece of steel is perfected as a sword through the heating and hammering of the metalsmith. So Jesus was perfected as our great high priest through His experience of suffering and death on the cross.

And as our perfected high priest, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him. A high priest mediates with God on behalf of the people. And Jesus, our perfected and eternal high priest, always stands ready to intercede with the Father on our behalf (Heb. 7:23-25). Because of who Jesus is and what He did for us, He has become the source of our salvation. Eternal salvation is found in Jesus and in Him alone (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).