he message of the epistle to the Hebrews from beginning to end is this: The ministry of Jesus Christ is superior to anything offered in Judaism. Hebrews is an epistle of comparision. The word better appears thirteen times in the letter's thirteen chapters. Jesus is better than the angels, being a better priest who mediates a better covenant by a better sacrifice, having a better hope established on better promises of a better country obtained by a better resurrection.
In the first chapter of Hebrews, the author shows that the superiority of Christ's ministry is found in the manner in which His ministry was originally proclaimed. The opening verses state:
God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds (Heb. 1:1-2).
God gradually revealed Himself to His people throughout history, recorded for us in the Scriptures. Under the Old Covenant, He spoke by the prophets, under the New Covenant through the Son. The prophets spoke as God's instruments, but the Son speaks as God Himself.
The author of Hebrews proclaims the Godhood of the Son in many ways. In the first chapter alone, there are six characteristics of God applied to the Son:
First, the Son is declared to be the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is the one through whom God made the worlds (Heb. 1:2). That He was not a mere instrument in creation is made evident by what the Father says to the Son in verse ten: You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Ages before He was a carpenter in Nazareth, Jesus was building mountains and moons, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Andromeda Galaxy. Having made the worlds, He holds them up by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). Everything in all creation depends on Jesus for its very existence. This should bring comfort to those who recognize and thank Him for providing our every need; it should bring terror to those who ignore Him or rebel against Him, for their very breath is in His hands.
Second, the Son is the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person (Heb. 1:3). When the disciples looked upon Christ they saw the brightness of the God who dwells in unapproachable light. John wrote, We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14). Jesus is God's express image or exact character. All that can be seen of God can be seen exactly in Jesus, who declared about Himself, He who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9). The Son declared the will of the Father perfectly. In Christ, God is expressed to us. Colossians 1:15-17 contains these first two characteristics of God in Christ in reverse order.
Third, the Son is the Savior of men, who by Himself purged our sins (Heb. 1:3). The Son saved sinners by Himself; He alone was both priest and sacrifice, which is the predominant theme of Hebrews. The declaration that the Son Himself purged our sins is a declaration of His Deity, for God said, I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior, and I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:11,25). In two places in the New Testament where Jesus is directly called God Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1 He is declared to be our God and Savior.
Fourth, the Son is worthy of worship, for He says, `Let all the angels of God worship Him' (Heb. 1:6). The highest known beings in the created order were commanded to bow before their Creator as he was brought into the world. More than one hundred million angels are shown worshipping the Lamb in Revelation 5:12. But in Revelation 19:10, John is strictly warned not to worship the angel speaking to him, who was merely a fellow servant, but to Worship God.
Fifth, the Son is ruling as God. We read, But to the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has annointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions" (Heb. 1:8-9). This is in comparison with the angels, for God makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire (Heb. 1:7). The angels are messengers and ministers servants in heaven. But the Son is God and Ruler in heaven.
Sixth, the Son is eternal and unchanging. In the two verses quoted above, the angels are said to be made, but the Son is forever and ever. Also, in comparison with the earth and the heavens, the Father says to the Son: They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. But you are the same, and Your years will not fail (Heb. 1:11-12).
It is imperative that we recognize the Son for who He is: For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him (Heb. 2:2-3). The writer issues us a strong warning about the damnable error of neglecting His great salvation spoken by the Son.
God has announced the redemption of His people. He has clearly said, All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out (John 6:37). And the way to come to Christ is clear. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36). Those who scorn the grace of Christ are condemned in their sin. Those who trust in Christ, our Lord and God, obtain the sure hope of unending glory.
