The Captain of Our Salvation Text: Hebrews 2:5-18
Introduction: The Great Demotion and the Greater Promotion
We live in an age that is utterly confused about what a human being is for. We are told that man is a cosmic accident, a collection of ambitious chemicals, and that our highest calling is to express our inner feelings, whatever they may be on any given Tuesday. On the other hand, we are also told that we can become gods, that we can define our own reality, and that the universe must bend to our will. This is the incoherent babble of a world that has rejected its Creator and, consequently, has lost the instruction manual for itself.
The author of Hebrews is addressing a similar, though more ancient, confusion. He has just spent a chapter demonstrating the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ over the angels. Jesus is the Son, the Creator, the Sustainer, the exact imprint of God's nature. The angels are mere servants. But this created a problem for his Jewish audience. In the Old Covenant, the angels were glorious intermediaries. The law was delivered by angels (Acts 7:53). They were mighty and terrifying. And Jesus, when He came, was... a man. He was born, He got hungry, He grew tired, He suffered, and He died. From a certain point of view, this looked like a demotion. How could this man, who was made lower than the angels, be superior to them?
This is the glorious paradox that the author now unfolds. He is going to show us that Christ's temporary humiliation was the necessary pathway to His ultimate exaltation, and not just His, but ours as well. He is going to take Psalm 8, a psalm about the glory of man, and show us that its truest and fullest meaning is found only in the Man, Jesus Christ. In doing so, he explains why the incarnation was necessary, why the cross was fitting, and why our salvation is eternally secure. He shows us that God's plan was not to save us by snatching us away from our humanity, but by perfecting humanity in the person of His Son. Christ's demotion was the necessary first step for our promotion.
The Text
For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I WILL RECOUNT YOUR NAME TO MY BROTHERS, IN THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.” Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to help those who are tempted.
(Hebrews 2:5-18 LSB)
Man's Lost Dominion and Christ's Recovery (vv. 5-9)
The argument begins by establishing a new world order, a new administration.
"For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking." (Hebrews 2:5)
The "world to come" is not a reference to heaven, or some distant future reality. The word for world here is oikoumene, the inhabited earth. The author is speaking of the new covenant age, the Christian era, which was dawning as he wrote. In the Old Testament, angels had a significant administrative role. But in this new era, inaugurated by Christ, the administration has been handed over to man. But which man?
To answer this, he quotes Psalm 8.
"WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM?... YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET." (Hebrews 2:6-8a)
This is the original dominion mandate given to Adam in Genesis. God made man to be His vice-regent, to rule over creation. He was crowned with glory and honor, placed just a little lower than the angels, and given authority over everything. The psalmist marvels at this high calling. But the author of Hebrews immediately points out the obvious and tragic problem: "But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him" (v. 8b). This is the understatement of the ages. Look around. Do you see man exercising righteous dominion over the earth? No. You see tyranny, pollution, rebellion, and chaos. Adam fumbled the ball. He abdicated his throne, betrayed his calling, and subjected himself and the whole creation to futility. The crown has fallen from man's head.
So, is God's purpose for man a failure? Is the dominion mandate cancelled? Not at all. And here is the pivot point of all history: "But we do see Jesus" (v. 9). We don't see mankind in general fulfilling this psalm, but we do see one Man who does. We see Jesus. He is the true and perfect Man, the second Adam. And how did He reclaim this lost dominion? Paradoxically, by being "made for a little while lower than the angels." This refers to His incarnation. The eternal Son took on our frail humanity. He stooped. But He didn't just stoop; He went all the way down, "because of the suffering of death." He embraced the curse that Adam brought into the world. And because of that obedient suffering, He is now "crowned with glory and honor." His path to the throne was the cross. His coronation was His resurrection and ascension.
He did this so that He might "taste death for everyone." This is not to say that His death was a mere sample, or that it was for every single individual head for head. Rather, it was a death that purchased the whole world. The scope of the atonement is as wide as creation. He died to redeem men from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, and to reclaim the whole cosmos for the glory of God. He didn't just die to punch our ticket to heaven; He died to win the world.
The Fittingness of a Suffering Savior (vv. 10-13)
But why this way? Why through suffering? The author tells us it was not a divine afterthought, but a matter of profound divine propriety.
"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings." (Hebrews 2:10)
It was "fitting." It was appropriate to the character of God. God, the creator and sustainer of all things, had a plan to bring "many sons to glory." Notice the robust, optimistic scope of salvation. Not a few stragglers, but many sons. And the way He chose to do this was to make the "author" of their salvation perfect through suffering. The word for author here is archegos. It means a pioneer, a trailblazer, a captain. Jesus is the Captain of our salvation, leading the charge. But how was He perfected? This does not mean He was morally imperfect and had to be improved. He was always sinless. Rather, it means He was brought to completion for His task. He was fully equipped to be our Savior and High Priest by going through the full range of human experience, including the extremity of suffering. Adam was tested in a perfect garden and failed. Christ, the second Adam, was tested in the wilderness of this fallen world and triumphed, thereby becoming the perfected, qualified Captain for all who follow Him.
This shared experience of suffering creates a profound solidarity. It makes us family.
"For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brothers." (Hebrews 2:11)
The Sanctifier (Jesus) and the sanctified (us) are from one stock, one family. He is our blood brother. And to prove it, the author strings together three Old Testament quotes. The first is from Psalm 22, the great psalm of the cross: "I WILL RECOUNT YOUR NAME TO MY BROTHERS, IN THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE" (v. 12). Even from the cross, the Messiah identifies with His people as brothers and leads them in worship. The second and third are from Isaiah 8: "I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM," and "BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME" (v. 13). In Isaiah's context, the prophet is standing with his children as signs to a faithless generation. Jesus does the same. He stands with His people, His children, His brothers, in complete solidarity, trusting God in the midst of a hostile world.
The Conquering Captain (vv. 14-18)
This family solidarity was the strategic heart of Christ's mission. He had to become one of us to fight for us.
"Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14)
Because we are flesh and blood, Jesus had to become flesh and blood. He had to get into the same arena with our enemy in order to defeat him. And what was the devil's great weapon? Death. The devil holds "the power of death," not in an ultimate sense, God is sovereign over life and death, but in the sense that he introduced sin, which brought death, and he wields the fear of death like a club to keep men in bondage. Christ's strategy was to take the enemy's best weapon and use it to destroy him. "Through death He might render powerless" the devil. The cross was not a defeat; it was D-Day. It was the decisive invasion. Christ entered the devil's stronghold, death itself, and blew the doors off from the inside. He disarmed the principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Col. 2:15).
The result of this victory is our liberation.
"and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives." (Hebrews 2:15)
The fear of death is the fundamental anxiety that drives all other human fears and sins. It makes men slaves to their appetites, to tyrants, to superstition. But Christ's victory removes the sting of death. For the believer, death is no longer a penalty, but a doorway into the presence of the Lord. Because Christ has conquered death, we are set free from the fear of it, and are therefore free to truly live.
This great work of liberation was targeted. "For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham" (v. 16). His rescue mission was not for fallen angels, but for the children of faith, the true seed of Abraham, which includes all who are in Christ, Jew and Gentile.
And this brings us to the great conclusion of the passage, the establishment of His priesthood.
"Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest... to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to help those who are tempted." (Hebrews 2:17-18)
Because He became one of us, He is qualified to be our perfect representative before God. He is a "merciful" high priest because He knows our weakness firsthand. He is "faithful" because He never stumbled where we stumble. His job as priest is to "make propitiation," which means to turn away the wrath of God. He did this by offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice. He absorbed the righteous anger of God against our sin so that we could receive the love of God as sons.
And now, from His throne, He is able to help us. Because He suffered when He was tempted, He is not a distant, stoic deity, unacquainted with our struggles. He knows what it feels like to be weary, to be betrayed, to be pressed by temptation. He faced down the tempter at every point and never yielded. Therefore, He is not only sympathetic, He is competent. He is an expert in the art of spiritual warfare. When we are tempted, we can run to a High Priest who has been in the trenches and who has won the war.
Conclusion: Our Brother, Our Captain, Our Priest
This passage fundamentally reorients our understanding of Christ, of ourselves, and of our salvation. Christ's humanity is not an incidental detail; it is central to His work. He did not save us as a remote deity, but as our brother. He did not simply forgive us; He blazed a trail for us to follow into glory as our Captain. He did not just appease God's wrath; He became our merciful and faithful High Priest, who ever lives to make intercession for us.
What does this mean for us? It means we must not despise the path of suffering. If it was fitting for the Captain to be perfected through suffering, we should not be surprised when we, the soldiers, are called to the same. It means we have no reason to fear death. The great enemy has been disarmed, rendered powerless. For the Christian, the grave is simply the place where we change our clothes for the wedding feast. And it means we have every reason for confidence in the face of temptation. Our High Priest is not one who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He has been there. He has won. And He is ready, willing, and supremely able to come to our aid.
Therefore, let us look away from our failures, away from our fears, and away from the fading glory of angels. Let us do what the author says. Let us see Jesus. See Him as the true Man, crowned with glory. See Him as the Captain, leading many sons to that same glory. See Him as our Brother, unashamed to call us His own. And see Him as our High Priest, able to save to the uttermost all who draw near to God through Him.