Hebrews 2:10-13: Many Sons Unto Glory
We have begun to see a shift from Jesus, the Son of God (namely, His Deity), to Jesus, the Son of Man (namely, His humanity). That shift continues in this passage.
Hebrews 2:10
Everything in creation exists for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Everything will be under His feet upon His return, and He will rule without limitation. Also, the Father created the world by His Son. Elsewhere, we read, “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Jesus Christ is the end-all and be-all of creation. He created it all, He owns it all, and it all exists to worship Him.
Because He is supreme over Creation and is its ultimate ruler and caretaker, it is appropriate that the Lord Jesus wanted to save people from destruction.
Consider Romans 3:21-24. Note that it says that we “come short” of God’s glory. “Come short” is better than “fall short” (as some translations have) because the latter implies we once attained God’s glory, but we do not anymore. We never attained to the glory of God. We come short. We need His rescuing. He needed to bring us to glory. He gave us God’s righteousness by His own faith. Note the genitive case; the faith is the faith of Jesus Christ. The genitive case is possessive or one of origin. We were freely justified and brought to glory because Jesus acted unilaterally.
It also behoved Him “to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” First, He is the “captain,” which is also translated “prince” or “author.” This word is used four times in the Scriptures, all of which refer to the Savior.
And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. (Acts 3:15)
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. (Acts 5:31)
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
The word means that He is the chief ruler, but it also related to the word for “beginning,” as in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” He is supreme over salvation like everything else. Note also it is translated “author”: “author and finisher of our faith.” Salvation is something Jesus Christ procured, not anyone else.
He was made “perfect through sufferings.” The word “perfect” does not imply that Christ was once sinful or lacking, but then became sinless and without blemish. We recently discussed how Jesus was without sin. Here, we mean that His goal and purpose was made complete by suffering. The “suffering” also implies His death. Through His death He effected the salvation of humankind.
The principle of life out of death is pervasive throughout Scripture.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (John 12:24).
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand (Deuteronomy 32:39).
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:11-12)
We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1 John 3:14)
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)
Out of the death of Christ, life came to all who believe on His name.
Hebrews 2:11
Christ is the one who sanctifies, and we are those who were sanctified. Sanctification is something that all the Godhead does in the believer:
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called (Jude 1:1)
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. (Acts 26:18)
That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:16)
Here, in this verse (Hebrews 2:11), we see that the sanctifier is the Son, as required by this context. We are the sanctified, which means that He made us holy. He set us apart for His purposes. We have been made “wholly other” from the world. We are a unique and “peculiar” people. We are sanctified in position and being sanctified in experience.
We and the Lord Jesus and Christ “are all of one.” We were all from the Father. The Son was from the Father from everlasting. We were born again of the Father’s will: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).
Moreover, we a part of the new race of Christ and not of Adam: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19). The household is a family.
Being born again into a new family, “he is not ashamed to call them brethren.” There are no black sheep in this family. Even though we have sinned and were enemies in our former conversation, we are now His brethren. Now pertaining to the Last Adam and the second man, and His bride the church, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed” (Genesis 2:24-25).
Hebrews 2:12
The Spirit supports this by way of the Old Testament quote, Psalm 22:22, which we will examine in context in a moment. As Christ is not ashamed of us, being born again into His family, He “will declare thy name unto my brethren.” We are His brethren, according to our context here. Jesus reveals the Father in all His glory and power to us. “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?” (John 14:8-9). To have the Son is to have the Father. “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son” (1 John 2:22). “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9).
Where and in what manner does He reveal Himself? “...in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.” Through the church is how Christ reveals the Father. The Father is praised through the church.
In Psalm 22, the Spirit spells out in great detail the Passion of our Lord. Prophecy after prophecy is enumerated here. We will not visit these here. We pick up in Psalm 22:20.
Psalm 22:20-21
Here, the Lord is crying out to God, but amid one of His pleas (Psalm 20:21), He declares that the Father has ended His passion. “Save me... thou hast heard me...” From here, we shift to His resurrection.
Psalm 22:22
This is our verse of interest. Notice the word “congregation” is used for the word “church.” A church is a congregation of people, with all the structure we discussed when looking at the Pastoral Epistles. This pillar and ground of truth is what the Lord uses in our present age to proclaim his truth to the world.
Psalm 22:23
The Lord Jesus addresses Israel to fear, praise, and glorify the Father.
Psalm 22:26
Those that are humble and praise the Lord shall have eternal life: “...your heart shall live for ever.” We know that “your” is plural.
Psalm 22:27-28
We transition here from Israel to the nations. People from every nation will praise before the Lord’s throne. This was the story of Acts, where the church was predominantly made up of Jews in the beginning, but later was of the much greater part non-Jewish.
Psalm 22:29
A reference to those in the dust refers to those who are dead; this is a clear reference to the resurrection.
Psalm 22:30-31
We are that seed that will serve Him. These future people were to be a new generation; a whole new era began with what we sometimes call the “church age.” The churches declare God’s righteousness, and that salvation is accomplished by Him alone.
Hebrews 2:13
Here, it is Christ that trusts in the Father. Not only Christ trusts in His Father, but “the children which God hath given me.” We see again how we are a part of His family, and Christ is the federal head of this new race and family of human beings, as described in detail in Romans 5:12-21.
Here are references to Isaiah 8:17-19. There is much prophecy of Christ in this larger section of Isaiah. Recall some famous verses from the original context:
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Consider Isaiah 8:11-18. When you see “For the LORD spake thus to me,” this is an indication that the Father is speaking to the Son. He was not to be like the people of His day, but to fully focus on the Father, and He did. He would be a stumbling block for many. “And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder” (Matthew 21:44).
In Isaiah 8:16, we see a reference to His disciples. God’s teaching was entrusted to them. This teaching seems to be hidden from the Jews (Isaiah 8:17). While Christ Himself is a sign to the people, His “children,” these disciples, are also signs per Isaiah 8:18. Christ’s family is the salt and light of the world, and to the Jewish nation: “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy” (Romans 11:11).