Hebrews · chapter 1 of 13
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Hebrews 1 declares that God, who spoke long ago through the prophets, has spoken in these last days by his Son, whom it describes as heir of all things, creator, radiance of God's glory and sustainer of the universe. The author then strings together Old Testament texts to prove that the Son is greater than the angels, who are only spirits sent to serve the heirs of salvation.
Hebrews is a sermon written to weary believers who were tempted to turn back. The author opens with no greeting and no rebuke, but with a solemn statement about who Jesus is. Everything that follows in the letter, its warnings and its encouragements, rests on this foundation: the Son is God's final and supreme word.
The chapter opens with one long sentence. God spoke to the fathers many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken by his Son. God appointed this Son heir of all things and made the universe through him. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact imprint of his nature, upholds all things by his powerful word and, after making purification for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
From verse 4 on the author compares the Son with the angels. Because he is a Son, he has inherited a name more excellent than theirs. To prove it he cites a chain of Scriptures: God never said to an angel that he was his Son (Psalm 2) or that he would be his Father (2 Samuel 7); he commands the angels to worship the Son when he brings him into the world; and of the angels he says only that they are winds and flames of fire.
To the Son, however, he speaks in the language of throne and kingdom: his throne lasts forever, his scepter is a scepter of justice, and he has been anointed with the oil of gladness (Psalm 45). He is also the Lord who laid the foundations of the earth and who remains when the heavens wear out like a garment (Psalm 102). And only to him did God say to sit at his right hand until his enemies become a footstool for his feet (Psalm 110). The chapter ends with a question: are not the angels all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are to inherit salvation?
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
God, who spoke in many ways through the prophets, has spoken in these last days by his Son, heir and creator of all things. Revelation reaches its height in a person, not only in a message.
The Son reflects God's glory, is the exact imprint of his nature and upholds the universe by his word; after purifying sins he sat down at God's right hand. His deity, his work and his exaltation appear in a single sentence.
God says of the Son that his throne is eternal and his kingdom just. The author applies to Jesus a text that calls the king God, one of the clearest statements of his deity in the New Testament.
Angels are spirits who serve and are sent out for the sake of those who will inherit salvation. Their place is service; the Son's place is reign, and believers are the heirs whom they serve.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Through his Son. — Hebrews 1:2
Answer: He upholds them by the word of his power. — Hebrews 1:3
Answer: At the right hand of the Majesty on high. — Hebrews 1:3
Answer: To worship him. — Hebrews 1:6
Answer: As winds and flames of fire, that is, servants. — Hebrews 1:7
Answer: To serve those who are to inherit salvation. — Hebrews 1:14
Hebrews 1 invites us to ask what place Jesus holds in our faith. It is easy to admire him as a wise teacher or a good example and stop short: the text presents him as creator, sustainer and king. A small group can talk about what changes in prayer and in daily work when we remember that he upholds all things.
It also reminds us that there is nothing more to wait for from God that has not already been said in his Son. Reading the Gospels with that conviction guards us against chasing novelty and leads us to listen closely to the one through whom God has spoken last.
Hebrews 1 places the Son above all creation, including the angels whom the readers honored as messengers of the law. But this eternal Son also became human, and chapter 2 shows why it was necessary for him to be made for a little while lower than the angels.
Yes. The author cites a text that calls the king God and applies it to the Son, and he also says the Son is the radiance of God's glory, the exact imprint of his nature and the creator of the worlds. At the same time he distinguishes the Son from the Father, who appoints him heir.
Jews believed the law had been given through angels, and the readers might be tempted to return to it. By showing that the Son is far greater than the angels, the author prepares the argument that his message is greater than that of the old covenant.
It is a picture of authority and finished work. Having purified sins by his sacrifice, Christ reigns with God; the author will return again and again to this image from Psalm 110.