⁹ And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation …

Perfection and God are two words that go together. Uniquely, unequivocally and exclusively. We have already encountered this idea of the Son being made perfect in 2:10, and in both cases suffering was involved. The idea is the same—Christ’s suffering, in fact His entire life on earth in human form, had a goal. Suffering was His crowning experience, in that it was final proof that He perfectly completed all He was sent to do. Nothing was lacking, all was accomplished.

Notice the result: He became the source of eternal salvation. Our salvation is not sourced in good works, membership in a denomination, participation in religious rituals or deeds of benevolence. Jesus Christ is the reason and the cause of our being saved.

The question then is this: “From what is the believer saved?” We are rescued from not finding “rest” from our vain human efforts to return to God. We are saved from eternal judgment. “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment…” (Heb 9:27), and “…a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries” (Heb 10:27, see also Heb 4:12, 6:2, etc.). In Christ there is no eternal condemnation of believers (see Romans 8:1). This is final. This is eternal. This is unending. For to know Christ is to be saved eternally (John 17:3).

But doesn’t this verse say that we must obey Christ in order to earn or be worthy of being saved eternally? Does this not sound like a salvation message for those who can become righteous through performing works of righteousness? No, that is not what the verse is saying. The word “obey” has a broader field of meaning than simple religious observances of the Law. It means to “hear and respond to.” The message of Christ is the message of grace, not of law. The whole point of the book of Hebrews is that we cannot obey the Law of God well enough to pass the grade of righteousness. But, it is by responding to Christ, doing what God says about Christ—that is what is meant by “obey Christ.” The message of grace is clear: He died for sinners once for all (Heb 10:10, 14), and we should respond with faith (Heb 11:6). To anyone who responds, that is, obeys God’s message about Christ and believes in Him apart from works of the Law – that person is saved. “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom 3:28).