God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
Hebrews 1:1-4
As we begin our study of Hebrews, we need to understand that the central focus of this great letter is the Person of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Old Testament, we see God speaking to people in various ways. For example, He spoke directly to Moses through a burning bush. His presence resided in the Most Holy Place of the Temple. Samuel heard God audibly call out to him. God dealt with Jonah in the belly of a great fish. And of course, He spoke to His people through various prophets. But as the opening declaration of Hebrews reminds us, in these last days, God has spoken to us through His Son, Jesus. There are no less than four things that today’s passage teaches us about Christ. Consider the following descriptions of Jesus:
- God appointed Jesus heir of all things, through whom also He made the world
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:15-17
Jesus is heir of all things. It was through Jesus that God made the world. All things were created by Him, through Him, and for Him. With this in mind, it would be a tragedy for us to move throughout this life and never know our Creator. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In other words, when we look at Jesus, we are seeing God. There should be no confusion as to the identity of God since He has revealed Himself to us through the Person of Jesus.
- Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of God’s nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
John 1:1-3
Jesus is the exact representation of God’s nature. When we see how Jesus handled people, we have a template for how we are to treat others as well. Interestingly enough, the down and out, the sinners, and the needy, He healed, showed compassion, and delivered. But for the religious, He reserved His harshest remarks. John reminds us, “In the beginning was the Word.” This Word (logos) is Jesus. “The Word was with God and the Word was God.” Jesus existed with God in the beginning as a separate Person of the Trinity yet He is God as well. As mysterious as this is, acknowledging the Deity of Jesus is essential in understanding the Christian faith.
- When Jesus had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high
For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Colossians 1:19-20
Why do we celebrate Jesus? It is because He came to accomplish what we could not do on our own. That is, He came to make a way for sinners to be reconciled with God. This can never be accomplished through the Law. No matter how determined we are in keeping the Law and living a moral life, we will ultimately fail. We will not live a perfect existence on this earth because we still reside in the flesh. The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is sufficient to redeem any life that comes to Him, admitting that they are a sinner and in need a Savior, and then calling on God to save them (Romans 10:13). This is the essence of the new covenant. God reconciled all things to Himself through Jesus. That is a significant statement. Yes, this reconciliation must be received, but the work of saving us has already been done (Romans 5:18). There is now peace between sinful mankind and a Holy God through the blood of His (Jesus’) cross.
- Having become as much better than the angels, Jesus has inherited a more excellent name than they
For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
Finally, Jesus has been given the name that is above all names. All other religious figures pale in comparison to Jesus and no other religious motion or works-based philosophy can save. Only faith in Jesus can save the human soul. There will be a day when every knee will bow before Jesus and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. For believers, this will be a joyous day.
Keep these descriptions of Jesus in mind as we move through this amazing letter. May we all find ourselves moving into a deeper and more intimate relationship with our Savior and Lord!
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