"He [Christ] became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him" (Hebrews 5:9).

Salvation is for them that obey Him. Here is an aspect of the gospel which we do well to keep in mind. The gospel is not all invitation and appeal and promise. It is that, but it is more. It is a command (Acts 17:30), and a demand (Acts 3:19). It demands obedience, and obedience is the evidence of true faith. Obedience is faith in action. Obedience presumes that there is a knowledge of God's Word which faith believes. See Acts 6:7; Romans 16:26.

Another has said, "He obeys Christ, then, who, crediting God's testimony concerning His Son, submits to be saved by Him in the way of His appointing, and trusting to Him as the only Author of eternal salvation, acknowledges Him as his Lord and Master, and pays a conscientious regard to all things whatsoever He has commanded him" (John Brown). And to quote another, "There is something appropriate in the fact that the salvation which was procured by the obedience of the Redeemer should be made available to the obedience of the redeemed" (F.F. Bruce).

Note that there is salvation for "all" who thus obey. This little word "all" measures the wide scope of the glad tidings. There are no religious, racial, social, moral, cultural, political, intellectual, ethnological, or any other form of boundaries to the scope of the message. The only requirement is this, that we obey the gospel. The terrible alternative is envisaged by Peter in the form of a question, "What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:17).

—J.M. Flanigan