Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him."—Heb. 5: 8, 9. As the obedience required in the proclamation that began at Jerusalem is an obedience to the Son and brings into reconciliation with God in Christ, it is the only way whereby the alien can approach God through Christ. An effort, hence, on the part of an alien to approach God in any other way, is an effort to approach Him independent of the mediation of Christ. The apostles, hence, were commissioned to bear that word to the nations in order to the one end. To the Roman brethren Paul wrote as follows: "By whom," that is, by Christ, "we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name."—Rom. 1: 5. Again, "Now to Him that is of power to establish you according to My gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith."—ib. 16: 25; 26. This obedience is an obedience to the conditions stated in the commission. In order to this obedience no revelation was needed except what is given in the words of Christ. Therefore, in order to the enjoying of eternal salvation no words are needed except what we have in the apostolic proclamation. Another revelation would necessarily ignore the mediatorship of Jesus.
