Pastor Ted Gray

01/31/2016

 

“The Author of Our Salvation”

Hebrews 2:10-13

 

The Greek word that the New American Standard Bible translates as “author” in verse 10, is a multifaceted word. When you compare Bible translations it doesn't take long to see that there are many ways to render the Greek word (?Ï?????? - är-khÄ?-go's). The English Standard Version translates it as “founder,” the King James as “captain” and the newest New International Version translates the word as “pioneer.” All four of those translations bring out the meaning of our text in verse 10.

 

Jesus is certainly the author of our salvation. A familiar hymn is entitled, I Will Sing the Wondrous Story and we understand that without a doubt the Author of the story of our salvation is Jesus Christ. We have the story of salvation in all 66 books of the Bible; each book and each author was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write their portion of the wondrous story. But behind that inspiring work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the writers of Scripture is the Lord Jesus Christ. How does the gospel writer John describe Jesus in John 1:14?  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus is the ultimate Word, as Hebrews 1:2 also clearly teaches, for in these last days He (God) has spoken to us by His Son whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.

 

But the Greek word which some Bibles translate as “author”, the English Standard Version translates as “founder.” That is also an accurate rendition of the original word, as it points us to the origin of our salvation. The same One who is the Founder or Creator of the universe is also our Redeemer. And He originated, or founded, our salvation before He created the universe and all that is in it.

 

He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, the true Originator of our salvation, who willingly offered Himself to be our sacrifice even before the world was brought into being, long before Adam and Eve plunged all humanity into sin. Thus Paul writes to Timothy, …Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (2 Timothy 1:9b-10).  He “founded” our salvation before the beginning of time.

 

A third translation of verse 10 is in the King James Version which translates the original Greek as “captain”; Jesus is the Captain of our salvation. That, too, is a proper translation of the original word, but it points to a little different aspect of Jesus and His redeeming work. It reminds us that He brought about our salvation by His own command. Or to put it another way, He had complete control of the events that led Him to the cross.

 

He wasn't put to death just because of the edict of Pilate, or the plot of the Jewish leaders, or the act of crucifixion by the Roman soldiers. As Peter said to the crowd at Pentecost, in Acts 2:23, “This man (Jesus) was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.”

 

Jesus serves as the Captain of our salvation by even determining the exact time of the crucifixion. In Matthew 26:5 we read how the Jewish religious leaders wanted Jesus killed, but not at the time of the Passover, “..Not during the Feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.” Yet Jesus orchestrated the timing of His crucifixion with the Passover Feast.  By doing so the full significance of Him being our Passover Lamb is evident even by the timing of His crucifixion, another reminder that He is indeed the Captain of our salvation.

 

The fourth translation of the Greek word for “author” is that of the New English Version, the latest New International Version and some other translations: Jesus is described as the pioneer of our salvation. That, too, is an accurate translation and gives us yet another nuance to the multifaceted work of salvation that Jesus Christ accomplished as He lived, suffered and died for us.

 

A pioneer goes before the rest of the people. Jesus went before all of us. And if He had not borne for us the righteous wrath for our sin, as He did on the cross, then none of us would be saved. None of us would be walking the path of salvation, through saving faith in Jesus Christ, had He not served as the Pioneer, described in Colossians 1:18 as the firstborn from the dead. Just as He was raised victorious over death in all its forms by His resurrection, so too, we who believe in Him with saving faith will be raised to glory, both body and soul.

 

As we will see in the verses that close out this chapter, because He served as the Pioneer in dying for us, we need not fear death, for by His death He bore the curse that we deserve for our sin and paved the path of salvation for us. No one else could bear that curse for us; no one else could serve as the Pioneer of our salvation, yet Jesus willingly did.

 

No matter how the Greek word is translated: Author, Founder, Captain or Pioneer, we recognize that Jesus is our only path to salvation, the only way to the Father, the only entrance into the glory of heaven. We also recognize that the forgiveness of our sins and our entrance into glory – into heaven – came at a great cost to Him who is the Author, Founder, Captain, and Pioneer of our salvation.

 

When we looked at verse 9, (last week) we read about the suffering of death that Jesus underwent for us. And here in verse 10 there is the remarkable statement about how the author of our salvation was made perfect through suffering.

 

Yet in the first chapter we read verse after verse showing the supreme place of the Lord Jesus Christ. We read how He is the final revelation from God, the radiance of His Father's glory and the exact representation of His being. We read the seven Old Testament quotes showing His superiority over the angels. With that in mind, how amazing it is that the eternal son of God – the eternal Christ Himself – would take on human flesh in order to suffer greatly, culminating in a gruesome and painful death on the cross of Calvary!

 

 

Another truth engraved for us in this passage is there in verse 11: Both the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family.  In other words, His redeeming work results in your sanctification and mine. He took on human flesh not only to redeem us from our sins but to sanctify us so that we grow in grace and knowledge of His name.

 

Sanctification is the lifelong process by which we are molded and conformed more and more to the likeness of Jesus Christ. We know from other passages of Scripture that the Holy Spirit works primarily in our spiritual growth, or sanctification. However, as with other aspects of God's work, the Father and the Son are also active in your sanctification and mine. For instance, in the prayer that Jesus prayed in John 17, known as "the high priestly prayer", He prayed to His heavenly Father saying, “Sanctify them by Your Word; Your Word is truth.” (v. 17).

 

It is the purpose of our triune God to not only save us from our sin - to justify us - but also to transform us, which is part of the lifelong work of sanctification. We see that in a passage such as Titus 2:11-14. If you are looking for a short passage to help you resist temptation and to give you proper goals in living out your faith, consider memorizing these few verses from Titus 2:11-14:

 

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness – our justification - and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good, - our sanctification.

 

Throughout this letter to the Hebrews, we will read of the link between our sanctification and the work of Jesus Christ. We will see in Hebrews 10:10 how it is the Father's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And in Hebrews 10:14 the Holy Spirit assures us that Christ, by a single offering has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

 

These references, as well as others, leave us no doubt that if we are justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – if you and I have truly placed our faith in Him alone for our salvation – then we can be sure that we will be sanctified as well. You can be confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

 

 

Because Jesus has redeemed us, and because by the Spirit through the Word He sanctifies us, He also brings us into God's family, with Him as the elder brother and all of us who believe in Him as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. Verse 11 and 12 make a profound and astounding statement: Both the One who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, “I will declare Your name to My brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing Your praises.”

 

What if you had a brother who denied ever knowing you. Suppose that this brother of yours deserted you at your time of greatest need. Suppose that this brother of yours called down curses saying that he didn’t even know who you are. If you had a brother like that, would you be ashamed of him? Would you declare his name to others in your family with appreciation and thanksgiving? That is what Jesus has done for Peter. The same one who denied Him three times over, of him, Jesus says, “I am not ashamed to call him My brother.”

 

Suppose you had a brother who was always chasing after women. Suppose he had a notorious affair with a married woman, arranged her husband's death, and brought great grief into many lives because of the repercussions of his sin. Isn't that what David did? And yet of David too, Jesus says, “I am not ashamed to call him My brother.”

 

The list could go on and on with biblical names, but the point of application is that you and I, who have so often sinned against the Lord in innumerable ways, are yet called by Him, brother and sister. He considers those of us who believe in Him with saving faith to be part of His family, the family of God.

       

When Jesus calls us His brothers and sisters, He is not speaking about what is often called “the brotherhood of man.” He is not calling everyone who lives part of His family. The requirement to be a brother and sister of the Lord is to do God's will. In Matthew 12 we read how Jesus was teaching a great crowd when someone told Him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”

 

He replied to him, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” - Pointing to His disciples, He said, “Here are My mother and My brothers. For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:47-50).

 

What is the will of the Father? The will of the Father is that we believe in His Son. When Jesus taught the great multitude that He is the Bread of Life, there in John chapter 6, some of them asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”  In other words, they were asking, “What is God's will for us?”  Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” (John 6:28-29)

 

If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ this evening, if you believe that He is the Author, the Founder, the Captain and the Pioneer of your salvation, if He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life to you, then you can be sure that He will say of you, “I am not ashamed to call you My brother, My sister.”

 

I have two older brothers. Although we are not as close today as we were when we were growing up, I remember many times being blessed and encouraged by having an older brother. An older brother can protect. An older brother can give wise advice. An older brother can give great encouragement. And if that is true of a fallible older brother, how much more is it true of the perfect and eternal son of God, who taking on human flesh, calls us His brothers and sisters and serves as our elder brother within the family of God!

 

 

However, the status of our elder brother came at a great cost to the Lord Jesus Christ. It was not as though He was effortlessly born into the family of God as an older brother to those who are adopted into that family by faith in Him.

 

Rather He earned that role of the elder brother through a life of suffering and through death. Without His death none of us could have everlasting life. Without His death and glorious resurrection none of us would be in the family of God. Without His death and resurrection none of us would have the certainty of our own physical bodies been raised up on the last day, so that body and soul we will be with the Lord forever.

 

And in addition to His death, Jesus also suffered in many ways during his life. In fact, verse 10 makes that startling statement that He was made perfect through suffering. How can the Scripture make such a statement about God Himself who has always been perfect, who has always been flawless, who has never had any hint of imperfection or error in Him? In what way was Jesus made perfect through suffering since He always has been perfect and always will be?

 

By His suffering, He perfectly knows what suffering is like for you and for me. As such He is perfected as our great High Priest who ever lives to intercede for us. He knows what the human experience is like. He knows the many trials and sorrows of life and He knows the pain of the last excruciating gasp of death. As an example, because He suffered at the tomb of Lazarus, and wept, He fully and perfectly understands your sorrow at the loss of your dear spouse, or son or daughter, father or mother, sister or brother or closest friend.

 

In verse 13, with that short quote from Isaiah 8, we see another way that the perfect Christ, by His suffering, was perfected as our Savior and Lord. Speaking of the His Father, He says, “I will put my trust in Him” meaning that Jesus while on earth put His trust in His heavenly Father. As the eternal Christ He had no doubt that His Father would do what is right. Perhaps we might think that it would be easy for the eternal Son to say of His Father, “I will put My trust in Him.”

 

But we know from His prayer in Gethsemane that there were times when as a truly human person, suffering greatly, it was an effort to put His trust in His Father. He had come to do His Father's will, but He realized that His Father's will required death on the cross. In agony He called out to the very One in whom He trusted, “Father, if possible take this cup from Me, but not My will but Your will be done.” And Psalm 22, which was quoted in verse 12, begins with the agonizing cry that Jesus called out from the cross before his death, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

 

At times, your faith waivers and flickers as does mine. And yet at those times we have the great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, interceding for us. He knows exactly what it is like to put your trust in His heavenly Father, even when His will seems to be harder than you can bear, even when circumstances make it seem as though you are forsaken by the very One who has promised, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b). In the hardest experiences of life, we know that our elder brother put His faith in His heavenly Father and found the strength even for the cross. It assures us that when we echo His words and say, “I will put my trust in Him” we too will find the strength for every challenge, temptation, impediment and hardship.

 

As the chapter closes it tells us how because Jesus Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. No matter what type of temptation confronts you, you can be sure that Jesus faced the same temptation. He can faithfully represent you and me because He suffered when He was tempted. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

 

In all these ways the sufferings of Christ enable Him who is perfect to now perfectly represent us and perfectly understand what we who have been adopted into His family are going through in the struggles and temptations of life.

 

 

The suffering for Jesus is over and done. As verse 9 taught us (last week), we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

 

But the suffering that Jesus bore for us as our elder brother is something that we also share in. Writing to the Philippian church the apostle wrote in Philippians 1:29, For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him.

 

It is when we suffer that we get an inkling of what our elder brother went through in securing our salvation. If you suffer from loneliness, imagine how lonely the Lord Jesus Christ was when all His disciples deserted Him, or when they lay sleeping and left Him alone in His time of need.

 

When you suffer with physical pain, consider the pain of what Jesus went through, not only in the agony of a very cruel death on the cross, but the suffering He endured as He was separated from His Father on the cross, bearing the curse of your sin and mine, forsaken so that we will never be forsaken.

 

Or consider how He lived for 33 years without a home of his own, without the creature comforts that so many of us take for granted. Consider how He said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58).

 

When you suffer because of the weight of temptation that burdens your soul, consider how Jesus suffered when He was tempted. In the desert He had gone forty days and forty nights without food. He was famished, so the devil tempted Him with food. The devil tempted Him with power. The devil tempted Him with the prospect of not having to go through with the cross. And in the passage from Luke chapter 4, when the devil was unable to cause Jesus to sin, Luke 4:13 says, then the devil left Him until a more opportune time.

 

When you face temptation consider that Jesus faced every temptation you face and He suffered, yet did not sin, so that He is now able to help you resist the temptation put before you.

 

In whatever sufferings of Christ we share, may we always have a deeper appreciation for the suffering that He underwent as the Author of our salvation – the Founder, Pioneer and Captain of our salvation – as He was made perfect through suffering.

 

No wonder the hymn writer, Philip Bliss, wrote:

 

“Man of Sorrows,” what a name
For the Son of God who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim!
Hallelujah! what a Savior!

 

 

Hallelujah! what a Savior!           (Stanzas 1, 2, 5)

 

 

 

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