Christ's obedience to the Father was part of His perfection as a man. As our substitute, He perfected us. And being an ""forever priest,"" he was able to perfect us forever, "For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Heb.10:14). We are by nature disobedient. The Hebrew audience who first read this letter were descendants of the Israelites who attempted to achieve righteousness through their obedience to the Mosaic law. But, where the law could not create a perfect, continuous, righteous obedience, Christ learned perfect obedience on our behalf, gaining that complete righteousness which is imputed to us!

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Rom 5:19)

Is it necessary to point out the ""eternal"" word, here? How long is ""eternal""? Yep, you got it! That's "always was, always is, always will be" The salvation of which we are recipients was always in the mind of God. It was decreed and ordained in time and it will be celebrated ceaselessly in the ages to come. There was never a time when our salvation was in doubt. It was as sure as God's faithfulness to His word, and as certain as the obedience of the Lamb slain. He's the author! He wrote it! He laid down His will before the Father and gained the souls of His sheep through His willing sacrifice.

What's the upshot of all this? Well, our obedience to Him. Notice that last phrase in verse 9: "" he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him."" God searches our hearts and minds, and He knows our intentions and desires. We cannot achieve perfect obedience, but our Elder Brother did! And because He agonized over us, we are called to spend ourselves on Him. Our best efforts will never scratch the surface of the labor He invested in us - ""Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin"" (Heb.12:4), but we will strive. As we are conformed into the image of the Son, we will ""press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus"" (Phil.3:14).

One last word before we move on--this verse does not say that if we obey Him He will save us eternally. That's a popular misreading of it. No, in order for the salvation to be genuinely ""eternal,"" the obeying is simply an outgrowth of the fact that we are eternally saved. That's an important distinction. He didn't labor in vain. He didn't suffer in hopes that someone would obey. He didn't sweat blood just in case someone decided to get in line with Him. He accomplished everything He set out to accomplish, and He eternally saved those who are obedient in reaction to that fact.
---Jim McClarty