Christology Part One: Hebrews 1-2

The first of the four major Christological passages that we will examine is found in the book of Hebrews chapters 1-2. Though the human writer of this letter is unknown to us, we can be assured that the Holy Spirit through means of divine inspiration has given the readers of this epistle much to contemplate about Christ. The over-arching theme of the letter is that the Messiah has come to His people and has perfectly fulfilled His roles and responsibilities. Thus He is fully worthy of our devotion.

In the first two chapters, which are the concern and content of this study, we notice four major points as it relates to God’s communication to us concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

1. God first spoke through the prophets (1:1).

The opening verse explains when God did this, how God did this, and to whom God did this. The when is “at various times.” That may seem vague to some readers, so allow me to fill in some blanks. Moses, Isaiah, Daniel, and Haggai are just some of the men that God spoke through over a period of about 1,300 years. That is certainly various times.

The how is “in various ways.” God used both different methods and different messages to speak to His people. Some of the methods God used to speak to His prophets were visions and even pre-incarnate appearances (Theophanies or Christophanies). Some of the messages God gave concerned the coming Messiah’s birth (Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2), life and teaching (Deuteronomy 18:18), death (Daniel 9:26), resurrection (Psalm 16:10), and eternal reign (Isaiah 25:6-9).

The to whom is “the fathers.” This could refer to one of two kinds of “fathers,” or possibly to both. It could be referencing specific patriarchs of the faith, or it could just be used generally to speak of various kinds of spiritual ancestry.

2. God later spoke through His Son (1:2-3).

It is here that the author lists seven activities of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, there are at least seven different ways by which God “spoke through his son.” The text for the most part is self-explanatory, and so not much comment will be given except what seems profitable.

The first thing is that God appointed Christ to be the “heir of all things” (1:2). Because of His involvement and activity in the creation of all things, all things rightfully belong to Jesus. Therefore He is in line to inherit all things at the end, just as He owned them at the beginning. Furthermore, we as His people are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).

The second is that through Christ the worlds were made (1:2). The plurality of “worlds” indicates the universe in its entirety and all things existing therein. Other passages dealing with Christ’s participation in creation include John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:15-17, both of which will be dealt with at some length in the weeks to come.

Thirdly, the Son is “brightness of His glory” (1:3). All of the glory possessed by the Father is revealed most perfectly through the Son. “For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Fourth, the Messiah is “the express image of His person” (1:3). The Greek word used here to describe this phrase is the basis for the transliteration of the English word character. All of the characteristics of God the Father are possessed by the Son, and revealed perfectly through Him.

Fifth, Christ is “upholding all things by the word of His power” (1:3). He is the living word (John 1:1) and thus His spoken words are authoritative. “All things” is in reference to the works of His creation. That which He spoke into existence He also allows to continue if He permits.

Sixth, He “purged our sins” (1:3). Elsewhere in Hebrews we read that the bloody death that Christ experienced was necessary for our salvation because “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (10:4). Thankfully for us, “the blood of Jesus Christ…cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Seventh, after Christ had accomplish all that was necessary to fulfill the earthly work given to Him by the Father, He “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (1:3). Part of His work in that position is that He “makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:34). He will remain in that position until sent by the Father to meet His bride in the air (John 14:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:17). One exception to this is that, right before his death, Stephen saw “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56, emphasis added).

3. The Son of God is better than the angels (1:4-14).

In order to make his point on this matter, the author chooses seven Old Testament arguments to show that the Messiah is superior to angelic beings. When Jesus had accomplished the tasks mentioned in 1:2-3, He was proclaimed to be “so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they” (1:4). The seven sub-points here are bookended by two rhetorical questions: “For to which of the angels did He [the Father] ever say…?” (1:5; the obvious answer is “none”, for God speaks differently to Christ than He does to the angels), and “Are they [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those [the elect] who will inherit salvation?” (1:14).

First, Jesus is called “Son” by God the Father (1:5), as referenced by Psalm 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14. No angel holds this distinction. The possession of deity by the Son makes Him superior.

Second, the angels are commanded by the Father to worship the Son (1:6), as referenced by Psalm 97:7. Throughout Scripture, worship to angels is strictly forbidden (Revelation 22:8-9 is one example). In fact, angels in Heaven willingly give worship to Christ (Revelation 5:11-12; 7:11-12). By giving worship to Him, they acknowledge His superiority.

Third, angels minister to Christ (1:7), prophesied in Psalm 104:4. One example from Christ’s earthly ministry supports this claim. Matthew 4:11 says that after Satan finished tempting Christ in the wilderness that “the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

Fourth, Jesus is called “God” by the Father (1:8). The quote used here is from Psalm 45:6-7, which is also the basis for the point that follows.

Fifth, Christ has a kingdom that bears at least three characteristics. One, it will be eternal (“forever and ever”, v.8). Two, it will be righteous (symbolized by His “scepter of righteousness” and the fact that He has “hated lawlessness” vv. 8-9). Three, Christ is King because He was anointed by the Father “with the oil of gladness” (v. 9).

Sixth, the Lord Jesus will outlast Heaven and Earth (1:10-12), as indicated in Psalm 102:25-27. Just as He existed eternally before creation, so Christ will exist eternally after it passes away. The physical elements of this world are temporary to make way for a new dwelling place of righteousness ruled by the Lord (2 Peter 3:10-13).

Seventh, in light of Christ’s authority over all created things, the time will come when all of His enemies will be His footstool (1:13; see Psalm 110:1). Because only Christ qualifies for each of these seven points, He is quite obviously higher than the angels. This brings us to our final point.

4. The Son of God was made lower than the angels in order to bring salvation to mankind (2:1-18).

Whereas chapter one of Hebrews deals primarily with the deity of Christ, chapter two gives much more attention to His humanity. The one who is higher than the angels (as God) was made lower than the angels (as a man) for the eternal benefit of the elect. There are at least seven ways that the earthly work of Christ is applicable for His followers.

First, we must not neglect the salvation that Christ provides for us (2:1-4). This is essentially a warning against backsliding, advising that “we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away” (v. 1). And since our efforts determine our rewards or punishments, the writer asks, “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?” (v. 3).

Second, we will inherit the earth with Christ (2:5-8). The Lord “has not put the world to come…in subjection to angels” (v. 5). Again quoting from Psalms, the writer reveals that even though man is “a little lower than the angels” (v. 7), all things will be in subjection to the joint heirs of Christ (Romans 8:17).

Third, we benefit from the death of Christ (2:9-10). It was mentioned earlier that the shedding of Christ’s blood was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins. This section explains that Jesus “was made a little lower than the angels…that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (v. 9). So the purpose of the incarnation was so that Christ would be able to die, and in doing so, He would accomplish the task of “bringing many sons to glory” (v. 10).

Fourth, we are called brothers of Christ (vv. 11-13). These verses again have their basis in the Old Testament (Psalm 22:22; 2 Samuel 22:3; Isaiah 8:17-18). Our advantage is that “He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren” (2:11).

Fifth, we are released from bondage (2:14-15). Christ did this for us by putting on “flesh and blood…that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (v. 14). One other New Testament verse—1 John 3:8—shows that our freedom in Christ on the basis of His death meant destruction for the enemy. It reads, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

Sixth, we are atoned for because of Christ’s death (2:16-17). The Lord Jesus helps the spiritual “seed of Abraham” (v. 16) because of what He accomplished on the cross. “He had to be made like His brethren…to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (v. 17). That propitiation allows us to have peace with God.

Seventh, we are helped in our temptations (2:18). Again, as with the others, we are only privileged in this regard because of the incarnation of the second person of the trinity. Christ endured through physical temptations and sufferings, and because He did, “He is able to aid those who are tempted” (v. 18).