Is Obedience Required for Salvation? (Hebrews 5:9 Commentary)
The Bible says:
“Jesus became the source of eternal salvation to everyone who obeys him.”
— Hebrews 5:9
It seems like this verse is saying that if you want to receive eternal life, then you have to obey God.
This almost makes it sound like going to heaven is a reward for people who follow God’s rules.
But if you define salvation as “union with Christ,” this verse about obeying God makes a lot more sense.
The more UNITED you become with Jesus, the more you will just naturally start OBEYING Him… and the more you OBEY Him, the more UNIFIED you’ll become with Him. JESUS’S way of thinking becomes YOUR way of thinking, and you automatically start operating in a way that is in line with His teachings. Obedience and unity are like a cycle where each step feeds off the other:
The act of obeying Jesus isn’t what gets you to heaven, but it helps facilitate your unification with Him—and that’s why the Hebrews says that Jesus “becomes the source of eternal salvation to everyone who obeys Him.”
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