College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
Hebrews 1:1-3
PART ONE
The Superiority of Christ as the Founder of Christianity
I.
He is superior to the prophets. Hebrews 1:1-3.
A.
He is the complete and final revelation of God. Hebrews 1:1-2 a.
Text
Hebrews 1:1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, Hebrews 1:2 a hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in His Son.
Paraphrase
Hebrews 1:1 The same God, who in sundry parts and in divers manners anciently revealed His will to the fathers of the Jewish nation by the prophets, Enoch, (Jude 1:14), Moses, Samuel, David, Isaiah, etc.
Hebrews 1:2 a Hath in these last days of the Mosaic dispensation spoken the gospel to mankind, all at once and after one manner.
Comment
God
The book begins with an assumption of God's existence. Like Genesis, it makes no attempt to prove the existence of God. The Psalmist said that fools do not believe in God. cf. Psalms 14:1; Psalms 53:1. The author of Hebrews must have felt the same way.
This wonderful God of man is not appreciated, so a brief study of Him is in order. This study is far from exhaustivebut is practical:
a.
The Being of God:
1)
He is SpiritJohn 4:24.
2)
He is EternalRomans 16:26; 2 Peter 3:8.
3)
He is LivingMatthew 22:32; Matthew 16:16.
4)
He is OneRomans 16:27; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jude 1:25.
5)
He is Ultimate (alpha and omega)Revelation 21:6.
b.
The Character of God:
1)
Omnipotentall-powerfulalmightyRevelation 19:6; Romans 13:1.
2)
Omniscientall-wiseknoweth all thingsRomans 16:27; Ephesians 3:10manifold wisdom.
3)
HolyJohn 17:11; Revelation 4:8; Revelation 6:10.
4)
RighteousJohn 17:25; Matthew 6:33; Philippians 3:9.
5)
GoodRomans 2:4; Luke 18:19.
6)
KindTitus 3:4.
7)
MercifulRomans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 1:3; Luke 6:36.
8)
JustGalatians 3:8; Romans 3:26.
9)
LovingJohn 16:27; 2 Corinthians 13:11; 2 Thessalonians 2:16.
c.
In relationship to the world:
1)
This is of primary importance, for God has not been far removed from man, but has sought to win man to Himself.
2)
Below are listed some phases of His relationship:
a)
Omnipresent:
Acts 17:24-25dwelleth not in temples
Acts 17:28in Him we live
b)
Creator:
Acts 17:24the God that made the world
c)
SovereignRuler, Lord, Monarch:
Acts 17:24He being Lord of earth
d)
Savior:
Luke 1:47in God my Savior.
1 Timothy 2:3in the sight of God our Savior
Jude 1:25God our Savior.
e)
Revealer:
Philippians 3:15God shall reveal this unto you
1 Corinthians 2:10God revealed them unto us
Romans 1:17therein is revealed
having of olden time spoken.
This refers to God's contact with man from the very beginning. God has always spoken to man:
a.
In the patriarchal time God spoke face to face:
1)
To Adam.
2)
To Noah.
3)
To Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
b.
He spoke to man through prophets in a great attempt to win man:
1)
Moses the lawgiver was a mighty voice for God.
2)
The major and minor prophets had a major message.
Some doubt that God spoke. Aside from the Word that says He did, it seems likely that He would.
a.
If He could, but would not, He would not be a just and righteous God; therefore, He would not be worthy of worship.
b.
If He would but could not, then He would be weaker than man, and therefore, unworthy of worship.
spoken unto the fathers
Who is referred to?
a.
Possibly the patriarchal fathers are included.
b.
No doubt the Jewish race as a whole under the Mosaic law should be considered as included.
A problem with the patriarchal consideration is that he says unto the fathers in the prophets.
a.
The prophets appeared during the Mosaic dispensation.
b.
However, the word prophet is not limited to the idea of foretelling of events.
c.
Prophecy means to tell, and on occasions the patriarchs may have served as prophets to their generation.
in the prophets
The meaning of the word:
a.
One who speaks for anothera forth-teller.
b.
Foretelling of the coming of Christ was by no means their only task.
The prophets are divided into two groups:
a.
Major prophetsIsaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel.
b.
Minor prophetsThe names of the last twelve books of the Old Testament are the minor prophets.
There are others who are considered prophets:
a.
MosesDeuteronomy 18:15.
b.
AaronExodus 7:1Aaron shall be thy prophet.
The preaching of the prophets may be generally summarized under three phases:
a.
Judgments upon kingdoms.
b.
The coming kingdom.
c.
The King of kings.
in divers portions
This suggests that God's revelations to man have been in different dispensations:
a.
Covenants of faith with the patriarchs were made in the Patriarchal or Starlight Dispensation.
b.
Covenants with Moses were made in the Moonlight Dispensation.
1)
During this period, the prophets gave further light to the people of the day.
2)
The prophets also enlightened men about the Sunlight Dispensation to follow.
3)
John the Baptist removed the final clouds.
God spoke more fully following these two dispensations with two others:
a.
The revelation of Jesus is the Sunlight Dispensation.
b.
The message of the apostles is the Holy Spirit Dispensation. The divers portion, then, may be called progressive revelation, The portions put together make one book.
a.
The portions have a unity when read as one book:
1)
Its history is a unit.
a)
A history of the past.
b)
Teaching for a satisfactory present.
c)
A prophecy of the future.
2)
Man's salvation is in it:
a)
A scarlet thread runs throughout all the Word.
b)
Blood atonement is the theme that ties the Word together from Genesis to Revelation.
3)
A Person is there, although revealed in different portions:
a)
Genesis 3:15 speaks of Him bruising the serpent's head.
b)
Isaiah 53 speaks of Him being bruised.
c)
Revelation pictures Him destroying all wickedness and rewarding righteousness.
4)
A kingdom is there:
a)
A prophetic kingdomDaniel 2:44.
b)
A present kingdomMatthew 16:18.
c)
A world-wide victorious kingdomMatthew 24:44; Revelation 11:15kingdom of the world is become the Kingdom of our Lord.
b.
Since Christ gave credence to the portions, the critic must destroy Christ before he can destroy the Old Testament. cf. Luke 24:44; Matthew 12:39-41; Matthew 16:4.
in divers manners
This suggests that God has used various methods to make known His message:
a.
He spoke with a voice:
Exodus 24:4all the words which Jehovah hath spoken will we do
Isaiah 38:4Then came the word of the Lord to Isaiah, saying
b.
He wrote with His fingers:
Daniel 5:5Belshazzar saw the handwriting on the wall.
Exodus 31:18The law was written by the fingers of God.
c.
He spoke in action, demonstrating his power:
1)
Miracles were of several kinds:
a)
Burning bushExodus 3:2.
b)
Daniel in the lions-' denDaniel 6:22.
c)
Walls of Jericho fellJoshua 6:20.
d)
Thundering and lightning when the law was givenExodus 20:18.
2)
Temple veil rent in twainMatthew 27:51. This spoke of the ending of the earthly Holy of Holies.
3)
Victory in war for his people showed that righteousness must prevail.
a)
Gideon's victoryHebrews 11:32 and Judges 7:22
b)
Egyptians defeated in the Red Sea.
d.
He spoke in dreams and visions:
1)
Daniel 2:1Nebuchadnezzar's dream and interpretation by Daniel in Hebrews 2:17-18.
2)
Joseph interprets dreams of fellow prisoners in Genesis 40.
3)
Joseph's dream in Genesis 37.
4)
See Hosea 12:10.
Romans 1:4 is proof that spoke may refer to more than vocal words:
cf. Psalms 19:2day unto day uttereth speech.
cf. Romans 1:20even His everlasting power and divinity.
hath at the end of these days
What days?
a.
The days of the prophets just referred to.
b.
The prophets-' days seemed closed for about 400 years after Malachi, but John broke the silence.
c.
These days may refer to the end of the Jewish age, which was a prophetic age.
spoken unto us in His Son
How did God speak through Him?
a.
Not always vocally.
1)
Christ's compassion and love spoke.
2)
Christ's resurrection spoke. cf. Romans 1:4who was declared to be the Son of God with power
In Christ's voice God spoke:
John 8:28but as the Father taught Me, I speak these things.
John 12:49For I spake not from Myself but the Father that sent Me, He hath given Me a commandment what I should say and what I should speak.
John 14:10the words I speak, I speak not of Myself
Study Questions
1.
Does the book of Hebrews begin with the word God? Does the original Greek manuscript begin this way?
2.
In what way is Hebrews like Genesis?
3.
Name the three divisions in my outline about God.
4.
Tell of the being of God.
5.
Tell of the character of God.
6.
What can be said about God's relationship to the world?
7.
What is meant by olden times?
8.
In patriarchal times, how did He speak?
9.
What would you think about God if He could but wouldn-'t speak to man?
10.
What would you say about God if He would but couldn-'t speak to man?
11.
Who is meant by the term fathers?
12.
When did prophets first come into Bible history?
13.
Did prophets speak to the patriarchs? If not, can fathers refer to them?
14.
What is the responsibility of a prophet?
15.
Name a prophet who spoke to Abraham.
16.
Into what two groups are the prophets divided?
17.
Explain the term, divers portions.
18.
What is meant by different dispensations?
19.
Explain the expression, progressive revelation.
20.
Do these portions comprise a unit?
21.
Do you see a theme running through all the revelation of God?
22.
Does Christ give credence to the Old Testament?
23.
What were the ways God spoke?
24.
Tell of some actions of God that revealed something about Him.
25.
What message was spoken by the temple veil being rent?
26.
What was spoken concerning God in His helping the people in war?
27.
Name some dreams in which God spoke.
28.
Name some visions in which God spoke.
29.
Are all of God's messages vocal?
30.
What is meant by end of these days?
31.
What days are referred to?
32.
How did God speak through Christ?
33.
Did Christ claim to speak for God?
B.
He is the Son of God. Hebrews 1:2 b, Hebrews 1:3.
Text
Hebrews 1:2 b. whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; Hebrews 1:3 Who being the effulgence of His glory, and the very image of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Paraphrase
Hebrews 1:2 b. by His Son made flesh whom He constituted heir of all things; through whom also He made the worlds.
Hebrews 1:3 This great personage, even in His incarnate state, being an effulgence of His Father's glory, and an exact image of His substance, and upholding all things (namely, the worlds, Hebrews 1:2.) by His powerful command, when He had made atonement for our sins by the sacrifice of Himself, and not of beasts, sat down at the right hand of the manifestation of the divine presence in the highest heavens, by invitation from God, who thereby declared His ministrations as a priest both acceptable and effectual.
Comment
in His Son
This Sonship is in a unique sense:
a.
He is the only one of His kind.
b.
He is not a sonbut the Son.
His Sonship was established by many proofs:
a.
He is the Son in the parable of the husbandman.
Luke 20:9-18; cf. Matthew 11:25.
b.
Jesus claimed to be the Son.
John 14:2in My Father's house.
John 4:26I am He
c.
Sonas seen in His miracles: John 20:30-31.
d.
Sonas seen in His superior teaching.
John 7:46never man so spake.
e.
Sonas seen in His superior life;
Luke 23:4Pilate: I find no fault
Hebrews 4:14Having then a great high priest. the Son of God.
John 8:46which of you convicteth Me of sin.
f.
Sonas seen in His resurrection:
g.
Sonas seen in the acclamation of God:
Matthew 3:17at His baptism.
Matthew 17:1-8at His transfiguration.
Whom He appointed heir of all things
The word heir suggests something to inherit. What was it?
a.
An excellent name. Hebrews 1:4. cf. Philippians 2:5-11.
b.
Lordship. Acts 2:36. Matthew 28:18.
c.
Power and judgment. John 5:22given judgment unto the Son.
through whom also He made the worlds
Christ was present in creation:
John 1:3all things were made through Him.
Genesis 1:26Let us make man in Our image, after Our likeness.
the worlds
The Greek word here translated, worlds, is disputed by translators.
a.
The footnote is ages.
b.
The singular form has three meanings:
1)
Endless duration.
2)
Any age or period.
3)
Anything that lives or exists.
We may assume that it refers to the processes in each age by which God is bringing to pass His great purposes.
who being the effulgence of His glory
The word effulgence is also translated brightness.
a.
This word appears only once in the New Testament.
b.
Effulgence means a reflected splendor.
Jesus made it plain that those who saw Him could say that they had seen the Father.
John 14:8-9; John 14:11; John 17:21.
They saw the Father only as they saw His qualities in Christ.
a.
John 1:18No man hath seen God at any time.
b.
All that God is, has been expressed in Jesus.
and the very image of His substance
This makes Him deity, which should be theological enough for us !
Image means impress.
a.
The word in the Greek is charaktei.
1)
In the primary sense, it denotes the instrument used in engraving or carving.
2)
The whole expression, the very image of His substance, is used to set forth the dignity of Christ, in order to build up our faith.
b.
Calvin says, He is called the -impress of His substance-', because the majesty of the Father is hidden until it shows itself impressed as it were on his image. They who overlook this connection and carry their philosophy higher, weary themselves to no purpose, for they do not understand the design of the Apostle; for it was not his object to show what likeness the Father bears to the Son! (p. 35.)
c.
cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4Christ who is the image of God.
Substance is translated person in the King James version.
a.
The word is hupos and means what lies under.
b.
This is not the same word used in Hebrews 11:1faith is the substance of things hoped for.
c.
Substance or essence was the controversial topic of Arius and Athanasious.
1)
The Council called by Constantine tried to settle the problem, but failed.
2)
Trying to fully understand divine reality with human terms is too much for man.
d.
God is Spirit. Man doesn-'t think of Spirit as having substance, although He does have form.
Deuteronomy 4:15-16, Exodus 24:9-10; Exodus 33:20Thou canst not see My face for man shall not see My face
upholdeth all things
The word here translated upholdeth, is phero in the original manuscripts, and has the idea to bear, or to carry, What is included in the word, upholdeth?
a.
Man is upheld:
Acts 17:28In Him we live
Job 12:10In whose hand is the soul of every living thing
b.
The world is supported by God:
Job 26:7He hangeth the earth upon nothing
Colossians 1:17In Him all things consist
The above verses, Colossians 1:17 excepted, speak of God's action, while Hebrews 1:3 refers to Jesus-' action.
The harmony of the problem lies in the fact that Jesus is spoken of as the Word.
by the word of His power
In Genesis are recorded the creative words, but here are the sustaining words.
a.
Material substance has no resident power in it.
b.
The laws of nature, so-called, are only a manifestation of the uniformity of God's activity.
While Jesus was on earth, He demonstrated the power of His words:
a.
He cast out spirits with a word. Mark 9:25.
b.
He said, Be thou made clean, and a leper was made whole. Matthew 8:3.
c.
The centurion asked Jesus, saying, Only say the word and my servant shall be healed. His faith was rewarded with a healing word from Jesus. Matthew 8:8; Matthew 8:13.
when He had made purification of sins
The cross is the method of taking care of sins.
a.
All Old Testament sacrifices were a type of the blood sacrifice of Jesus.
1)
John used the type of animal sacrifices as a figure of speech, saying: Behold the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29.
b.
Jesus came into the world to endure the cross.
Luke 9:51He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem
Hebrews 12:2endured the cross
c.
It is the blood that purifies:
Revelation 1:5unto Himthat loosed us from our sins, by His blood.
Hebrews 9:28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many.
To have this cleansing, we must have our own crucifixion service:
Acts 22:16be baptized and wash away thy sins
Titus 3:5by the washing of regeneration.
Romans 6:3baptized into His death.
sat down on the right hand
This truth is spoken by others:
a.
Stephen saw Him there. Acts 7:56.
b.
Peter preached that He was there. Acts 2:33.
c.
John pictured Him at the throne of God. Revelation 5:6; Revelation 7:17. The author of Hebrews makes much of this point:
a.
In Hebrews 1:4, we see His personKing.
b.
In Hebrews 8:12, we see His ministryPriest.
c.
Hebrews 10:12; Hebrews 12:2, He is seated at the right hand of the throne of God after one complete and final sacrifice.
d.
In Hebrews 12:1-2 we see Him as the joyful leader of a great cloud of witnesses.
On earth, truth is often on the scaffold, and wrong on the throne, but not so in Heaven.
of the majesty
The Greek word for great is here translated, majesty.
a.
Jesus at the throne signifies power and authority serving as the special chosen one of God.
b.
He is to be loved for His redemption of mankind, but ought to be honored on account of His royal magnificence.
Special Outline of Hebrews 1:1-3
Threefold place of Jesus:
1.
Prophetspoken unto usHebrews 1:2.
2.
Priestmade purificationHebrews 1:3.
3.
Kingat the right handHebrews 1:3.
Study Questions
34.
Discuss the divine sonship of Christ.
35.
What is meant by only begotten?
36.
Name various ways Christ's sonship is proven.
37.
If Christ is appointed heir, what is He to inherit?
38.
What scriptures enlarge upon the work of Christ in creation?
39.
Define the word worlds, Does he mean our earth?
40.
What may we surmise then if the word has this translation?
41.
What is meant by effulgence?
42.
Is it a common word in the New Testament?
43.
Describe how the glory of God is seen in Christ.
44.
What is meant by image?
45.
What is meant by the word, substance?
46.
How does the King James version translate it?
47.
What problem arose in church history over the word, substance?
48.
What is meant by upholdeth all things?
49.
Does the scripture speak of God or Christ being the sustainer?
50.
How harmonize?
51.
Did Jesus ever demonstrate that His words have power?
52.
Name the instances.
53.
When did Jesus make purification for sins?
54.
What scriptures of the New Testament connect Jesus with cleansing from sin?
55.
Is there a cross for us?
56.
When Jesus finished the work of the cross and His earthly ministry, where did He go?
57.
What other passages of scripture support Christ's right-hand glory?
58.
What is meant by the majesty on high?