Christ Made Perfect Through
Sufferings
Hebrews 2:9
Christ Jesus was not made perfect in his
character or Person by the things which he suffered. He was always perfect,
both in his Godhead and in his manhood. But he was made perfect officially, as
the Captain of our Salvation, as our Mediator and Savior. To perform the office
of a Savior, to save lost sinners from their just and righteous condemnation,
Christ had to possess three things: merit, power, and sympathy. The only way he
could obtain all three was by those things which he suffered, which consummated
in his death as the sinner's Substitute.
The Savior of men must have such merit
with God that God can, consistently with the perfections of his nature and the
requirements of his law, reverse the sentence of condemnation passed upon those
for whom he suffered and died. He must have such infinite merit that we can
through his merit alone obtain all the blessings of grace and glory, without
any works of our own, without any merit of our own. CHRIST OBTAINED THIS MERIT
BY HIS INCARNATION. That man who is God is the God-man, able to save!
The Captain of our Salvation must possess
all power,in heaven and in earth,so that he may, by
the sheer power of his will, make ignorant, depraved, helpless, miserable
sinners,wise,and good,and happy. He must have such absolute, sovereign control
of all things that he can make all things work together for the salvation of
his people. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST OBTAINED THIS POWER AS THE REWARD OF HIS
OBEDIENCE TO GOD WHEN HE ASCENDED BACK TO HEAVEN AS A MAN (John 17:2;
Moreover, the Savior of men must be able
to sympathize with, and enter into the feelings of those whom he is to deliver
and save.THIS SYMPATHY CHRIST OBTAINED BY ALL THAT HE SUFFERED IN HIS TRIALS,
TEMPTATIONS, SORROWS, AND DEATH AS A MAN (Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15).
Christ Jesus is a perfect Savior! He made
a perfect expiation of sin, brought in a perfect righteousness, left a perfect
example for us to follow, and has perfect power. He is filled with perfect
sympathy for his needy people. And he is perfectly able to save all who come to
God by him!
Don Fortner