What is eternal salvation?

This salvation is infinitely greater than that which was accorded to Israel, when by the hand of Moses He brought them out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage, purposing to bring them into the land of promise, in order that they might serve Him as a free people. That salvation was but temporal, and the great mass of those saved out of the hand of the taskmaster Pharaoh never reached the purpose of God for them. Their carcasses fell in the wilderness on account of their transgressions. And even the generation which was eventually brought into the land were driven out again for their idolatrous practices, and today their descendants are scattered over the whole earth under the government of God, on account of their rejection of the Messiah. But the salvation which is brought to light today, and which is preached in the gospel of the grace of God, is said to be “in Christ” (2 Tim. 2:10), and “eternal” (Heb. 5:9). It is not an outward, earthly deliverance from a carnal bondage, but it is the emancipation of the soul from the fear of death, and from the devil, the world, the flesh, and every spiritual foe that held the soul in captivity away from God. It is a salvation which is not yet revealed, but which shall come to light at the appearing of Jesus Christ, when all those who have by faith received it will come with Him in the clouds of heaven.

Author of Eternal Salvation. — We have marked some comparisons with Aaron; we have also pointed out some contrasts. Here is another. A title is His to which Aaron could lay no claim. Our High Priest is the Author of eternal salvation — a designation not met elsewhere within the boards of the New Testament. It is applied exclusively to the Lord Jesus. Son of God, Maker of the worlds, Upholder of all things, Heir of all things, Captain of salvation, Apostle, and also High Priest; He is besides all these, we now learn, the Author of eternal salvation, and that to all them that obey Him, whether formerly Jews or Gentiles. Here too we first meet with the epithet eternal in this Epistle. As we proceed we shall meet with it again. For in blessings not of mere temporal duration, but everlasting in their character, these Hebrews had part. This is kept before them. Their fathers entered Canaan, enjoyed it for a few years, and then passed away. These, their descendants, were to share in everlasting blessing, such as everlasting salvation (v. 9), everlasting redemption (9:12), everlasting inheritance (9:15), and all that flows from an everlasting covenant (13:20). Coming to Christ, they were partakers of that which will never pass away. No failure, no decay, is there in any portion of the blessing. Full, final, and everlasting — such are its characteristics. In what marked contrast is this from that which their fathers had enjoyed! Those who professed still to be disciples of Moses, what had they got? what could they keep? Those who obeyed the Lord, the Prophet like to the lawgiver Moses, found themselves heirs of everlasting blessing. And this was sure, for the salvation here mentioned takes in that of the whole person, and not merely salvation of the soul, connected as it is with the Lord Jesus being Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Much trial there might be, as indeed there had been; but an everlasting salvation they would share in, and to it they could confidently look forward. Who then, with such a High Priest, would surrender Christian blessing and Christian hope, for that which, if it gave a little temporal ease, could never procure what is of real value, everlasting salvation and an everlasting inheritance?

But, blessed be God, it is not so. Perfected as a Saviour through the suffering of the cross, Christ is become the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him." (Heb. 5:9.) What is "eternal" salvation? and when do I receive it? Well, Paul says to us, that God "HATH saved us." (2 Tim. 1:9.) Is not that, then, "eternal salvation"? If I have obeyed Him — for the gospel calls for obedience, most surely (Rom. 10:16) — if I have obeyed His call of grace, and come to Him, is He not the author of eternal salvation to me just then? or must I wait till there is no more danger before I can speak of being saved for ever?

And that eternal salvation is received by those that obey Him. The value of faith was so strongly stressed in Hebrews 3, and the beginning of Hebrews 4, that we might have supposed that it would have read, "them that believe." Why does it say, "them that obey Him"? The obedience is of course the obedience of faith, but the point is that we should realize that the One who asks obedience from us is the One who has learned obedience Himself. In obedience the Son of God worked out eternal salvation, and that salvation is ours when we come under obedience to Him. Can we not see how divinely fitting this is? He only asks from us that obedience which He has perfectly rendered Himself.

This expression "perfected" means the completeness of His course through sufferings in resurrection and heavenly glory, as we may see far beyond controversy in Heb. 7:28, where the word has a form to express permanent result, instead of only indicating the fact accomplished as here. Neither "sanctified" nor "consecrated" is the true force: other words signify these correctly. Nor would either suit this place when His completed work of suffering is in view, by which alone salvation could be. And the result is here affirmed in terms of triumph: "He became to all those that obey Him author of everlasting salvation." Thus on the one hand is His glorious position maintained, and on the other everlasting salvation is assured to all who own Him. He is none other than the prophet like unto Moses whom Jehovah promised long ago to raise up. But He is far more, and more blessed. For instead of only the threat of God's retribution to him that hearkens not, He is become author of salvation to those that obey Him; yea, in contrast with legal uncertainty, "of everlasting salvation to those that obey Him." How indeed could it be otherwise if we believe in the glory of His person and the efficacy of His work? But all have not faith; and faith — obedience is the root of all other obedience precious in God's eyes, who disdains to accept the homage that is proffered to Himself while making light of His Son and of His infinite sufferings. "He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father who sent Him." "Whoever denieth the Son hath not the Father either; he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also."

Then in Hebrews 5 we read, "being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation." Not moral perfection — we all know He was morally stainless — but perfection as "the author of salvation." He would never have been perfect thus if He had not gone on to death; but as it behoved God to give us a perfect Saviour, so it behoved Christ to make Himself a perfect Saviour. Then in Hebrews 6: "Let us go on unto perfection," the apostle says, that is, let us "read our lesson on this subject." Some read this as if they were to go on till they got no more sin in themselves. That has nothing to say to it. It is as if the apostle said, "I am going to read you a treatise on perfection, and you must come and learn it with me."

The principal words in the N.T. thus translated are τέλειόω, τέλειος, 'full, complete, perfect.' The Lord Jesus was always morally perfect, yet scripture speaks of His being 'made perfect,' for instance, as the captain of salvation: antitype of Joshua, leader into the purpose of God. All had been completed in view of that office. Heb. 2:10. Though a Son, yet He learned obedience (not 'to be obedient') by the things which He suffered; and being made 'perfect ' (that is, glorified) after He had finished the work of redemption, He became the author of eternal salvation to all that obey Him (Heb. 5:9): this may be the meaning of the words "the third day I shall be perfected." Luke 13:32.

We are also quite free to say that salvation in its fullest sense looks on to the final deliverance from the very presence of sin — the consummation in heaven. There is also a governmental and external salvation; such, for instance, as is spoken of in our Lord's prophetic discourse: "He that endureth unto the end shall be saved." This, we need hardly say, does not refer to the salvation of the soul, but the deliverance from the Great Tribulation through which the Jewish remnant will be called to pass, with an indirect application to us also.

Here is the mistake in a vast deal of the preaching of the day. They do not believe man to be really lost; consequently also they as little believe that man believing is perfectly saved. It is a shilly-shally doctrine about the bad state of man, and still more so about the salvation of believers. The apostle writes of an eternal salvation, leaving us only to enjoy His love, to do His will, and serve Him. It is not merely your sins all blotted out and forgotten, and yourselves accounted righteous instead of ungodly, but perfected for ever, made children of God with the Holy Spirit enabling you to cry, Abba, Father, and waiting to be with Christ and like Him.

T. Certainly it does. But this is not peculiar to salvation. Other blessings of the gospel are spoken of in the same way. John says that He who believes in the Son has life eternal, but Paul speaks as in the hope of it (Titus 1:2). The righteousness of God is upon the believer (Rom. 3:22), but in Philippians 3 he counts everything in which he could glory in the flesh as rubbish, that he might be found in Him, not having on his own righteousness, but the righteousness of God by faith. Every blessing of the gospel is ours now in the grace of God, and in the power of the Spirit, but for the completeness of all blessings we await the coming of Christ. It is so with salvation. In 2 Timothy 1 we read, “Who has saved us, and called us with an holy calling;” and in Titus 3, “According to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost.” Present salvation is the deliverance of the soul from the judicial consequences of its sins, from the dominion of sin, from the fear of death, from the power of the devil, and being brought into right relations with God in Christ.