Morning Thoughts - by Elder Philip Conley

Morning Thoughts Back

Hebrews 5:9-10, "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec."

This morning, there are many that do not understand the nature of the person Jesus Christ or the work that He came into this world to do. This verse is quite a stumblingblock to many, for they do not fully
understand the language contained herein. To fully understand what something means, one must first be acquainted with what it says. Therefore, what is this saying?

This verse talks of Christ being made perfect. Now, we know that this perfection cannot be talking about being spotless and pure. Christ was already that way, and has been since before the foundation of the world. As the eternal Son of God, He has been, is, and always will be perfect. Furthermore, His humanity was holy upon conception as told by the angel to Mary. (Luke 1:35) So, what is this being made perfect talking about? This word perfect means complete or finished. Therefore, Christ was made complete, and He finished something.

The rest of the verse tells us what was completed and finished. His work to complete was to become the author of eternal salvation unto all that obey Him. Not only is He the author of it, but we are told later that He is the finisher of it as well. Christ paid all the debt, and finished all the work. This was completeness. Was it ordained and finished before the world began? In God's mind and purpose, yes. However, under the scope of time (which Christ subjected Himself to), it was finished and completed the moment the He said it was. He was satisfied, and the work was done. One might ask, “What about the resurrection? That was not yet accomplished.” Yes, that is true, but the resurrection is not the reason for eternal salvation or redemption. The resurrection is the PROOF of the redemption.

The expression says, "the proof is in the pudding." Our proof that we have been passed from death unto life, is that there is an empty tomb, and Christ arose victorious over death. Now, if Christ has completed something, then it stands to reason that those He completed it for are complete as well. The Apostle Paul also affirmed that fact in Colossians 2:10. We are complete in Him. There is no more redemptive work to be done, and the only thing that remains is the glorification of these bodies. As we have borne the image of the earthy, so also shall we bear the image of the heavenly. There is coming a day beloved when all of our tears will be wiped away; there will be no more pain, no more death, no more sorrow, and no night for Jesus Christ is there. That is a day that I am greatly looking forward to, and we will stand MANIFESTLY complete in the presence of the Almighty. May we ever continue to wait for the manifestation of the sons of God, and even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

In Hope,

Bro Philip