Posted in Bible Study, Hebrews

Hebrews Session 3 – 1:1-4

Hebrews  1:1-4
Christ is Superior

You might be thinking at this point, “We’re taking a long time getting past the first 4 verses!”   That is true, so it might be helpful to confirm some good news – these four verses are power-packed and require careful, extensive consideration. They are truly the cornerstone on which the whole book is based.  Just think, these verses express the full depth of Christ’s nature, both divine and human –  and they also completely establish the message and content that is going to be covered in the book.  There is actually no way we can fully cover this content in these brief studies, but this is a great way to get started, so be sure to give due time to God and His Word as you work through Hebrews!  Now would be a good time for you to commit these four verses to memory so they stay focused in your thinking as we proceed in our study.

Peter had it right when preaching Christ in Acts 4:12 – There is “no other name“, no other person stands as His equal, none can claim to have accomplished what He did, no one can offer mankind the gift of eternal life as He has done!  Only Jesus can rescue us from our sin and raise us up to Redemption and Glory.  The world surrounds us with false messages of satisfaction, places of shallow refuge, promises of a secure future.  Yet without Christ, we have no hope – we are wandering in darkness (Eph 2:1-10), succumbing to the hazards and failures of sin, constantly reminded that we have no hope of deliverance.

Jesus is the complete answer!  He is the Son of God, the Secon d Person of the one True God, and He has demonstrated the faithful compassion and provision of God in bringing redemption to completion.  The writer of Hebrews begins His masterpiece with an extended declarative sentence (these four verses are one complete sentence) extolling the multiple proofs and confidences we have in God’s provision through His Son.  There is genuine excitement in knowing the many facets of Jesus Christ’s character and credentials.

We may not be facing persecution by Nero’s soldiers and skeptical Judaizers, but we are harassed daily by a world convinced that it must destroy our faith.  We must remain faithful to our faith, and standing alongside our marvelous Savior makes that a more realistic challenge.  This world is a noisy place. We know we are here as a part of God’s plan, but we do feel the pull of a fallen world.  Godless messages abound, constant temptation to question and disregard parts of God’s revealed truth.  We know we are safe in the Savior though, and we seek to grow in Him and show Him to the needy world around us.

A Complete Revelation

These introductory verses tell us what we know –we know that God has incrementally revealed His truth in the past in various ways; now we also know that He has provided a completed revelation in His Son Jesus Christ.   Heb 1:1-4 introduces us to the Lord Jesus Christ!  Who is He?  Why is He qualified?  Why should we listen?

We know God has revealed His truth progressively in the Past (in the Old Testament) in various ways – dreams & visions, prophets.  Now God has inspired the writer of the book of Hebrews to present Jesus Christ as the final and greatest revelation that God has given mankind. God’s revelation in His Son is superior to all other revelations that He has given in at least two ways:

  • First, it supersedes all other revelation from God:  through creation itself, through angels, the Mosaic Law, through the prophets, and through the rituals of the Old Covenant. When Jesus Christ came to reveal God to man, He brought revelation that fulfilled and superseded what had preceded Him – all that was before was “about” God, but Christ’s revelation was of God Himself.
  • Second, God’s revelation in His Son completes His revelation of Himself to man.  God spoke directly through His Son, so there was no need for other sources of revelation. As the writer elaborates later in the book, Christ established a New Covenant (Heb. 8; Isa. 59:21; Jer. 31:31) so there was no longer need for any other mediator with God (a priest) . And God exalted His Son to His right hand, so man’s need to search for a righteous ruler no longer exists.

We know God has revealed His truth in the Past in various ways, but now (with the Coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ) He has revealed complete and final truth in His Son.  Jesus provided complete purification for sin by His death on the Cross.  The OT Day of Atonement and the High Priest sprinkling the blood on the Mercy seat in the Holy of Holies is the precursor to the finished work of Christ on the Cross (Tit. 2:14; 2 Cor. 5:21).  With Redemption and Revelation completed, Christ “sat down” at God’s right hand, in the True Tabernacle in heaven, ministering as our Advocate (Rom. 8:34; 1 Jn. 2:1-2).   The theme of Hebrews is “Christ is Better”, a major statement that carries the book’s theme & argument forward.

take notesBible Study Journal

  • Take some time now to answer these three questions using thoughts from 1:1-4 — Who is Jesus Christ?  Why is He qualified?  Why should we listen?  (Be sure to write your thoughts in your Bible Study Journal!) 
      • Read for more insight:  Eph. 4:10; Phil. 2:9; Lu. 22:6
      • Compare Heb. 2:17; 5:9-10; 10:36; 12:11 – How does Jesus Christ alone bring to mankind the full revelation of God, even enabling us to enter in the very presence of God?
      • Christ alone brings to mankind the full revelation of God. Since the earliest interaction with Abraham, God has had a deep passion for His name – Exo. 3:15
      • Jesus Christ is completely God and completely man – Read Phil. 2:5-11 and think through the “hypostatic union” (Christ took on the form of a man), an important theological term describing Christ’s God-Man nature.  Related verses:
        • Col 2:9, in Him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily
        • Phil 2:5-9, the mind of Christ: fully God but chose to be a servant, obedient to death on the Cross
        • John 5-7, extended passages on Jesus’ relationship with His Father

Digging Deep in God’s Word

These Stay in the Word Bible Studies are dedicated to encouraging you to “dig deep” in the Bible.  As growing Christians, we should always be working on getting better at studying God’s Word.  Here’s a Bible Study Formula for you to use in order to be a “Psalm 1 Christian” growing deep roots in God’s Word:  (3T*3M)+J=R

3T:   Three Types of time we should be in the habit of spending in God’s Word:

    • Devotional Time –  “Quiet Time”, meditation, prayer
    • Read Through – front to back, maybe chronological, no rush – when you’re done, start over!
    • Bible Study –  pen (or computer) in hand, noting what you learn about a passage

3M:  Three Methods for effective Bible study – we will occasionally spend time thinking through each of these.

    • Observation – noting the plain facts of what is written
    • Interpretation –  what God and the human author intended us to understand from what is written
    • Application – take what we see and begin to understand how it needs to impact our life

J:   One essential tool – always keep your Bible Study Journal handy (written or computer).

R:  Deep Roots in God’s Word!

Getting Started

Following are some thoughts to get you started in the study of Heb. 1:1-4.  Use the “roots formula” and note in your Bible Study Journal the key features you see about this passage.  Perhaps use biblegateway.com or similar sites to read the passage in a couple of other translations.  What to look for: punctuation, sentence, paragraph; Is it written in 1st, 2nd or 3rd person?  Look for words that are strategic, unusual, or doctrinal.  Is there logic or enumeration (first this then this…); Note major points, transitional words, etc.

Heb. 1:1-4 is one long sentence
Written in very “high” Greek, this paragraph is an excellent summary statement by the writer of what he is going to deliver in the rest of the document.  In one phrase, the theme of Hebrews could be stated as  “Christ is Superior” – supreme, more excellent, greater, higher, better.

    • Look at how these other Hebrews passages carry that theme – 6:9; 7:7, 19, 22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34;11:16, 35, 40; 12:24
    • The Person of Jesus Christ – Who He is, What He has accomplished – these facts set Christianity apart from all of the world’s religions!

Heb 1:1 – A Preliminary Revelation
From the earliest times of God developing a relationship with man, He has been revealing truth about Himself.  Different methods of revelation to many different people, starting with Adam, Abraham and Moses, and continuing on through the prophets  to Christ Himself, and then the Apostles.

Heb 1:2 – A Final Revelation
In these last days, a “code phrase” in the Bible that relates to the plans God has revealed for the conclusion of time as we know it before entering our future in eternity.  The revelation we have of God and His plans in Christ prepare us for those last days.

Heb 1:2-4 – A Complete Revelation
Christ is described in seven ways as the complete and perfect revelation of God.

take notesBible Study Journal

      1. How is God’s name important? Exodus 3:13-14
      2. In Heb. 1:2, what does “in these last days” refer to?
      3. Where else in Hebrews and the Bible is it stated where Jesus is now seated (1:3)?  What is the significance of that position?
      1. What do you see being the main point of Hebrews 1:1-4?
      1. How is the deity of Christ evident according to 1:6? (Cp. Exo. 34:14 and Deut. 32:43)
      1. Why does the author start the book by comparing Jesus to angels?
      1. According to 1:7-9, what is the difference between the angels and Jesus Christ?

Digging Deeper Extended Study…

These introductory verses of Hebrews are one of the most important and substantive summaries of Who Christ is, and they merit close study by the serious Christian.  Take each of the descriptive phrases describing the marvelous person and character of Jesus Christ and look up the additional verses for thought and meditation.  Hopefully you have a good study Bible that provides insights to look into further.  Make notes in your Journal about how the verses demonstrate the richness of Who Christ is.  Know these verses well.  Christ is all in all – and these verses provide essential context for all that follows in the book.

  1. Heir of all things
    1. Inheritance – Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 2:5-9
    2. Joint-heirs: that’s us! We will “reign with Christ” through eternity – Rom 4:13 (Heb 11:7); 8:16-17; Gal 3:29; 4:7
  2. Creator
    1. Jn. 1:3; Col 1:16 – In the beginning was the Word
    2. God’s Creation Agent – Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead, spoke the worlds into existence
    3. Psa 33;  Rom 11:36 
  3. Radiance of God’s Glory
    1. The Glory of God – First encountered in Exodus
      1. Exo 3 – the Burning Bush
      2. Then look at these examples – Exo 16, 19, 24, 33;
    2. Deut 5 – hide your face Moses!
    3. Jesus is Unfiltered Glory, the actual, direct source
      1. Compare this to a Lighthouse light
    4. John 1:14;17:1-2
    5. Think about John’s response in Rev. 1 – Holy, Holy, Holy!
  4. Exact Representation of God’s Nature
    1. A unique Greek word, “character” – A perfect image of the original
    2. Jesus and God are One essence, the same person – 2 Cor 4:4
    3. Jn 14:9 – have I been so long with you…
    4. Col 2:9 – He is completely God
    5. Eph 3:19 – that His fullness dwells in us!
  5. Upholds Creation
    1.  Col 1:17 – What God starts, He sustains
    2. Not just bearing a load – He provides cohesion, actually sustains, carries all the processes of creation forward
    3. He is moving our lives and our world, our universe to a complete consummation according to God’s sovereign purpose
    4. He holds us in the small of His hand – no one can separate us…
  6. Purification for sin
    1. Removal, cleansing, not just a cover – A complete remedy for sin, not just a band-aid
    2. 2 Pet. 1:9;  Titus 2:11-14; 2 Cor 5:21
    3. 10:10, 14 – Day of Atonement – consider terms like Atonement, Propitiation which are covered later in the book
  7. He Sat Down
    1. The Savior’s work to provide a way of salvation is completed
    2. Eph 4:10; Phil. 2:9; Luke 22:69
    3. Christ is currently seated at God’s right hand – Today He functions as our Advocate – Rom 8:34; 1 Jn 2:1-2