What If God's Perfection Comes Through Suffering, Not Power?

In today’s Daily Bible Refresh, Dr. Brad Miller reads Hebrews 2:10–18 from The Message and unpacks a deeply hopeful, progressive vision of Jesus as our “salvation pioneer” who chooses solidarity with human suffering over distant, dominating power. He reflects on how Jesus shares our common origin and calls us family, how this demolishes walls we build between one another, and how freedom from the fear of death actually frees us to live with courage, compassion, and joy right now.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus as “Salvation Pioneer,” Not Superhero
2. Hebrews presents Jesus not as a distant ruler or cosmic CEO, but as a pioneer who goes first into the hard, human places of suffering, showing that God’s perfection is revealed through solidarity, not domination.
3. God Walks With Us Through Pain
4. Rather than fixing our pain from afar, God chooses to enter into every detail of human life—grief, fear, doubt, and struggle—demonstrating that true divine strength is presence, not control.
5. Common Origin Means Family, Not Performance
6. Because “the one who saves and those who are saved have a common origin,” Jesus treats us as family, not servants or problems to be managed. Belonging—not performance, appearance, or correct beliefs—is the basis of our relationship with God.
7. A Wider, More Inclusive Table
8. If Jesus calls us all family, then that shared origin dismantles every wall we build between people based on how they look, believe, or vote. The table of God’s love is “big enough for everybody—period.”
9. Freedom From Fear of Death = Freedom to Truly Live
10. The passage’s promise to free those who “cower through life, scared to death of death” is less about afterlife insurance and more about present courage: when fear of death, failure, or rejection loosens its grip, we are finally free to live with joy, compassion, and boldness.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. voiceofgoddaily.com

The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).

He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.

Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.

He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)

The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...

1. Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
2. Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
3. Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
4. A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
5. A prayer for your day.

A companion resource to the Voice of God Daily Podcast is the “ABC Bible Study Guide” available by clicking HERE.

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