HOW THEN SHALL WE LEARN?

9.20.2007

How then shall we learn?

Hebrews 5:7-10 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; (8) Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (9) And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (10) Called of God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. KJV

Hebrews 5:7-10 During Yeshua's life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions, crying aloud and shedding tears, to the One who had the power to deliver him from death; and he was heard because of his godliness . (8) Even though he was the Son, he learned obedience through his sufferings. (9) And after he had been brought to the goal, he became the source of eternal deliverance to all who obey him, (10) since he had been proclaimed by God as a cohen gadol to be compared with Malki-Tzedek. Complete Jewish Bible

The Son of God, Emmanuel, Yeshua, learned obedience as He suffered in the flesh. His "perfect being" (He) never sinned. He met every temptation to sin with an able, efficient and sufficient "No". Yet His turning to His Father was with strong crying and tears, and His Father heard Him in that he feared . Yeshua was in the flesh as we are. He had to "deal with it" just as we do. He had to overcome the fact of His adopted carnal mortality. I have often thought: "hey, this is God we are talking about, Jesus could never sin, He couldn't fail to be perfect, He had to accomplish my salvation." But it was just not so easy. He was doing a "thing", a "job", accomplishing a goal that would and could never ever be done by any another, and would be done only once. It might be like going through school, then college and law school, and then having only one opportunity to pass the bar exam. Twenty years of school and one shot at achieving the goal, being made a lawyer. No passing grade and poof, you are a cab driver, not a lawyer!

But his was not something Jesus did to advance His career as God's only begotten Son and Heir. He did this so that we, who can never by our own efforts achieve sinlessness, -in that we have already sinned before the matter of faith even appears on our horizon- Jesus did this so that we by faith can enter into His grace and his sufferings. We can be made perfect, having been justified and reckoned righteous by His sacrificial work. We too can learn obedience in the things we suffer as His children. By our faith and God's great power by which nothing is impossible. We can learn obedience, and having learned it, we can live in it. Not to believe for and pursue perfection (imputed and imparted) is not to believe the good news, and not to pursue it's fruits.

How then shall we live?

1 John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.

1 John 5:3-4 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

© 2007 D.B. Severy