Weekly E-Sights from Renewed Heart Ministries

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.—Hebrews 2.10

I'm on my way to Canada this week and in a mad dash to get this out to you, so please excuse the typos. (And my horrific unedited grammar.) I still can’t drag myself out of the book of Hebrews this week. I would like to share with you one more puzzling thought that has touched my heart during this re-read. When I first read this verse years ago, I remember scratching my head at the wording used here. Jesus, as author of our salvation, was “perfected”. I don’t know if that produces any problems for anyone else’s headspace, but it did mine. Jesus was perfected? That sounded like a process! When something is “perfected”, it implies that when it started out it wasn’t quite that way, but has become that way through a process. (I know, I know, I was confused too, but give me a minute to explain.)

Let’s back up a bit. We believe that Calvary, although it involved many different aspects of salvation, was primarily about revealing to us the character of our Heavenly Father through what was accomplished there. This revelation had to be “Perfect” if it was to save us to the depth and degree to which the Father hoped. We were in great darkness regarding what our Father was truly like, and the revealing had to far exceed all that was necessary to enable us to see the liberating truth of His love. (John 8:32)

Now remember too, that character is revealed through actions. Love is not revealed in words, but in deeds. Not in peace, but in trial is love or the lack of it scene in translucent clarity. A few verses after our above verse (Hebrews 2:18) there is an interesting Greek word used in this context of “perfecting” Jesus.

“For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

The Greek word here is the word for “tempted.” It’s peirazoœ. And it means: to try, make trial of, test, for the purpose of ascertaining quality, or what a person thinks, or how he will behave himself; to try or test one’s virtue, character, to inflict evils upon one in order to prove his character and the steadfastness. Not only was the revelation of God to be made, it was to be made perfect through testing it in order for us to be able to ascertain truly the quality of genuine love and to come to believe that that was what was sincerely in the heart of God for us.

Jesus was “the way, the truth and the life.” (John 14:6) He was the defining truth of what God is really like. And it was through God’s character of love being tested and tried, through what God suffered here in His incarnate state at the cross that this revelation was to be made perfect! Through suffering! God was to be revealed through suffering! Through being tested and tried! This was all for the purpose revealing what was in His heart to us, to win us back from misunderstanding and rebellion, so we could come to see, believe, know and trust His love for us again.

“It was a part of His mission to bear, in His humanity, all the taunts and abuse that men could heap upon Him. The only hope of humanity was in this submission of Christ to all that He could endure from the hands and hearts of men.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 700)

The God of this universe loves all, has died for all, and is daily seeking out, endeavoring to reveal Himself to all. If any are lost at last, I am becoming more and more convinced, that it will only be because of resistance on our part, NOT reluctance on His. If we'd just cooperate with what He's so desperately trying to show us, we'd all be there.

Take some time this week to meditate on those closing scenes of God’s life here on earth once again, and see if He doesn’t give you some fresh revelation of His love for you.

Things worthy of pondering.

I wish you God’s best this week.

- Herb Montgomery

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