Hebrews 5:9:
“9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”
There are some Bible teachers and believers who take this one verse out of the context of all the book of Hebrews and believe that obeying everything Christ taught is a REQUIREMENT of Salvation.
First, remember that Hebrews was not written with Chapters and verses and that chapters were added to the Bible for our study use. Therefore, we must read the entirety of Hebrews within it’s own context. In proper context, and throughout the book of Hebrews, the writer is addressing the Hebrew believers IN CHRIST. This is not talking about sins we commit as believers after Salvation. It is talking about the SIN OF UNBELIEF in Christ’s atonement alone by faith – not works.
In fact, if you look at Ephesians or Galatians or other books of Paul in the Bible, it lists all different types of sins. However, here in the book of Hebrews, in fact looking in all 10 chapters, there is only ONE sin that is mentioned and is the focus of attention and that sin is the SIN OF UNBELIEF in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, crucified, died and risen as the only atonement for our numerous sins during our lifetime.
The Jewish believers in Christ were being persecuted by unsaved Jewish people with faith in the Law of Moses and some were thinking to go back to the Law of Moses, even though they were saved by God’s grace through Christ’s atonement. The writer of Hebrews is showing them that is not the way of Salvation. In Hebrews 5, the writer is calling them babes in the faith that have not moved from milk to meat. They should be more knowledgeable and trusting in the faith, yet are still as babes on milk.
The writer of Hebrews is basically pleading with the Jewish people to put their trust in Salvation in Christ alone and not their own self righteous good deeds, works or religious rituals.
The OBEY HIM in verse 9 when read in context of the book is about obeying the Gospel Jesus died for.. Salvation by faith alone through belief in Jesus, the Christ, God in the flesh who died and paid the penalty in God’s perfect justice for the sins of the whole world, and that whosoever believes becomes eternally saved from the very moment of belief.
BELIEVE BELIEVE BELIEVE.
“14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have ETERNAL LIFE. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVETH IN HIM should not perish, but have EVERLASTING LIFE. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might BE SAVED. 18 He that BELIEVETH ON HIM is not condemned: but he that BELIEVETH NOT is condemned ALREADY, BECAUSE he hath NOT BELIEVED in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:14-18 KJV)
SEALED WITH ETERNAL LIFE BY BELIEF
“13 In whom ye also trusted, AFTER THAT YE HEARD the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the EARNEST (don: Greek means down payment guarantee) of our inheritance (Don: eternal life) until the redemption of the purchased possession (Don: our bodily resurrection to come) , unto the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 KJV, bracket comments added by me.)