Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"?
Hebrews 1:1-5
Our group has been studying Hebrews lately, and I had the thought of sharing what I am learning in the hopes of keeping it around in the old grey matter a bit longer. We are further into the book, so the necessary review should help retention. At the present time, I am recovering from a long and nasty cold, so if the following seems disjointed, please accept my apologies. I have allowed myself to grow rusty and so must get the machine started up once again.
As I read chapter one, the opening verses really inspire awe. That the Almighty Creator of all things would speak to us at all is somewhat shocking, if you really stop to think about it. He made us in His image, which is itself astonishing, and then, quite despite the fact that His masterwork veritably spit in His face, He continued to speak to us. Before the Fall, He actually walked with the first man and woman, speaking to them Person to person. Afterwards and because of the stain of sin that now besmirched His perfect image, He spoke through intermediaries--the prophets. Then, in the ultimate act of compassion and sacrifice, He sent His own Son in a final, desperate act to reach the hearts and minds of His rebellious creation. Jesus came and lived among us, walked the earth alongside of us, lived a life fully experiencing and yet fully resisting temptation, and then gave His life in our stead, paying the penalty of our sin in full. Gloriously, the story does not end there, for He rose again in a victory over death that changed everything for those who put their trust in Him.
But I get ahead of myself. For now, is it not enough that He would even come and speak to us at all? That the Son of the Living God would, Himself, walk on the surface of His creation among His created and teach, love, heal, and instruct? The wonder of it all really gives me pause.
Then there is this beautiful description of my Lord and Savior: "...the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature..." This brings to mind so many other passage about Jesus being the Light of the world or references to God being light: John 1:4-5, and verse 9; John 8:12 and 9:5; 1 John 1:5, just to name a few. There is something awe-inspiring about this description, about this radiance, this light, this glorious Savior. Not only a man, but a God-man.
Think about what it means to be the exact imprint of His nature. Sinless. Spotless. Holy. Pure. Undefiled. Perfect love, perfect wisdom... the very epitome of perfection. Though He was mysteriously and unfathomably fully God (one of those seeming paradoxes which are in actuality created by our finite cognitive ability and not by reality), He lived as a Man. Not just a man, but Man as man was meant to be; an unspoiled companion of the living God, sharing in an intimate and joyful Creator/creation love relationship like no other. For in other parts of the Scriptures, we see that Adam was the first man, the one through whom sin and death entered the world. In Jesus, we find the "second Adam" through whom comes new life (see 1 Corinthians 15:21-50). You could think of it as Jesus redoing what Adam was supposed to have done at the beginning: living in perfect obedience to God the Father. Only thing is that Jesus had to do it in a world ruined by sin, and thus His obedience was infinitely more painful than the first Adam's would have been. However, it lends a depth to the obedience that Adam never could have mustered. I revere Jesus for His obedience. Had Adam obeyed, He would not have inspired the same response.
As I read the last few verses, I recall that when I studied this passage I did not at first understand the bit about angels, but our study guide soon shed light on that. It was a Hebrew tradition that the Law was given by angels (which is referenced multiple times in the Bible--a fact I had always overlooked). The author of Hebrews, then, is banishing any idea that Jesus might have been just another angel or even on the same level as them. Perhaps I just took that for granted, but there it is, spelled out for anyone who may have doubted it. The remaining verses of chapter 1 continue that theme, which I may or may not get into at a later date.
For now, for today, it was good for me to go back to the beginning of the study, to review chapter one of Hebrews. I needed to remember that God gave such a breathtaking gift, to step down into His creation personally and speak His Word. I needed to be reminded how beautiful is my Lord Christ, how resplendent and how brimful of power and perfection. I needed to recall that He has done the work and now sits at the right hand of God--the place of favor and of honor, the seat of completion. For there are many troubles that plague my mind, many concerns and sorrows that assail me. It is good to remember that these things are largely not my business at all. They are His, and He is the one Who can affect, alter, sustain, or end them.
And He is good, so I have nothing to fear.
As I read chapter one, the opening verses really inspire awe. That the Almighty Creator of all things would speak to us at all is somewhat shocking, if you really stop to think about it. He made us in His image, which is itself astonishing, and then, quite despite the fact that His masterwork veritably spit in His face, He continued to speak to us. Before the Fall, He actually walked with the first man and woman, speaking to them Person to person. Afterwards and because of the stain of sin that now besmirched His perfect image, He spoke through intermediaries--the prophets. Then, in the ultimate act of compassion and sacrifice, He sent His own Son in a final, desperate act to reach the hearts and minds of His rebellious creation. Jesus came and lived among us, walked the earth alongside of us, lived a life fully experiencing and yet fully resisting temptation, and then gave His life in our stead, paying the penalty of our sin in full. Gloriously, the story does not end there, for He rose again in a victory over death that changed everything for those who put their trust in Him.
But I get ahead of myself. For now, is it not enough that He would even come and speak to us at all? That the Son of the Living God would, Himself, walk on the surface of His creation among His created and teach, love, heal, and instruct? The wonder of it all really gives me pause.
Then there is this beautiful description of my Lord and Savior: "...the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature..." This brings to mind so many other passage about Jesus being the Light of the world or references to God being light: John 1:4-5, and verse 9; John 8:12 and 9:5; 1 John 1:5, just to name a few. There is something awe-inspiring about this description, about this radiance, this light, this glorious Savior. Not only a man, but a God-man.
Think about what it means to be the exact imprint of His nature. Sinless. Spotless. Holy. Pure. Undefiled. Perfect love, perfect wisdom... the very epitome of perfection. Though He was mysteriously and unfathomably fully God (one of those seeming paradoxes which are in actuality created by our finite cognitive ability and not by reality), He lived as a Man. Not just a man, but Man as man was meant to be; an unspoiled companion of the living God, sharing in an intimate and joyful Creator/creation love relationship like no other. For in other parts of the Scriptures, we see that Adam was the first man, the one through whom sin and death entered the world. In Jesus, we find the "second Adam" through whom comes new life (see 1 Corinthians 15:21-50). You could think of it as Jesus redoing what Adam was supposed to have done at the beginning: living in perfect obedience to God the Father. Only thing is that Jesus had to do it in a world ruined by sin, and thus His obedience was infinitely more painful than the first Adam's would have been. However, it lends a depth to the obedience that Adam never could have mustered. I revere Jesus for His obedience. Had Adam obeyed, He would not have inspired the same response.
As I read the last few verses, I recall that when I studied this passage I did not at first understand the bit about angels, but our study guide soon shed light on that. It was a Hebrew tradition that the Law was given by angels (which is referenced multiple times in the Bible--a fact I had always overlooked). The author of Hebrews, then, is banishing any idea that Jesus might have been just another angel or even on the same level as them. Perhaps I just took that for granted, but there it is, spelled out for anyone who may have doubted it. The remaining verses of chapter 1 continue that theme, which I may or may not get into at a later date.
For now, for today, it was good for me to go back to the beginning of the study, to review chapter one of Hebrews. I needed to remember that God gave such a breathtaking gift, to step down into His creation personally and speak His Word. I needed to be reminded how beautiful is my Lord Christ, how resplendent and how brimful of power and perfection. I needed to recall that He has done the work and now sits at the right hand of God--the place of favor and of honor, the seat of completion. For there are many troubles that plague my mind, many concerns and sorrows that assail me. It is good to remember that these things are largely not my business at all. They are His, and He is the one Who can affect, alter, sustain, or end them.
And He is good, so I have nothing to fear.
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