Chapter five verses seven through ten: Here the Apostle Paul is reminding the Hebrew Christians of that day, as well as today’s 2,000,000,000-strong “sinners saved by grace” congregation, that they cannot blame their sins on being “just human.” Paul reminded them, and us, that Jesus of Nazareth was also “just human.” Adam’s so-called “sin transferal system” did not work on the man Jesus then and it does not work on men today. That the man Jesus had no advantage over us in terms of resistance to sin is brought out in the verses highlighted in this posting as well as the series titled Human Nature.

In verse 7 we note that, during the days of his flesh and blood human life Jesus PRAYED AND SUPPLICATED WITH STRONG CRYING AND TEARS, and that God heard Him BECAUSE HE (JESUS) FEARED HIM–FEARED TO SIN AGAINST HIM. The man Jesus was totally dependent upon God for strength to resist Satan’s temptations, just as we are today. And like all God-seekers, He had to PRAY, and CRY OUT TO GOD IN FEAR in order to be heard by Him. And just as did Jesus, we must “work out your (our) own salvation with FEAR AND TREMBLING” (Phil. 2:12). We must make certain that our lives reflect God’s Words, not church doctrine which consists of what man believes God should have said. See What Is Truth?

In verse 8 Paul notes that even though Jesus was God’s begotten Son, as are all who are truly converted, Jesus had to LEARN TO OBEY HIM by suffering trials, tests and temptations, just as all men do. However, suffering such assaults is only the first, and easiest, part of the process. In order to join Jesus in the Kingdom of God we must “… overcome even as I (Jesus) overcame ….” (Rev. 3:21); we must “walk even as He walked” and “purify your (our)self even as He is pure” (1 Jn. 2:6;3:3). It is easy to obey the Lord when there are no temptations, tests, trials, etc.

In verse 9 we find that Jesus of Nazareth–a man like any other man–had to be MADE PERFECT in order to fulfill God’s purpose for His earthly flesh and blood life–to become the Provider of eternal life for those who OBEY HIM JUST AS HE OBEYED THE FATHER.  Note that salvation will be awarded ONLY to those who obey His Word–the Holy Bible.

What was true for the man Jesus is true for all men. In order for Him to QUALIFY to be the High Priest of the Church of God Jesus had to OBEY God totally. Those who make the cut will also be priests unto the Almighty in His kingdom. In order to become a priest (Rev. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6) one must QUALIFY exactly as did his High Priest–through total obedience to Him. L.J.