Wednesday 17th
Hebrews 5:1-10
NIV (v9) – ‘. . . and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.’
ESV (v9) – ‘And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him . . .’
Our word today is ‘eternal’, and there are two ways in which we will consider it, the first is that Christ has become an eternal high priest and secondly the effects of what he has done for us are also eternal. Everything I am sharing this week dove tails into each devotion, there is a lot of overlap, and we come to a clear conclusion that everything that Christ has accomplished is for eternity. And why not, for the whole plan of redemption was designed in eternity past and thus must also be assumed to be designed to last for all eternity, this is evident in the teaching of Jesus, that he came to give life that was not only abundant but also eternal. And it is here in Hebrews that we have affirmation of the eternality of all that Christ has accomplished.
In our text ‘he became the source of eternal salvation’. (clarified as being ‘to all who obey him’) His priesthood is eternal, ‘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”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.”’ (Hebrews 5:5–6)
There is only one source for eternal life, and it is through our great high priest, Jesus himself. In John’s gospel we are reminded many times that whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life. John 3:16, John 4:13-14, John 5:21, John 6:40,51,68, 10:27-28, 11:25-26, 12:25, 20:30-31, and this eternal life means exactly what it says on the label, life that is eternal, endless in the presence of the triune God. Sadly, for those who refuse to believe they will be the recipients of eternal punishment, cut off forever from the presence of God.
How can this life be eternal? a) because as we are told in this verse it’s source is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the source of this eternal life began to flow at Calvary, he poured out his soul unto death so that those who believe and respond to the glorious message of the gospel may become recipients of eternal life. We already possess it. b) Because the effects of Christs atoning work are eternal, it was a once for all for all time sacrifice. It was effectual and therefore will never need to be repeated. ‘For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.’ Hebrews 10:14 ‘. . . he has perfected for all time’ means he has perfected for ever, for eternity, those who are being sanctified.
Finally, Jesus is our eternal high priest – this is good news, it means that when we come to Calvary we have come to a pair of safe hands. The day is never going to come where we will find that Jesus is sleeping in the boat as it were, while we are going through a storm, his work on earth is finished, he has ascended into the presence of his Father, he is sat at the right hand of the majesty on high and he is interceding 24/7 for you and me, and his high priestly work will never cease, for God has declared that he is a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
This will lead us tomorrows devotion, who on earth was Melchizedek. I better get looking into it . . .