THE PIONEER OF OUR SALVATION. Hebrews 2:10 In a display of unmatched grace, the Lord Jesus Christ “was found in fashion as a man” so that He might be the “Captain of our salvation.” He couldn’t do this from a distance, but now, as the Pioneer, Pathfinder, and Leader of our salvation because He drew near to us, He can understand and experience our humanity. We needed Him. He knew that and took action to meet that great need. He wasn’t half a man but was fully God and fully man. His humanity was genuine. So now, because He is the Son who learned obedience through suffering, He has originated the eternal salvation we possess.
The sons and daughters our Lord Jesus Christ is bringing to glory are those who have believed in Him and are made children of God through His only Son [Jn.1:12-14; Rom. 8:14-23]. Everything that exists was made by Him who came to be our Leader, the originator of our salvation. Jesus, as our Leader, had to walk the path His followers must walk. As our Leader, we are called to follow Him—not only to suffer for His name’s sake but also for fellowship, growth, and to be conformed to His likeness as a Man among men. Our Leader cares for His weak followers with compassion because He was “found in fashion as a man,” and He is touched with the feeling of our infirmities through the sufferings He endured.
Christ has been made “perfect” through suffering in the sense of completing an assignment. In John 17:5, He had glory with the Father before the worlds were created. In John 17:24, there is glory resulting from His suffering and death. (See also Philippians 2:7-8). Now, as the Pioneer and Leader of our salvation, He can understand and experience our humanity.
Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Cause and Creator of everything that exists, including humanity. He made people able to share with Him the riches of His grace and glory. Throughout eternal ages, those He called will display “the exceeding riches of His grace,” who brought us into God's family. Everything He created served a purpose, “For whom are all things,” and “all things” demonstrate His glory and power as the God “of whom are all things, and we unto Him.” He is over all, through all, and in all.
He endured suffering and death as a man whose experience might be considered entirely comprehensive. In that role, He has authored eternal salvation [5:9]. There is a false form of Christianity that brings shame upon Christ. That is far removed from the true nature of God’s salvation. The qualities that accompany salvation [6:9] align with a life lived by someone who loves the Lord Jesus Christ and finds no greater joy than to bring Him glory and pleasure. Their appreciation of salvation is evident and would never dishonor their Lord.
As the Pioneer-Leader, He paved the way to glory by His example as a perfect Man. He showed us how to live for God, and through God, even though we dwell in a sinful world. Then, through His death, He freed us from the power of sin and granted us eternal life. He was perfected through suffering, and so are we. He was the Father’s obedient Servant and Messenger when He was on earth. That is what we should be. We can do all things for God and through God according to His will. That should be the goal of our lives.
The eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ has removed all doubts about acceptance that might trouble those who constantly wonder if they “have done enough.” They seek assurance that their recognized failures have been properly addressed. How could a dying priest guarantee such assurance to a worried soul? However, we have a Priest forever, and His office remains the same. Because of that, He is able to fully save [7:25] anyone who comes to Him in faith. He is alive forevermore; He is one of us yet perfect in His nature. The sacrifice He made for our salvation was once and for all and does not need to be repeated.
“Salvation” is one of the key words in the book of Hebrews. We have become heirs of salvation [1:14]. Because we are children of God, we are heirs. Salvation is one of His greatest gifts and a blessing beyond measure to everyone who has received God’s salvation. The salvation of God is a great salvation [2:3]. Under Moses’ law, anyone who broke it would die without mercy if two or three witnesses testified. The Lord Himself began to teach about His salvation, and the eyewitnesses who followed Him are now testifying to this “great salvation.” It is far greater than anything the Hebrew people ever had before.
But the story is not yet finished. The salvation of our souls is complete, and we are secure in our Lord Jesus Christ. His ongoing priesthood on our behalf gives us daily and hourly confidence that a Holy God accepts us. We are accepted in the Beloved. In the past, He appeared to put away sin as a Sacrifice. In the present, He appears in the presence of God for us as a Priest. In the future, He will appear without sin unto salvation [9:28].
He will appear with outstretched hands in welcome. He will transform these bodies of clay from their current vileness. He will claim, through resurrection power, the bodies of every sleeping saint and save them to be like His own glorious body. The grace of God led Him to taste death for us so that we might enjoy His great, eternal salvation forever. In John 17:5, there is the glory He had with the Father before the worlds were created. In John 17:24, there is the glory as a result of His suffering and death. (See also Philippians 2:7-8). Now, as the Pioneer and Leader of our salvation, He can understand and experience our humanity. We know He is not ashamed of us because, in His humanity, He is part of the same family as we are. We have the same Father. He has come down to where we are. He has experienced what we humans have, apart from sin.
The Captain, Pioneer, and Leader of the long line of those who suffered suffered Himself. Through His suffering, He was qualified to carry out the mission of redeeming us and bringing us to God. As the Sacrifice for sin, He paid the debt we could not pay. As the Great High Priest, He could offer the sacrifice of Himself to God, and it would be acceptable. As the Captain of our salvation, He opened the way to God for us, and as the Leader or Champion of our salvation, He supports, guides, and aids us who were once in bondage to sin, Satan, and death. Now, as sons and daughters of God who love God and live for Him, He is our all in all.