Heb 5:9 Illustrates The Difference In The Source And Conditions of Salvation

Hebrews 5:9 illustrates well how Eph 2:8-9 (“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”) and James 2:24 (“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only”) do not contradict. Heb 5:9 reads “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him” (ESV). Do you see the difference in the source and the condition in that verse? Jesus is the source of salvation; our obedience is the condition. We have to obey to receive salvation, but that does not make us the source of salvation.

Similarly, Eph 2:8-9 is talking about the source of our salvation; the source is not our works/obedience, but Jesus. On the other hand, James 2:24 is not discussing the source of our salvation, but the fact that salvation is conditioned upon our obedience. Meeting the conditions does not make us the source of our salvation, but the conditions are necessary to be met in order to receive salvation from the source.

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