The WHY of Creation Part 5 / Jesus Made Perfect???

Please study part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4 of this series if you have not done so already; even if you have it might be a good idea to review before proceeding....

Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 5:8 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;

Hebrews 2:10 and 5:8 are two scriptures that confirm the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of man became perfect through the things he suffered. Now the idea that the Son of God needed to be made perfect as opposed to being always being perfect is almost heretical, and would probably have warranted being burnt at the stake in the middle ages. Nonetheless the idea is biblical and needs to be studied to gain a greater understanding of why things have progressed throughout the history of creation as they have. First of all let us look at the definition of the word PERFECT, in the Greek language of the New Testament the word Perfect is teleióō; contracted teleiṓ, fut. teleiṓsō, from téleios (G5046), complete, mature. To complete, make perfect by reaching the intended goal. This definition along with the above two scriptures from the book of Hebrews reveal to us the process that was followed in transforming Jesus Christ from Son of man to a fully mature adult Son of God. It is commonly assumed that Jesus was fully mature as the Son of God, in knowledge, in wisdom, in power, especially in Love because He was conceived of the Holy Ghost, the Seed of God, literally the sperm of God rather than of man. However it needs to be understood that there was a development process in Jesus that occurred as much as it does in any natural born man. In the natural a child is first conceived, then the baby is born, then it grows physically for about 20 or so years and can keep growing mentally for the rest of its life even though the majority of people are mentally retarded, their mental growth stops even before their bodily growth stops. Luke 2:52 tells us about the young Jesus that: ‘And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man’. The word stature in this verse of scripture refers to His physical size; so even as Jesus grew in physical size, He also grew mentally and spiritually. So when Hebrews 2:10 and 5:8 tell us that Jesus was made perfect, what is understood is that He reached spiritual completion, full maturity, became of full age; He was not fully mature, or COMPLETE right from conception and birth as is commonly believed, it happened over the course of time and the perfection process involved SUFFERING, a whole lot of suffering.

This relationship between SUFFERING and SPIRITUAL PERFECTION is a major theme in the bible; I would say it is the primary theme in the bible, particularly the New Testament. Acts 26:23: ‘That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles’. Again it is commonly taught that Christ suffered for us, that is He suffered for us alone, not for Himself. While it is true that Christ indeed suffered for us, the just for the unjust, but the greater understanding here is that the things that He suffered are the very things that made Him PERFECT, made Him the ONLY BEGOTTEN Son of God as well as the FIRST BEGOTTEN of the many sons that God would beget through Him. I will briefly mention here but explore in detail at a later time the idea that the fundamental purpose of creation, the ultimate WHY OF CREATION is for the purpose of God BEGETTING for Himself a race of Spiritual beings that inhabit corporeal bodies, through whom God would begin, and continue forever to EXPERIENCE LIFE. God’s understanding is infinite; therefore His experiences of life through His begotten sons will also be INFINITE, no chance of boredom ever in the ages to come. Infinity is an idea that we cannot even begin to grasp with our finite minds but that is what lies ahead, the present world and the present Cosmos are a mere shadow of that which lies just ahead; those of us who are looking for it.

Mark 8:31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. In the Gospels, the book of Acts and the epistles of the New Testament, it is taught over and over that Jesus must have suffered, it was needful for Him to suffer, and that it had to have happened that way and that there was no other way. If we can understand why Jesus had to suffer the things He did and how the sufferings transformed Him from a mere Son of man, a mere corporeal being, a mere living soul, to the eternal Begotten Son of God, the first of a new species of creature that is both SPIRIT and FLESH. This creature enjoys all the benefits of a body, but has the properties of a spirit being like an angel, that is the NEW CREATURE is not subject to the laws of physics that corporeal children of Adam, mere LIVNG SOUL human beings are subject to. Luke 24:30: And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 36. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39. Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. These scriptures in Luke and the other gospels show Jesus appearing and vanishing like a spirit yet He is not a spirit being as clearly evidenced in verse 39, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones. In Jesus, and beginning with Jesus, the WHY of creation was accomplished after many ages in which empires on a galactic scale have risen and fallen much like the Star Wars saga. Upon the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in His new incorruptible body, God had formed for Himself a LIVING STONE house made out of flesh and bone in which He will forever enjoy all the pleasures of Life. Rev. 4:11 ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created’. Without this new creature that is a LIVING TEMPLE, God could not have enjoyed the pleasures of material creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

In the next part of this series, we will examine the idea of biblical PERFECTION, as it relates to how Jesus was made perfect, or became perfect through a process that all we all must follow to reach perfection ourselves. Perfection has nothing to do with bodily perfection, God could just as easily have given Adam this incorruptible body that Jesus dwells in now, and that which has been promised to all believers. However God chose to give Adam a body of clay, one that is subject to corruption, one that Jesus wore Himself during the days of His flesh so that He could suffer and die. Suffering is what perfects our CONSCIENCE, and that is what was perfected or completed in Jesus, first of all, and must be completed in all believers so that like Jesus, they too can be made perfect, qualified to be BEGOTTEN SONS OF GOD rather than mere living souls like Adam and his descendants. To be continued….