Christ's Perfection

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. -Heb 2:10

This verse is challenging to me. It begs the question, "Wasn't Jesus perfect before he suffered?" How does this fit into my theology? I don't want to be guilty of making the Bible say what my theology says it should say. I want to believe what it truly says and force my theology to follow the Scriptures. And this is why it's nice to have an electronic Bible (my plug for e-sword)--so I can look up commentaries and see what the Greek is...


The Greek word translated "through" is:

G1223
διά
dia
dee-ah'
A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In composition it retains the same general import: - after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . . fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through (-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same
general import.

So the verse could mean "make the founder of their faith perfect _____ suffering."

1. for - the suffering is the reason he is perfect, but not the cause
2. from - the suffering is the cause of his perfection
3. therefore - the suffering is the result of perfection
4. throughout - his perfection is not dimineshed by suffering
5. with - he had perfect suffering

Wow. I'm glad translators have done this work for us and we rarely have to really dig in like this.

The Gill commentary says

and he is made "perfect through sufferings"; he suffered all that the law and justice of God could require; and hereby he became perfectly acquainted with the sufferings of his people, and a perfect Saviour of them; and in this way went to glory himself: and it "became" God the Father, the first cause, and last end of all things, since he had a design to bring all his adopted sons to glory, that his own Son should perfectly suffer for them; this was agreeable to, and becoming the perfections of his nature, his wisdom, his veracity, his justice, grace, and mercy.

JFB commentary:

to make ... perfect — "to consummate"; to bring to consummated glory through sufferings, as the appointed avenue to it. "He who suffers for another, not only benefits him, but becomes himself the brighter and more perfect" [Chrysostom]. Bringing to the end of troubles, and to the goal full of glory: a metaphor from the contests in the public games. Compare "It is finished," Luk_24:26; Joh_19:30. I prefer, with Calvin, understanding, "to make perfect as a completed
sacrifice": legal and official, not moral, perfection is meant: "to consecrate" (so the same Greek is translated Heb_7:28; compare Margin) by the finished expiation of His death, as our perfect High Priest, and so our "Captain of salvation" (Luk_13:32). This agrees with Heb_2:11, "He that sanctifieth," that is, consecrates them by Himself being made a consecrated offering for them. So Heb_10:14, Heb_10:29; Joh_17:19 : by the perfecting of His consecration for them in His death, He perfects their consecration, and so throws open access to glory (Heb_10:19-21; Heb_5:9; Heb_9:9 accord with this sense).

I'm going to lean toward the second commentary and agree with Calvin: "'to make perfect as a completed sacrifice': legal and official, not moral, perfection is meant."