Confidence to trust in Christ and obey Him

Hebrews 5:9-10 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation, being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. We first notice the verb tense in having been made perfect. Jesus was made perfect or complete by whom? Of course the answer is that the One who was able to save Him from death, God, His Father, heard His prayers and supplications as He suffered, and finished the work of teaching Him obedience. He perfected Him through His suffering. Because Jesus received His suffering and His Father’s grace well, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him because He was God’s forever appointed apostle and high priest. The point of the author was to build up the confidence of his audience to trust in Jesus as their Messiah and savior as well as encourage them to learn obedience in their suffering. Has God’s word in these chapters from Hebrews accomplished His purpose? We should also be encouraged to obey Jesus since only those who obey Him are eternally saved. That begs the question, What has Jesus commanded that we must obey? Let’s let Scripture inform us at this point. The apostle John stated it clearly in 1 John 3:23. “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” Did the writer have this command in mind? I think so because in the next chapter listen to what he said. Hebrews 6:9-10 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. Living to love with Jesus is obeying Jesus’ command. We should obey Him because he is the source of our eternal salvation. He obeyed His Father’s call to live to love with Him, and we obey His call to live to love with Him. If you would like to learn more about how to walk in love with Jesus, please visit our website, livetolovewithjesus.com where you’ll find print, audio, and video resources to encourage you in your journey with Him.