Written ~ 11-11-2024
Read Hebrews Chapter One
Hebrews 1
In our introduction to the Book of Hebrews, it’s a notable fact that the author of Hebrews is quite illusive. The debate remains as to who wrote this incredible book. Some say Paul, or Luke, or possibly Barnabas, Silas, Philip, or even Priscilla. Personally, when I read through the Book of Hebrews, I don’t “hear” Paul. Plus, in every single one of Paul’s letters in his opening statement he always identifies himself and describes himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. So, I am inclined to say, it was not Paul who wrote Hebrews. But it definitely was someone close to Paul, some verbiage and words of encouragement and the way in which things are explained sound like they could have been from Paul, so I do believe this Book was written by someone who spent a lot of time with Paul. My guess… would be Luke… mainly because of the time he spent with Paul, how his details the accounts of Paul’s missionary journeys and how he documents the rest of the acts of the apostles… but truly, we do not know.
The purpose of the Book of Hebrews is to present Jesus to a wavering group of Jewish believers. Their faith was wavering because of an increase of persecution from their fellow Jews and from the Romans. Their faith was wavering because of the immaturity of their faith, they lacked the understanding of Biblical truths, which left them longing for the traditions and rituals and “comfort-zone” ideals they knew from their past. So, the goal of this author is to show Christ for who He is, in all His glory and to bring these Jewish believers back into a solid relationship with their Savior.
If you find yourself wavering in your faith, this letter to the Hebrews will speak to your heart as well and hopefully, if your heart and mind is open, you will find your faith strengthened as we study this Book together. If your faith is strong and firm in the foundational truths of the Bible, this Book will confirm who Christ is to you and strengthen the faith you already have.
So, let’s jump right in and reintroduce ourselves to our precious Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Hebrews 1:1-2…
1 “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe.”
First, let’s take a moment to look back at John 1:1-5…
1 In the beginning the Word (Jesus) already existed.
The Word (Jesus) was with God,
and the Word (Jesus) was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
3 God created everything through Him,
and nothing was created except through Him.
4 The Word (Jesus) gave life to everything that was created,
and His life brought Light to everyone.
5 The Light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness can never extinguish it.
Sometimes it’s important to remind ourselves where Jesus came from. He has always existed with the Father, the One and Only True God. Jesus is one of the Trinity, which is God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When Christ came down to earth with the sole purpose of dying for our sins, He did that fully as God and fully as man. He walked on this earth in the power and in the strength of Heaven, though He experienced the frailty of a human body. He went through physical suffering and persecution without falling into sin. Christ was deemed the perfect sacrifice; therefore, He laid His life down so we could know Salvation and freedom from sin and death by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. His sacrifice bridged the giant chasm between us (sinful man) and the Father in Heaven (the Holy and Perfect God). We can now, through Christ’s sacrifice, have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and with our Heavenly Father by believing and accepting what He did on the cross as a true act of love so no one, not one person would have to perish and forever be cast away from His presence.
In Hebrews 1:1 it says, “…God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets…” We would need to be very well versed in the Old Testament Scriptures to know all the ways God has spoken to His people and to the many prophets. But… to name a few:
- God spoke to Moses through a burning bush (Exodus 3:2)
- God spoke to Elijah in a still, small voice, a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12)
- God spoke to Isaiah through a vision in the temple (Isaiah 6:1-13)
- God spoke to Hosea in his family circumstances (Hosea 1:1-2:1)
- God spoke to Amos in a basket of fruit (Amos 8:1-3)
One thing the author of this Book wants to get across is that God not only spoke to the prophets of old, but He continues to speak to us today. It is up to us to have a clear mind and an open heart to receive the things God is telling us, whether it’s through the study of Scripture or through our prayer time or even through creation. We need to keep our eyes and ears open to the voice of God, no matter how He wants to speak.
As we delve into the rest of the very first chapter of Hebrews, we will be given a very clear understanding that Jesus is above all things, He created the Universe and He is present now at the Right Hand of God.
Hebrews 1:3-4…
3 “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than their names.”
What an incredible description of our Savior, “…The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God…” When the Lord speaks, everything in Heaven and on Earth must respond to His command. When Christ achieved His purpose for coming to earth He returned to the place of glory at the right hand of God, no longer human, but fully God. “This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than their names.”
What is the name God gave His Son that is greater than any other name?
YESHUA
Through time and translating the Scriptures into English we now, more commonly, know Him as Jesus. But the name above all names is… Yeshua. But even greater than the name Yeshua is the distinction of the name SON. Yeshua is God’s one and only SON (John 3:16).
False teachers in the early church often misled believers into believing angels were the highest form of authority and angels were worthy of their worship; these false teachings would twist the truth to say that Jesus was just another angel. The following verses will provide us the unmistakable truth that Jesus is not an angel, but the first-born Son of God the Father and therefore superior.
Let’s look at the rest of the chapter and see for ourselves the supremacy of Christ and try to understand what the Hebrew believers had difficulty comprehending…
We are never to equate angels to be the same as Christ, Yeshua is supreme overall and He is the only way to Salvation, He is the only way to eternal life; plus, through Him we can now have a personal relationship with the Almighty Father in Heaven.
Hebrews 1:5-14…
5 For God never said to any angel what He said to Jesus:
“You are my Son.
Today I have become your Father.”
(Psalm 2:7)
God also said,
“I will be His Father,
and He will be my Son.”
(2 Samuel 7:11b-14)
6 And when He brought His supreme Son (firstborn Son) into the world, God said,
“Let all of God’s angels worship Him.”
(Deuteronomy 32:43a)
7 Regarding the angels, He says,
“He sends His angels like the winds,
His servants like flames of fire.”
(Psalm 104:1-4)
8 But to the Son He says,
“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.
You rule with a scepter of justice.
9 You love justice and hate evil.
Therefore, O God, your God has anointed You,
pouring out the oil of joy on You more than on anyone else.”
(Psalm 45:6-7, 93:2, 98:8-9)
10 He also says to the Son,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with Your hands.
11 They will perish, but You remain forever.
They will wear out like old clothing.
12 You will fold them up like a cloak
and discard them like old clothing.
But You are always the same;
You will live forever.”
(Psalm 102:25-27, Genesis 1:1)
13 And God never said to any of the angels,
“Sit in the place of honor at My Right Hand
until I humble Your enemies,
making them a footstool under Your feet.”
(Psalm 110:1)
14 Therefore, angels are only servants – spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.
The author of Hebrews is making a clear distinction between angels and God’s Son, Jesus Christ. There should be no mistaking that Jesus is none other than the firstborn Son of God and holds the highest position in Heaven.
In the footnotes of the Life Application Study Bible, it says this of verse 1:14…
- Angels are God’s messengers, spiritual beings created by Him and under His authority (Colossians 1:16). They have several functions:
- Serving believers (Hebrews 1:14)
- Protecting the helpless (Matthew 18:10)
- Proclaiming God’s messages (Revelation 14:6-12)
- Executing God’s judgement (Acts 12:1-23; Revelation 20:1-3).
The reason these Jewish believers were having difficulty staying true to their new status as Christ followers is the constant ridicule and persecution from their fellow Jews who completely dismissed Christ Jesus as being the Messiah and Son of God. The Roman Empire at that time would not only have threatened those professing Jesus as their King with imprisonment or death, but they would also face fierce persecution socially and physically. It would be a very desperate situation for them. Without strengthening their faith by relying on the Word of the Lord and their continued study of Scripture and without constantly rebuilding their confidence found only in Christ, it would become much easier to just fall back into their old ways. That’s why this letter to the Hebrew believers is so very important. They needed guidance, they needed reassurance, they needed encouragement! The Good News message of Jesus Christ is not an easy one for some people to believe, let alone give their entire lives to its authority. But when the realization does come that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and the Father in Heaven is beaming with joy when just one more person gives way to the power of Salvation, an eruption of rejoicing reverberates from Heaven when a new life is born in Christ Jesus.
So, as we continue in this Study of the Book of Hebrews, my prayer is that all of us would learn something new about our Savior. My prayer is that this study would create an unwavering faith and steadfast awareness that the Almighty God and His Son rule from Heaven with a loving, but powerful justice that we need to understand and live by as we walk through this evil world.
For added confirmation to everything the author of Hebrews has said about Christ Jesus, let’s take a look at what Paul wrote in Colossians 1:15-20…
15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through Him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see –
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through Him and for Him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and He holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is His body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So He is first in everything.
19 For God in all His fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through Him God reconciled
everything to Himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.
You and I can be confident when we read Scripture that it is the ultimate truth. If you aren’t quite sure, if you don’t have complete certainty, then ask God to reveal Himself to you. Ask Him to show you His presence. Be diligent, if you really want to know for certain that what the Bible says is true, then ask God to show you its truth. If you are willing to have the Almighty God speak to you in a powerful way, and you are willing to open your heart, mind and soul for Him to reach in a show you His love and His power…Then open your mouth and ask God, through His Son Yeshua, to show you His awesome presence.
We have a lot more to study in the Book of Hebrews, this is only the beginning! So, hold on tight as we experience, fully, the supremacy of Jesus Christ, Yeshua, the Son of God.
~AMEN~