August 16
“Having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him,’” Hebrews 1:4-6.
We do not know who wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews. He does not identify himself at the beginning or the ending of the Epistle or anywhere in between. The King James Version of the Bible uses the title, “The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Hebrews.” However, there is no evidence in early manuscripts to support that title.
In the first chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, the author is writing about the divinity of Jesus Christ. He writes about divine names, divine attributes, and divine works ascribed to Jesus. Jesus is the Son of God, true God with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
The author asks, “To which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’?” The author is quoting the Messianic Psalm 2:7. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten or born of the Father from eternity. Hence, He is the eternal Son of God, who at God’s appointed time assumed a human form. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary. He is both God and Man in one Person.
Again the author quotes from the Old Testament. He quotes 2 Samuel 7:14: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son.” Think of the many instances in the Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, where Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of God and He addresses God as His Father. For an extended example, please read the Gospel of John, chapter seventeen.
The Savior has the name Jesus Christ. The name ‘Christ’ means the ‘Anointed One.’ “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power,” Acts 10:38. He was the designated One to be the Savior of the world. The name ‘Jesus’ means ‘Savior.’ He is our Savior from sin, death, and the power of the devil. When the angel Gabriel announced Jesus’ birth to Joseph, he said, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins,” Matthew 1:21. Mary was also told, “(You) shall call His name Jesus,” Luke 1:30. The angel also said to Mary, “That Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God,” Luke 1:35.
When the devil tempted Jesus and asked Jesus to fall down and worship him, Jesus responded, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve,” Matthew 4:10. Only God should be worshiped. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews refers to Jesus and says, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” This clearly states that Jesus is true God, to be worshiped with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus, Jesus, only Jesus,
Can my heartfelt longing still;
Lo, I pledge myself to Jesus,
What He wills alone to will.
For my heart, which He hath filled,
Ever cries, ‘Lord, as Thou wilt!’
One there is for whom I’m living,
Whom I love most tenderly;
Unto Jesus I am giving
What, in love, He gave to me.
Jesus’ blood hides all my guilt;
Lord, oh, lead me as Thou wilt!” Amen.