Hebrews Big Picture - Hebrews 1. Head to https://t.co/Yrg5F0EFv5 for the reading guide and to catch up on previous posts from the Bible in One Year series.
Happy Studying! #BibleinOneYear#Biblestudy
The sermon called “Hebrews” is a masterclass on who Christ is. The opening chapter, which we read today in Bible in One Year, wastes no time in declaring that Jesus is both God and Lord.
The Son of God is the heir of all things, the one through whom the Father created the world (Heb. 1:2). He is thus the Word and Wisdom of God, whom the Old Testament identifies as the agent of creation (Prov. 8:22–31).
He is the radiance (ἀπαύγασμα) of the glory of God and the exact imprint (χαρακτήρ) of his nature (Heb. 1:3). The author of Hebrews echoes the language of Jewish wisdom literature, such as Wisdom of Solomon 7:26: “For Wisdom is a reflection (ἀπαύγασμα) of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image (εἰκών) of his goodness.”
He is the one who made purification for sins and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3). He is superior to angels, for in Psalm 2 God calls him his Son, whom he has begotten (Ps. 2:7). God is his Father and he is his Son, as promised in 2 Samuel 7 (2 Sam. 7:14). He is the one whom all the angels of God worship (Deut. 32:43 in the Septuagint).
The preacher then turns to the Psalms to teach the full divinity of Jesus. In Psalm 45, the Son is addressed as God: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” (vv. 6–7). In Psalm 102, he is addressed as Lord: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands” (vv. 25–27).
This is only the beginning of this extraordinary sermon that we will read over the next few days. No warmup. No easing in. The preacher steps into the pulpit and sounds the Christ-trumpet at full blast. Jesus is God, Lord, creator, king, and redeemer, who even now sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high, all for us.