A.Saving men and women from their sins is not an easy task for anyone involved – not for the Father, the Son, or those who needed salvation.
B.Nevertheless, God went to extreme measures to accomplish this most difficult work.He perfected the Author of our salvation through sufferings (Heb. 2:10) and gave Jesus as the Author and Perfecter of the faith by which we may be saved (Heb. 12:2).These concepts are the basis for our lesson.
II.THE AUTHOR OF OUR SALVATION MADE PERFECT
A.Jesus Christ is designated as the Author of our salvation and faith.
1.These designations occur in Hebrews 2:10 and Hebrews 12:2.We will consider the messages of both of these passages later in this study.
2.Consider the word "author” that is used in these verses.
a.This word is translated from the Greek word archēgos, which means "chief leader.”The word carries the idea of one who both leads and provides an example.An archēgos is a pioneer who blazes a trail for others to follow.
b.This word is used in two other verses with reference to Jesus.In each case, the word designates Jesus as the leader and pioneer in the matter of salvation.
i.In Acts 3:15, Jesus is called "the Prince (archēgos) of life, the one whom God raised from the dead.”Jesus is the firstborn from the dead who leads us out of death through the resurrection (1Cor. 15:20-23; Col. 1:18).
ii.In Acts 5:31, Jesus is called "the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince (archēgos) and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”Jesus has gone before us into heaven to God the Father in order to provide forgiveness of sins so that we may follow Him (John 14:1-7).
3.In Hebrews 5:9, we gain further understanding of Christ’s role as Author, for the Scripture says that "He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (more on this below).
B.The author of our salvation was perfected through His sufferings.
1.Jesus suffered tremendously.
a.The accounts of the Lord’s trials and crucifixion in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are truly heartbreaking.Perhaps the most stirring accounts of Christ’s sufferings were written hundreds of years before these events occurred – Psalm 22 (approx. 1000 B.C.) and Isaiah 53 (approx. 700 B.C.).
b.Our Lord’s physical sufferings included flesh wounds, the loss of blood, suffocation, exhaustion, and exposure.These were inflicted by beatings, scourging, the crown of thorns, and the crucifixion.
c.Other sufferings of our Lord included injustice, insults, spitting in His face, mockery, blasphemy, and rejection.
2.These sufferings made Him perfect and complete as our Savior because He learned obedience.
a.Consider Hebrews 5:8-10 – "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.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.”
b.The Son of God was not spared, but instead He learned obedience by subjecting Himself to the Father’s will to suffer for our sins.This obedient subjection was expressed in Christ’s prayer in Gethsemane when He said, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).
c.This was the very purpose for which Christ came into the world as a man.
i.Notice Hebrews 2:10 – "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”
ii.This purpose is further explained in Hebrews 2:14-18.There we learn that by partaking in flesh and blood and suffering death, Jesus was able to overcome death and the devil through the resurrection.He was also able to learn sympathy for us, His brethren, because of the temptations He suffered (see Heb. 4:15).
d.These sufferings made Christ perfect and complete as our Savior, High Priest, and Author of salvation.Only He is perfectly suited to be our Mediator and Intercessor, representing God unto man and man unto God.
III.FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS
A.As the Author of our salvation and faith, Jesus has blazed a trail for us to follow.
1.From the definition of "author” (archēgos) that we considered, we understand that Jesus is the leader and pioneer in the matter of salvation.
a.We must follow Christ’s leadership if we intend to obtain salvation.In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
b.Notice that Christ is the source of eternal salvation to only those who obey Him (Heb. 5:9).The only way that we may have salvation is by learning obedience to Christ as He learned obedience to the Father.
2.Because Jesus is the Author of our salvation, we must follow His life as a pattern for our own.
a.Jesus is the pattern for our humility as shown in Philippians 2:5-8 – "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
b.He is also our example for submission as shown in 1Peter. 2:21-24 – "For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”
B.For this reason, we must fix our eyes on Jesus as we live by faith in this world.
1.Notice Hebrews 12:1-3 – "Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
a.The phrase "cloud of witnesses” refers to the many examples of faith in Hebrews 11.These men and women lived by faith and were "faithful until death” (Rev. 2:10).
b.These show that a life of faith is a race of endurance rather than a sprint.
2.To run this endurance race of faith well, we must focus our attention upon Jesus, the Author and Perfecter or our faith.
a.As we have already noticed, Jesus shows us the way to salvation, which is the way of faith.In fact, He is the way and the pattern that we must follow.Therefore, we must focus on the Lord and the trail of obedience and submission that He has blazed for us.
b.If we fail to fix our eyes on Jesus, then we will not finish this race, for we will not endure the problems of this world.Taking our eyes of Jesus will cause us to fail just as Peter failed when he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink while walking on the sea (Matt. 14:22-31).
IV.CONCLUSION
A.When Christ had been perfected through sufferings on the cross, He said, "It is finished” (John 19:30).At that point, Jesus was completely prepared to be our Savior.
B.Now Christ’s life stands as a pattern of obedience and submission whereby we may also be made perfect and complete in Him.Therefore, fix your eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfector of faith.
