HEBREWS: THE INFINITE SUPREMACY AND SUFFICIENCY OF JESUS CHRIST

I. Christ's Infinite Superiority To The Old Testament Prophets

(Hebrews 1:1-3)

I. Introduction

A. We live in an era of great need for an encouraging word amid man's discouraging spiritual failure, so a word from God on the infinite supremacy and sufficiency of His Son Jesus Christ is both desirable and fitting.

B. The Epistle of Hebrews provides such a word, and we view Hebrews 1:1-3 on Christ's infinite superiority to the Old Testament prophets for our insight and edification (as follows):

II. Christ's Infinite Superiority To The Old Testament Prophets, Hebrews 1:1-3.

A. The author of Hebrews acknowledged that God "long ago" (palai, Arndt & Gingrich, A Grk.-Eng. Lex. of the N. T., 1967, p. 610) had "expressed himself" (laleo, Ibid., p. 464-465) "in many portions" (polumeros, Moulton & Milligan, The Vocab. of the Grk. N. T., 1972, p. 527) and "in many manners" (polutropos, Ibid.) to the Hebrew fathers by the Old Testament prophets, Heb. 1:1. We note some of these events (as follows):

1. In Numbers 12:6-8, God explained that He would express Himself to a prophet in a vision or a dream though He chose to communicate with Moses mouth to mouth clearly, not with riddles.

2. God also had some of the prophets write His revelation down in scrolls, Jeremiah 36:1-33, 22-23, 32.

3. At other times, the Holy Spirit would come upon the prophet and he would utter the Word of the Lord in dramatic fashion, cf. 2 Chronicles 20:13-19 [with Jahaziel the son of Zechariah who encouraged Judah to trust the Lord to do battle in her behalf against the invaders]; 2 Chronicles 24:20 [with Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest who predicted God's judgment on Judah for forsaking the Lord].

B. However, upstaging all such portions and ways of God's past Old Testament revelations, God had spoken (laleo again, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 464-465) in the Early Church era to believers in the "Son (huios, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 747; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 841-843) of God," a title implying equality with God the Father as deity, Hebrews 1:2a. (John 5:18; Luke 1:35; Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T., p. 201)

C. To emphasize the vast superiority of the Son of God to all of God's former Old Testament messengers, Hebrews 1:2b-3 briefly summarizes the infinitely surpassing Person and work of God the Son (as follows):

1. God the Father appointed God the Son to be the Heir of all things, Hebrews 1:2b.

2. The Father also created the universe (tous aionas, literally "the ages," the same expression with the same meaning in Hebrews 11:3 to imply the universe composed of the "ages, including time, space, and the material world," Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftns. to Hebrews 1:2 and 11:3) through the Son, Heb. 1:2c. [Note: Though Genesis 1 does not record the origin of the material world itself, but starts its account with that world already existing, Hebrews 11:3 teaches creation of the universe by God's Word out of nothing [Latin ex nihilo], so the material world itself also was brought into existence by Christ.]

3. God the Son currently exists (on, masculine present participle of eimi, "be, exist," Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; The Analyt. Grk. Lex. (Zon.), 1972, p. 443, 118), as He eternally exists (cf. Heb. 1:10-12), as the "reflection" (apaugasma, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 81) of the glory of the "exact representation" (charakter, Ibid., p. 884) of God's "actual being, essence" (hupostasis, Ibid., p. 854-855), Hebrews 1:3a.

4. God the Son also currently bears up (pheron, masculine present participle of phero, "bear, carry;" Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 424; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 862-863) all things by the "spoken word" (rhema, Ibid., U. B. S. Grk. N. T.; Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 742-743) of His power, Heb. 1:3b. God the Son was not only the Person of the Godhead that the Father used to create the universe (Heb. 1:2b), but He is also the One Who actually spoke the universe into existence in Genesis 1, with His initial utterances still forming the divinely authoritative and powerful basis for the continued existence of the universe!

5. When God the Son had for Himself made (poiesamenos, masculine aorist participle middle voice of poieo, "make, form;" Ibid., The Analyt. Grk. Lex., p. 333, 332) purification of man's sins, He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty (megalosune, Ibid., Arndt & Gingrich, p. 498) "on high" (hupselos, Ibid., p. 857), that is, in "heaven," Ibid., Hebrews 1:3c. This phrase refers to Christ's fulfillment of Psalm 110:1.

Lesson: Christ is infinitely superior to God's human Old Testament messengers, for unlike them, He is fully God, He has been appointed Heir of all things, by Him the universe was called into existence and retains its existence by His initially spoken words that it exist, He purged mankind's sins and He sits at the right Hand of God the Father.

Application: May we worship, trust and believe in God the Son over all of God's Old Testament messengers.