WE are looking at verses 5-18 of Hebrews chapter 2 and have been learning how Jesus excels the angels and that he does this in that he achieves the grand purpose of God in subjecting the world to come to mankind. We have seen that this was the purpose behind the creation of mankind, but this purpose was upset by humanities’ fall into sin, so at the moment we do not see mankind crowned with glory and honour with everything under his feet; but we do see Jesus, who became man, and is exalted to the highest glory on the right hand of God on the throne of God.

The purpose of God for mankind in creation and continued in redemption is amazing and mind bending. Though we are created a little lower than the angels, we are destined for a higher destiny than angels. However by sin mankind has lost this purpose, but Christ retrieves this purpose. This is the glory of Christ which unfolds in this chapter and indeed throughout this epistle. We have seen how Jesus has been made by God the author of salvation and perfect as a Saviour through suffering. In the verse before us we see the wonder of the perfection of this salvation, and the wonder of the blessing of it.

Firstly let us dwell on the fact that the Apostle tells us that Jesus makes men holy. What is being expressed here? It can be nothing less than the whole of our redemption through Christ. Let us notice that the purpose of redemption is that we become holy. Holiness is the character of God. Holiness is not simply the absence of sin and evil, but there is more importantly the positive aspect of what God is like in all his actions and thoughts. Holiness is fulfilled in the perfect love which is expressed in God. Perfect love can’t exist where there is evil, because evil is a denial of love. Being holy is not just ceasing to sin and being purified from sin, but it is growing in love and goodness. Holiness is essential for dwelling in the presence of God, and being in heaven.

Christ makes us holy firstly by canceling our debt to God, and purging our sin. He meets the demands of God’s justice on account of sin, and through his life and death fulfills all the demands of God’s holy law on our behalf, and so we are accounted as just and without sin by God, and are accepted by God into his favour and love.

Secondly, Christ makes us holy in reality. The nature of new birth is the creation of a holy life, fit for the presence of God. We are created to be like God in righteousness and true holiness. The sinful condemned person we were died with Christ on the cross, and a new person was raised to life. In this new person we are completely without sin, and this person hates sin as God hates sin, and in this person God dwells by his Spirit. In this life, however, this new person is expressed through the corrupt flesh which remains with us until this life is ended, and this causes the conflict every Christian experiences between the holy desires of the new person, and the corrupt affections of the flesh. In our life here on earth we still sin, but it is not this new person we are who sins, but sin which dwells in us. (Romans 7:20). But because of the new person we are in Christ, we hate sin in us and fight it and seek to mortify it. We can’t rest in this action. Holiness is essential to our pleasing the Lord we love.

Thirdly, Christ brings us to glory where his redemption won for us is complete, for we leave this sinful flesh behind in this world and receive a new resurrection body in glory, where we reign with Christ forever, and serve God in perfect love. All this is involved in this statement that Jesus, as the perfecter of Salvation, makes mankind holy.

But the blessing of this perfect salvation, which reveals the glory of Christ the pioneer of salvation, is that we become one with Christ, and one family with Christ. Salvation is the exaltation into this high glorious privilege and blessing. We are brothers and sisters of Christ, and in the family of God, and God is our Father indeed. In this is the realisation of the purpose of God that the world to come is subjected to mankind.

This glory and privilege could not be greater. We are never sons and daughters as Christ is the only begotten Son of God, but we are exalted to the family of God, and raised to higher honour than the angels, and this gives Christ the pioneer of salvation the high honour and exalted honour whereby he is given a name above every name. None but Jesus could have done this.

What an amazing love is the love of Jesus that he is not ashamed to call us brothers, sisters. He owns us as family and loves us as family, and his home is where he brings us. He brings many sons and daughters to glory. This amazing love and condescension is what the apostle goes on to consider in the next verses, but this we must leave to next time. However we have to take to heart the fact that only those who Christ redeems are the ones he owns as family. This perfect salvation is only for those who believe unto salvation.