Hebrews 1:1-14 The Heir of All
We have come to the book of Hebrews. Our author introduces us to the foundational truth of the gospel. Jesus is God’s Son and as such, holds authority over all things.
Jesus is higher than any created being because He was with God in the beginning and is author of that creation. Some of the language used describing Jesus as “having become”, “inherited”, and “begotten” could lead some to say that Jesus was created instead of Creator. That would be a TOTAL misunderstanding of the truth.
God’s use of these terms comes in respect to our timeline of events. Jesus was “begotten” as a man at the point in time when He was placed as an embryo in Mary’s womb. He existed before that but His being took on another aspect at that time.
For “having become” we once again have to look at our historical interactions with Jesus. He had just completed His greatest gift to us. He became our salvation. He assumed a new role in our lives; He became our High Priest, Master and Savior.
With regards to “inherited”, Jesus was given the title of Son by the Father. This was a distinction for our benefit. God even calls Him God in the Psalms. We see Psalm 45:6-7 quoted by our author for us. “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond Your companions” (verses 8-9). The first God mentioned here is Jesus. His throne is the one His God, Father God, has appointed for Him because of His work of salvation. His Father set Him in a new place of authority and a new relationship as Son because of His role as the “begotten.”
NONE of the angels, no matter how important, ever received or earned these titles. Jesus did NOT step from their ranks into His role. He was a part of their creation. “You, Lord, laid the foundations of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the works of Your hands” (verse 10). John says it best for me; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:1-3). Jesus wasn’t created, He is Creator.
That is the very foundation of salvation. If Jesus wasn’t God, His work on the cross would mean nothing. He would just have been another ‘good man’ killed for what he believed.
In truth, if Jesus wasn’t EXACTLY who and what He claimed to be then He would have to be a liar and a madman. People try to claim He was just a good teacher but not God. His teachings were “good” and perfect because He was God. He had inside knowledge that no one else had. He spoke with authority beyond His worldly abilities. And He did things that NO earthly person could ever have done. The One Supreme Being living a completely sinless life to be our perfect sacrifice.
The angels couldn’t do this because they have no lasting physical form. They may take on physical form in order to deliver messages or interact on our behalf but they were never born into this world to be a part of it. They remain separate.
Jesus took on physical form for a lifetime. And in that lifetime He lived a sinless life. Without His perfect sacrifice there could be no salvation. Death was only defeated because it took One it had no right to. One who knew no sin became sin for us. But that sin couldn’t stick to Him. He only wore if for a time. When He stepped out from under our sin He burst the gates of Hell wide open! I bet that was a sight to behold!
Lord Jesus, THANK YOU for being my Savior and my sacrifice. I did not earn the “Sonship” God has granted me. You earned it for me through Your rightful Sonship. I appreciate the angels that You have created and set to work in my life, but they are nothing in comparison to You! Without You I am nothing! You were NOT some madman wandering the streets of Jerusalem. You were, and are, the King of kings, Lord of lords; the great I AM. The ONLY begotten Son of God! Thank You for Your willingness to lay that all aside to become my Savior.
