Jesus Learned Obedience
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Jesus Learned Obedience
Hebrews 5:8 is an amazing verse. It is startling when contrasted with much of what is believed today in Christian circles about the nature of Jesus. The author of the letter to the Hebrews writes, “though he was a son, yet he learned obedience by the things which he suffered”. How is this verse to be harmonized with a belief system that maintains that Jesus is God? Did God have to learn obedience? Who would God have to obey? Was suffering necessary for God to learn obedience?
In an attempt to exalt Jesus, much of what goes on in the name of Christianity buys into the Greek philosophy that was mixed with New Testament Christianity in the second, third and fourth centuries. The notion that Jesus is a co-equal, co-eternal, second member of a triune Godhead is an accommodation to Greek philosophy and is incompatible with the plain teaching, of both Old and New Testaments, that God is one. The concept of the Trinity is conspicuously at odds with the portrayal of Jesus in Hebrews chapter five.
The immediate context of this depiction of Jesus includes the statement “…when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save him from death, (he) was heard because of his godly fear (Heb. 5:7).” Few fail to recognize that Jesus prayed to the one he called Father. How many, though, have questioned how it is, or why it is, that a person whom they believe to be God would be heard by God because he had the fear of God? Several modern translations render this phrase “reverent submission” instead of godly fear. It doesn’t make much difference as reverence involves awe and fear, especially, as in this case, towards God.
The broader context of these verses is a teaching on the calling of Jesus, by God, to the office of high priest. In chapter five we are told, “No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, … ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’” Please don’t miss this point. Nobody can take it upon himself to become high priest, not even Jesus. He had to be called by God.
The God who appointed Jesus high priest is none other than He who said, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten you (Heb. 5:5).” Psalm 2:7 identifies the one who spoke these words as Yahweh (YHWH), translated “LORD” in many versions of the Bible. This is the God of Israel, who says of Himself, ”There is no God besides Me (Isaiah 45:5).” This is the same God that the nation of Israel calls “Father” (Isaiah 63:16, John 8: 41, 54) and the same God that Jesus calls his God and Father (John 20:17).
It is not necessary to go through the machinations of trying to figure out how Jesus can learn obedience and fear God, and at the same time be God. Despite traditions that say you must believe that Jesus is God or believe in the Trinity to be saved, the Bible makes no such demands. The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 4:12 that “no one has seen God at any time.” He says this even though he walked and talked with Jesus for over three years. He tells us a few verses later in chapter five that “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God.” Believing that Jesus is the Christ is quite different than believing that Jesus is God. Believing that Jesus is the Christ does require some understanding of what Christ means. Christ is not a synonym for God. Christ, from the Greek “Christos”, is the equivalent of the Hebrew word translated “Messiah” (see John 1:41). The Messiah is the one anointed of God who is to rule the world (Psalm 2:2, 6-9). According to John, believing that Jesus is the Messiah is to be born of God. To believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah) includes believing his message. Jesus always put great emphasis on believing his words (John 8:31, 12:48, 14:23-24).
Although Jesus was a son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. Jesus suffered because he determined to put Gods’ will above his own will. Rather than attempt to avoid the persecution and suffering that resulted from his witness for the truth of God’s word (see John 18:37), Jesus believed the Father’s words to him that he would not be left in the grave but would be resurrected (Ps. 16:10, Acts 2:31). “Jesus… for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame…(Heb. 12:2).” When faced with persecution and death, Jesus overcame the temptation to discard, disbelieve or disobey the words of God given to him. In the same way that Jesus overcame “for the joy that was set before him”, we have set before us a reward for obedience to the words of God that Jesus gave us. That reward is to be resurrected from death to life “at the last day” (John 6:39,40). And that’s not all. “To him that overcomes I will grant to sit with me in my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne (Rev. 3:21).” “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God…(Rev. 3:12).” In each of the addresses to the seven churches in Revelation chapters two and three, the rewards promised are predicated on overcoming.
In Revelation chapter 12 we’re told that the Devil deceives the whole world. His purpose is to get us off course just as he endeavored to do with Jesus at his time of temptation. His method is to steal the word of God, the gospel of the kingdom, from us, to prevent us from understanding it and receiving salvation through it (Matt. 13:19,23). Jesus overcame all the testing the Devil could bring his way. In the same way, we are to overcome all that the Devil sends our way, be it discouragement or persecution. We dare not be sidetracked or overcome by unbelief. “He that endures till the end shall be saved” (Matt. 10:22), is spoken specifically in relation to persecution.
In Revelation 12:11 we are given a picture of those who are successful overcomers. “And they overcame him (the deceiver) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” The blood of the Lamb has been provided for us; forgiveness of sins is ours in Christ. Let the word of our testimony be for the truth of God’s word. Let us deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it (Mark 8:35).” Jesus is our example. “Who, when he was reviled, did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to Him who judges righteously… (1 Peter 2:23).”
posted by Paul @ 11:50 AM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Thank you for post it was is truth and we must speak truth. May GOD continue to bless you for your obedience to his word.
IF more sought truth we will be better as the children of GOD
Thank you for your comment.
Chapter eight of John's Gospel has a lot to say about truth and the emphasis that Jesus put on truth. For some reason church traditions have focused on verse 58, it would seem, to the exclusion of the rest of the chapter because it lends itself well to an interpretation that supports the doctrine of the deity of Jesus. However, Jesus described himself as a man who heard truth from God (vs. 40), which is the same truth that has the ability to make one free (vs. 32). In vs. 31 Jesus said "if you abide in my word (logos) you are my disciples indeed." It is by abiding in what Jesus told us, his logos, that one comes to know truth that has power to make us free.
Based upon the dates of previous comments, I'm not betting that anyone will read this but, hey, I read the other ones! Philippians 2:5-8 gives a pretty strong case for the intermitent divinity of Christ. He was always with God, and John 1:1,14 says that he was God, "was" being the key word. But at the time that he was called to priesthood as Paul (the author of the article rightly states) he did not regard his "godness", his divinity as something to continue to be held on to. But he emptied himself. He took off his God jacket and left it in heaven. He became a man, a human, 100% born and raised not some hybrid God-man with super powers to be used whenever someone was in trouble. Romans 9:5, though open to comma and period placement in the Greek, still makes a good case, Titus 2:13 and Hebrews 1:8 all call or refer to Jesus directly as God. Our good friend "Doubting Thomas" even calls the risen Jesus, "my Lord and my God." Nevertheless, it is this author's strong conviction that he, Jesus, voluntarily chose to not be God for around 33 years thereby tying the entire Bible together and accomplishing what only a human, completely filled with and by the Holy Spirit and perfectly obedient to the Father could accomplish! Peace,
Mark (a pardoned criminal)
Mark,
Thanks for your comment. It seems to me that your understanding of Phil. 2:5-8 gives rise to as many difficulties as the "orthodox" position that Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. If Jesus "took off his God jacket and left it in heaven" it would seem that either heaven was working without a complete God for 33 years or the human Jesus was someone other than the Jesus that was God prior to his birth. When God highly exalted Jesus (Phil 2:9) and gave him a name above every name he did so to someone other than himself. If in fact Jesus was and is Yahweh there would have been no reason to bestow a name on him that was higher than any other, it would have already been his.
Concerning John 1:1,14, it was not "Christ" or "Jesus" that was with God from the beginning but God's word, his logos, which should not be understood as a person. Logos is used several hundred times in the NT and no attempt is made to force fit the meaning of Jesus or Christ or any other person for it anywhere else but in Johns' prologue.
It seems to me that to believe that God is one, which is what the Scriptures unanimously state, and not two in one or three in one or any other configuration, is not only much simpler but much more satisfying. It also has the advantage of being in agreement with Jesus who insisted upon that in Mark 12:28-34.
Concerning Jesus being called God, there are a number of uses of the word "God" (theos and elohim) in the Bible that are not meant to convey the meaning that who is being spoken of by that term is Yahweh. Jesus said that God himself called the rulers or judges of Israel "gods" (elohim). Satan is called "god" of this world. We recognize the secondary sense without difficulty in these instances. To attach the meaning of Yahweh to Doubting Thomas' statement is to ignore the cultural setting of the day and to place later theological wranglings in its place.
Paul
Some on this blog agree with the Muslims and Jews in explicitly denying the divinity of Christ. This is at odds with the deposit of faith taught by the ancient Church. The Church prexisted the Scipture which is being quoted. Proof texing Scipture was the devil's MO in the temptations of Jesus. Viv Christo Rey!
Dear Anonymous,
I'm just wondering how you know what the "deposit of faith" of the ancient church was if you don't base it on the Scriptures. Do you claim to have some more ancient record than the Scriptures? Or perhaps you think that doctrines have not changed since the resurrection of Jesus? You might benefit from a study of church history, particularly of the first through the fourth centuries.
Paul
Bravo Paul on your fine exposition here regarding the trinity - a word not
found in Scripture. When we read in II Thessalonians 2:7-12 about "the lie"
this idea of the trinity stands out to me as being that lie.
This whole concept of the trinity is also shattered by using a Strong's
concordance to see the meaning of the original New Testament (Greek) words
that have been translated into English for us. Of course this translation
happened under the Catholic influence of the 17th century, so any confusion
as to word meaning defaulted to the current influence of the day rather than
to the context of the writing, which is still the case today.
The concept of a personal devil can also be similarly blown apart, by going
to the original Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek (via a Strong's
Concordance). There we find the definition of devil to be "false accuser"
which any of us can be toward another given the depravity of our nature.
The definition of Satan is simply "adversary" as Peter was labeled in his
effort to interfere with Jesus' mission to become the Christ. We own a
nature susceptible to sin (thanks, Adam) and must seek forgiveness in
prayer, through our mediator Jesus Christ, to be restored in our walk with
God, since God cannot look upon sin. In other words, we are our own worst
enemy/devil. To excuse sin away due to being the fault of a literal devil
walking around, we dismiss ownership of our errors and this keeps us
estranged from God. One day soon, sin nature (aka "the devil") will be
destroyed and the whole earth will be filled the glory of the LORD.
If only we would all take the time to read what our Creator has written for
us. Who would know us better than He? Therefore His message should be
understandable by the simplest of men - and indeed it is, if we look at the
original language and the context in which an idea is presented.
- Steve -
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