Jesus is the express image of God’s person, the Son of God, without equal, and worthy of worship. And He is the focus of the first six verses in Hebrews.
You can play, download, or read the transcript of this Take Note Podcast below.
The Right Hand
Hebrews 1:1-6
- The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus at the beginning of the book
- Explaining where Jesus fits in the heavenly order
- Making it clear that He is God’s son, unlike and above the angels
- While God spoke to Israel in the past by His prophets
- He has spoken today by His son
- Who will have the worship of all – in heaven and on earth
- This perfect Son of God
- Who takes away man’s sin
- Is the focus of the opening six verses in Hebrews
- And the focus of every man who has come to know Him by faith
- He is, even now, sat down at “The Right Hand” of God
- Which is our theme, from Hebrews 1:1-6
- Hebrews can be a complex book for casual reading
- But in it, the diligent student will find critical connections between Old and New Testament principles
- And tools for making distinctions between Old and New Testament ideas
- These verses of introduction get that ball rolling
- Emphasizing Jesus’ key position at the center of our New Testament thinking
- Here is what they have to say…
Hebrews 1:1-6
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
- For anyone who questions the identity of Jesus
- This passage has a few important declarations
- He is the “express image” of God’s person
- And He upholds the universe by the word of His power
- He is the Son of God
- Even the angels of heaven worship Him
- Let’s see what else the text declares…
Hebrews 1:1-2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
- For the Hebrew reader, there’s a pretty radical idea at the beginning of this book
- While God spoke to His people at many times and in many ways through the prophets
- He has spoken differently today
- Beyond simple words, communicated by men, about God
- We have the express image of His person to be both heard and known
- Peter, James, and John stood with Him on the mount of transfiguration and heard…
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”
- They did hear
- And they knew Him
- As I John 1 reminds…
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;”
“That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
- This Son, defined further in this passage, is described as the “heir of all things”
- That is, the whole of creation, all things visible and invisible, were made by Him and for Him
- He is the Word made flesh to dwell among us
- To be our Savior
- But how has He revealed God beyond the revelation of prophets?
- The next verse begins to tell us…
Hebrews 1:3
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
- To say He was the brightness of God’s glory is to say He shines as a bright light
- The effulgence or out-beaming or splendour of his Father’s glory
- These are God’s divine perfections bursting through His incarnate Son
- Jesus called Himself, the Light of the World
- And He is
- But He is also the express image of His person
- The exact imprint of God’s nature
- Not reflecting Him in part, which we (His disciples), may hope to achieve
- But the embodiment of His true character, without deviation
- He upholds the universe by the word of His power
- The One who sustains, feeds, preserves, and governs everything
- Not merely holding it in His hands
- But providing the energy and direction for its sustained movement
- He personally, by the work of His death in our place, purged our sins
- The only One capable of doing it
- A sacrifice, not to cover, but to wash away those sins
- He has now assumed a position of dignity and authority on high
- Which is His rightful position
- Also…
Hebrews 1:4
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
- The word “better” does not refer to moral character, but to exaltation of rank
- He is the Son of God
- With access to all the rights and privileges of inheritance
- Of His excellent name, one commentator said…
“this was his peculiar, hereditary lot, due to him by natural right, as the heir and first-born of God, justly acquired by him, and actually possessed of him, not as a mere title, but a name descriptive of his person, distinguishing him from, and setting him above, all others”
- We see this is the case as we go on…
Hebrews 1:5
5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
- At Jesus’ baptism, a voice from heaven said…
“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- No man and no angel shares this distinction
- He is unique and apart from creation
- That is why He is worshipped…
Hebrews 1:6
6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
- Other passages in the New Testament, including Philippians 2, make this clear…
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- He is above all
- And deserving of worship