Hebrews 4:13-5:10

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13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 1 For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. 3 Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. 4 And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5 So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6 as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.” 7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, 10 being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. (ESV)

Hold Fast the Profession. Draw Near to Grace. (Hebrews 4:13-5:10, Part 1)

Israel showed, during their time in the wilderness, that man’s heart can be fickle (Hebrews 3:9). God then showed that he will not tolerate continued rebellion (3:11). The truth of the case study applies to all: God’s scrutiny penetrates deeply (4:12), and there is no hiding (4:13). We are left, as the writer says, exposed and in need of mercy.

But warning is followed by encouragement: The great truths discussed ealier in the letter are summarised along with associated exhortations.

We have a magnificent representative seated at the right hand of God’s throne in heaven: God’s very Son (4:14). He who humbly walked among his people and then suffered unto death for our sin (2:9) now represents us, in perfection, before God. Let us hold fast to this faith that we profess.

He is also a sympathetic representative (4:15). He has felt the fatigue and hunger of humanity (2:17,18), and the pull of sin in all dimensions (4:15). We are needy, and he knows it well. He has opened to us a throne of grace, and we are to come to it with complete confidence.

(This was originally posted on the Biblearc blog by Robert Elphick on September 17, 2015.)

Eternal Salvation for Those Who Obey Him (Hebrews 4:13-5:10, Part 2)

In Hebrews 5:9, the writer says that Jesus, having suffered and been made perfect, became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him. What does it mean to ‘obey him’? What can we learn from the context?

We are told in the preceeding verse that Jesus himself learned obedience – I think this means he gained a full appreciation of human obedience – through what he suffered. And in the verse preceeding that we see that Jesus’ response to suffering was not to have a stiff upper lip and soldier on, but to reverently, earnestly, desperately, cry out to God for help. Jesus lived in close dependence on His Father.

We see a similar theme in Heb 4:16, where the readers are exhorted to draw near to the throne of grace for help in their time of need. God has provided them with His Son as a sympathetic yet perfect representative, now enthroned in heaven. Our weakness is well known: we are to draw near, depending on his grace, for help.

So what does it mean to obey him? It includes, at least, a life of urgent yet reverent fellowship with God, expresssed through earnest prayer. In our day to day lives, we are the needy – we are completely exposed before God (Heb 4:13) – and we obey him by drawing near to His throne, through His Son our great high priest, for help.

(This was originally posted on the Biblearc blog by Robert Elphick on September 24, 2015.)

@Gary-Lincoln I agree with what you’re saying if you mean this: “Those who are saved prove the reality of their salvation by their obedience (called “works” in James 2:14-26).” It is absolutely true that people who only say that they are believers, but produce no fruit, whose lives are characterized by constant disobedience, are hypocrites and not believers at all.

But I don’t agree with what you’re saying if you mean this: “You receive eternal life by accomplishing perfect obedience.” Jesus is the source of salvation through (see the Manner relationship of 9-10) his high priestly intercession. He saves all who come to God through him, completely apart from any obedience that they have done. Our hope is only in him, as this passage points out; he is the source of our salvation, not anything we do. Our obedience is a demonstration that he is indeed the source of our salvation.

Agree?

@Gary-Lincoln It is true that faith is often called obedience. For instance, Romans 1:5 is clear in talking about “the obedience of faith.” But to say that they are “treated virtually the same in Scripture” isn’t accurate.

For instance, John 6:27 does say that the “work” people are to do is to “believe." And yet this cannot contradict a verse like Romans 4:7, where Paul says, “To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” So for me to use an absolute statement like “not anything you do” is not against the teaching of Scripture, especially since I said that not anything we do is the source of our salvation. Of course, we must believe; but this is not the source of salvation. Faith is nothing more than the open hand that receives the gift of grace that God purchased and which is given to us without our meriting it.

We need a theology of obedience and faith that accepts what all Scriptures say, including Ephesians 2:8-9, where we are told that we are saved by grace, and through faith. Then Paul says that neither salvation, nor grace, nor faith, are “our own doing”; that is, these things are “not a result of works.” Being saved by grace does not come from works. (I have attached a diagram of Ephesians 2:8-9 below; “this” (τοῦτο) isn’t referring to grace or faith or works, but back to the entire concept of being saved by grace.) Verses like this are why I can say that being saved is through faith, but has nothing to do with works as far as earning it.

So seeking to keep faith and works separate is not eisegesis, but is based on sound exegesis! Scripture teaches that, yes, faith is an act of obedience to God, but it is not a work as far as an action of merit that earns God’s gift of salvation. God shows mercy on whoever he wills, and grants the gift of faith to whomever he wills. Whoever is saved is saved as a result only of his gift, and so has nothing to boast about whatsoever, even though he has obeyed by believing in Jesus, and even though his life is characterized by obedience and growing maturity.

Describing obedience the way I did (or rather, the way Robert Elphick did, as I was reposting something he wrote) as “at least” a life of reliance upon God is not “hedging,” but describing what obedience is in the context of this particular passage. That is the goal of this section of our forum, Passage Discussions: to talk about specific passages, through the medium of an arc/bracket/phrase/diagram.

To keep this discussion going in the right place, let’s both make sure we stick to specific passages, one at a time (discussing theology as a whole is for the Theology Discussions section of the forum). So, in your response to this, please refer to an arc etc. that you have made, and we can discuss that. I’ll do the same.

If you want to talk more about theology in general, feel free to start a discussion in Theology Discussions!

FYI: Per @Gary-Lincoln’s request, I have deleted his posts on this topic. In addition, I have removed posts from others (mainly myself) that were merely responses to Gary and thus would only be confusing to be left up without his posts.

@Mildred-Codilla said in Hebrews 4:13-5:10:

How to know that God’s designation of Jesus as High priest means “his high priestly intercession”?

Excellent question! Perhaps I could have said that a little more accurately; I didn’t mean only his current work of intercession for us, by appearing in the presence of God on our behalf (although that is part of our salvation; see Heb 9:24, and especially 7:25).

But his death on the cross in our place was an act of intercession as far as acting on our behalf toward God the Father. Heb 5:1-4 describes that work of an earthly high priest, who offers sacrifice for sins and acts compassionately toward “the ignorant and wayward” (5:2). I think it is Christ’s compassion and obedience he learned as a human being, culminating in his atoning death, that are his high priestly work.

Thoughts, anyone? Does that help, Mildred?

@Mildred-Codilla The author made 8-9 an Action-Manner, because he saw Jesus’ “being made perfect” as his learning “obedience through what he suffered.”

And you’re right that seeing “being made perfect” as simply meaning Christ’s resurrection and ascension is incorrect in the context.

In the context, I would say that “being made perfect” refers to his complete and total obedience, but also to his ability to intercede for those who are weak (5:2; see also 4:14-16). These are deep waters, but we need to remember that the eternal Word was made flesh, and thus—as someone beautifully put it—he became what he had never been before, while remaining what he had always been. Christ, as both God and man, now knows, by experience, what it is like to be a weak, dependent human being. So he has mercy and grace to offer those whose weakness he feels deeply as a human being.

Going back to the first part (Christ’s complete and total obedience), Christ’s “being made perfect” also has to do with what is called his active obedience. His passive obedience was done on the cross—suffering and dying for our sins (“it is finished”). But his active obedience was done during his entire earthly life. He “learned obedience” by submitting to his Father’s will in all things, day after day after day, and so provided an actual perfect righteousness to impute to all who believe.

To use a banking analogy, Christ’s death removes our sin; it takes our balance from being deep in the red, in debt, back to $0.00. But we still need actual, perfect righteousness to stand holy before God! Christ’s obedience life is that righteousness, which God imputes to all who believe. That makes our account infinitely full!

@Mildred-Codilla said in Hebrews 4:13-5:10:

What I have understood from your reply brother is that the specific high priestly work of Jesus (intercession) verse 10 that is the MANNER of verse 9 our salvation - is His offering of His own blood as a sacrifice for our sins. Is that correct brother?

Basically, yes, that’s what I mean. I would say that Christ’s intercession includes his atoning sacrifice, and also his current existence as the vindicated, ascended Saviour in the presence of God (see Heb 7:25).

@Brent-Karding said in Hebrews 4:13-5:10:

Jesus is the source of salvation through (see the Manner relationship of 9-10) his high priestly intercession.

How to know that God’s designation of Jesus as High priest means “his high priestly intercession”?

@Brent-Karding said in Hebrews 4:13-5:10:

8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
9 And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him…

What does it mean that JESUS was “being made perfect” (verse 9)? This is important for me to know because as the arc shows, (9a) Jesus “being made perfect” results to our salvation.

And I thought verse 9 is a PROGRESSION from verse 8. But it is confusing because if I’ll use progression then the phrase “being made perfect” will appear to me as “Jesus’ resurrection and ascension”. Stating it like this: v.8 Jesus’ suffering is followed by v.9 “Jesus’ resurrection”. But I know that it is a shallow meaning. On the other hand, If I use ACTION-RESULT as the given arc shows, then my understanding would be that Jesus’ suffering results to Him “being made perfect”, results to what? It could be “accomplishing His redemptive work” or “His perfect obedience to the Father’s will”.

Any idea?

@Brent-Karding said in Hebrews 4:13-5:10:

But his death on the cross in our place was an act of intercession as far as acting on our behalf toward God the Father. Heb 5:1-4 describes that work of an earthly high priest, who offers sacrifice for sins and acts compassionately toward “the ignorant and wayward” (5:2).

What I have understood from your reply brother is that the specific high priestly work of Jesus (intercession) verse 10 that is the MANNER of verse 9 our salvation - is His offering of His own blood as a sacrifice for our sins. Is that correct brother?

@Brent-Karding said in Hebrews 4:13-5:10:

The author made 8-9 an Action-Manner, because he saw Jesus’ “being made perfect” as his learning “obedience through what he suffered.”

Going back to the first part (Christ’s complete and total obedience), Christ’s “being made perfect” also has to do with what is called his active obedience. His passive obedience was done on the cross—suffering and dying for our sins (“it is finished”). But his active obedience was done during his entire earthly life. He “learned obedience” by submitting to his Father’s will in all things, day after day after day, and so provided an actual perfect righteousness to impute to all who believe.

Brother, thank you for making me understand the meaning of “being made perfect” (the righteousness of Jesus imputed to all who believe). I just want to have some clarification. Brother, given the arc above, what is really the relationship of verse 8 and 9? And before arcing verse 8 and 9,it is important to note the Ac-Res of 9a and 9b. I need help in this part brother because v.8 and 9 has a different given relationship.

@Mildred-Codilla said in Hebrews 4:13-5:10:

Brother, given the arc above, what is really the relationship of verse 8 and 9? And before arcing verse 8 and 9,it is important to note the Ac-Res of 9a and 9b. I need help in this part brother because v.8 and 9 has a different given relationship.

In 9a-b, the author is saying that Christ was made perfect (he obeyed his Father perfectly throughout his entire life, through all his suffering); as a result, he became the source of our salvation.

Then verse 8 is talking about Christ’s obedience (including verse 7). Verses 9-10 are the result of his obedience. So verses 9a-b are basically saying the same thing verses 7-10.

Does that make sense?

Okay brother, now it is clear to me. Thank you for the help.