Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, was the Firstborn of the new creation. Jesus showed us what obedience to the Father means. Although Jesus was the Son of God, and still is, Jesus didn’t learn obedience to His Father in the comforts of life and through easy circumstances and situations. In Hebrews 5:8-9 it is written that Jesus learned obedience to His Father by the things which He suffered, and being made perfect, Jesus became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him. What does it mean Jesus is the Author of eternal salvation? How did Jesus become the Author of eternal salvation?
Jesus didn’t have a privileged position
Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; And being made perfect, He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him (Hebrews 5:7-9)
Although Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus didn’t have a privileged position. God didn’t spare His Son Jesus from difficult circumstances, temptations, trials, persecution, resistance, hate of the world, rejection, false accusations, etc.
But Jesus had to go through these sufferings, so that Jesus would not only experience the same things as any human being, but Jesus would also learn obedience to His Father.
Jesus went through a lot and suffered a great deal because of the Name of God and His love for His Father (Read also: The suffering and mocking of Jesus Christ).
Jesus could have walked away and become disobedient to His Father, by listening to the words of the devil and obeying the devil, and serving the devil, by giving in to the lusts and desires of the flesh. If Jesus had done that, Jesus would be loved by the world.
But Jesus didn’t listen to the words of the devil and didn’t give in to the lusts and desires of the flesh.
Jesus didn’t bow to the temptations of the devil and his wonderful promises and wasn’t influenced by people. Instead, Jesus chose to stay faithful and obedient to the words of His Father (Read also: I will give you the riches of the world).
Jesus didn’t run away
And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:8)
Jesus didn’t hide and didn’t run away. But Jesus faced his adversaries, including the devil, and went through difficult circumstances and experienced hardships. Jesus drank the cup of sufferings, which His Father had given Him to drink.
Because Jesus loved God with all His heart, soul, mind, and strength, Jesus stayed obedient to His Father and went the way of sufferings.
Because of God’s love for man, God sent Jesus to the earth. And because of Jesus’ love for the Father and for mankind, and His obedience to His Father, Jesus fulfilled God’s mission and Jesus became the Author of eternal salvation for fallen man (Read also: Jesus restored the position of fallen man).
Jesus became the Author of eternal salvation to those, who obey Him
Jesus didn’t become the Author of eternal salvation to everyone. But Jesus only became the Author of eternal salvation to those, who obey Him; the Word (John 1:12). The part ‘unto all them that obey Him’ is often left out and not mentioned, causing many to end up being deceived. But obedience to Jesus Christ is a requirement of eternal salvation.
Only to those, who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and repent and become born again and yield themselves fully to Jesus by obeying His words, to those Jesus is the Author of eternal salvation.
If you really believe in Jesus and love Jesus, then you shall show your faith in Him and love for Him, by doing what Jesus has commanded you to do.
You shall listen to Jesus and obey and do the words of Jesus, which are the same words as the words of the Father (Read also: The commandments of God vs the commandments of Jesus).
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me (John 10:27)
If ye love me, keep My commandments (John 14:15)
If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love (John 15:10)
If you listen to His words and obey His words, you show by your deeds and your life that you truly love Jesus and that you are born of God and belong to Him.
Suffer because of the Name of Jesus
But just like Jesus, you shall not have a privileged position on earth. You shall go through difficult situations and suffer because of the Name of Jesus and learn obedience to Jesus Christ and the Father. Just like Jesus went through sufferings to learn obedience to His Father.
For it became Him for whom are all things, and by Whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings (Hebrews 2:11)
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
If ye be reproached for the Name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf (1 Peter 4:12-16)
For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation (2 Corinthians 1:5-7)
You shall love the words of Jesus
If you love Jesus and follow Jesus, you shall love His words and follow His words, instead of loving the words of the world and following the words of the world.
You shall believe what the Word says, instead of what the world says.
Instead of belonging to the world and keep walking as the world and participating in sin, you shall belong to God and by staying obedient to Jesus Christ, you shall separate yourself from the world unto God and not be a partaker of sin.
Although you live in the world, you shall no longer walk like the world in unrighteousness, but you shall walk in righteousness. Because your nature has changed through regeneration and therefore you don’t want to walk like the world anymore.
God loves you, but the world hates you
You shall speak the words of God and shall do what the Word tells you to do and you shall walk in righteousness. Because of that, the world will not like you anymore and you will be hated for saying and doing things that diametrically oppose the words and opinions of the world.
As long as you stay obedient to Jesus Christ and walk in righteousness you shall be the light of the world and you shall expose the works of darkness (sin and iniquity). Even without saying anything, you shall testify that their works are evil (John 3:19-20; 7:7).
But this shouldn’t come as a surprise, since Jesus said, that if you decide to believe in Jesus Christ and become a follower of Christ and obey His words, you will become an enemy of the world.
That’s because you shall no longer walk as you did before your repentance and before you became a new creation, as a son of the devil, who belongs to the world. You don’t have the mind of the world, but by the renewing of your mind with the Word, you have the mind of Christ. Therefore you shall no longer think, speak and act like the world. But you shall walk as a son of God on this earth, who thinks, speaks, and acts as the Word.
Walking in obedience to Jesus; the Word
You shall represent Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God on earth and produce much fruit for the Kingdom of God, by bringing salvation to the people, who are lost and reconciling them through Jesus Christ and His work of redemption and by His blood, to God. So that Jesus becomes the Author of eternal salvation for them.
You shall give them the Life you possess and redeem them and make them whole by the words you speak. You shall teach them in the Word and make them grow up into mature sons and daughters of God. So that Jesus and the Father will be glorified and exalted, by your obedience to Jesus Christ and your life as a son or daughter of God and through the salvation of many souls.
‘Be the salt of the earth’
