“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2
(Bible verses are from the NIV unless otherwise indicated.)
In the last two blog posts, we studied the word “pioneer” and then the pair, “pioneer and perfecter,” as they apply to our Lord Jesus Christ. Today, I want to look into how He is the perfecter of our faith. To do so, I need to take a step back and explore the references in the book of Hebrews to “perfection” and its cognates.
And it turns out there are a lot of them, 14 to be exact. The verb (make perfect) occurs nine times, the noun form (perfection, perfecter) three times, and the adjective (mature, perfect) twice. This must be an important subject for the writer of Hebrews!
Out of all these verses, what stands out to me the most is that three of them assert that God perfected Jesus. This fools with my theology; isn’t Christ perfect by nature? The author doesn’t deny this; in fact, he touts the sinlessness of Jesus.
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin.” – Hebrews 4:15
Still, Hebrews insists that God perfected His Son. Here are the three passages:
“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” – Hebrews 2:10
“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered 9and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him 10and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 5:8-10
“For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.” – Hebrews 7:28
Since much of Hebrews discusses the ministry of the Levitical priests, I take these verses to deal with Christ’s ministry. In this light, the writer isn’t disparaging the Lord’s character when he says God perfected Him, as though Jesus had personality flaws and needed correction. No! Hebrews homes in on the work Jesus accomplished, and to serve as Savior, He had to overcome all the trials He faced. Like 4:15 says, Christ is sinless. He passed every test!
But it cost Him. Two of the three passages mention Christ’s suffering. Jesus was perfected as our Savior by what He endured. His character was not only pure; it was proven.
And this sets Jesus apart from the priests. They served under the Law of Moses which has limits. The biggest one? It can’t provide perfection!
Here are the verses that cover this subject:
“If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood–and indeed the law given to the people established that priesthood–why was there still need for another priest to come, one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron?” – Hebrews 7:11
“The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless 19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” – Hebrews 7:18-19
“The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, 10since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.” – Hebrews 9:8-10 (NASB)
“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming–not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.” – Hebrews 10:1
The Law of Moses isn’t bad, and God ordained the Levitical priesthood, but they can’t realize the spiritual goal of perfecting people. For that, something else–someone else–must step in. Someone perfect!
Jesus our Lord and Savior faced the temptations we face but He never failed. Priests offer animal sacrifices to cover sins; Jesus offered Himself to take away ours. Death ceases the work of an individual priest; death was the main work of the Son of God. And what’s more, He didn’t stay dead; He’s alive! The rituals of the Old Testament were external, but Christ’s work transforms the hearts of all who believe in Him.
Jesus is like us–He knows what it’s like to suffer temptation.
Jesus is unlike us–He never succumbed.
Jesus is like the priests–He knows how to serve God in faithfulness.
Jesus is unlike the priests–He offered Himself as His sacrifice.
Jesus embodies perfection, but He also shares it. The writer of Hebrews stresses that Jesus can perfect us. What seems impossible for us is attainable through the grace of Christ. And that’s what we’ll look at next week.
