Hebrews 1:1-3 - "Christ, The Revelation of God's Glory"

Hebrews 1:1-3

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:"

This opening declaration of Hebrews sets before us the great contrast between time past and these last days. In time past, God’s revelation was partial, spoken in many portions and in various ways. Dreams, visions, ceremonies, promises, prophecies, types, and shadows all pointed forward to the One Who was yet to come. These revelations were true, but they were not yet complete. They did not save in themselves. They testified of the LORD Jesus Christ Who would come in the flesh to work out that righteousness necessary for God to be just and justify His elect by His death.

But now, in these last days, God has spoken, not through another prophet, not by another shadow, but "by His Son," (v.2). This is not merely a message delivered through Him; He Himself is the Message. The Word became Flesh. The One Who walked the dusty roads of Israel, Who grew weary, slept, and thirsted, was none other than the eternal God manifest in the flesh. This is the finality of God’s Revelation. There is no further word to be given beyond Christ.

Hebrews declares that this Son is the One “whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds” (v.2). He did not come into being when He was born of Mary. He was always the eternal Son. Creation itself came through Him. All things that exist have their being by His Hand, and all things are upheld by the Word of His Power. Nothing lives, moves, or stands apart from His sustaining Authority.

This Son is “the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person” (v.3). This is not reflected glory, but the very Glory of God the Father. Everything God purposed to reveal about Himself is perfectly expressed in Christ. To see Him is to see the Father (John 14:9). There is no need for any other image, vision, or representation. God has made Himself known in His Son. Yet the heart of this passage is not only Who Christ is, but what He has done. Hebrews brings us to the great work accomplished once for all. “When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (v.3). By Himself. Not with our cooperation. Not with our obedience added in. ALONE! The purging of sins by His death on the cross was complete, effectual, and final. Nothing remains to be done.

This sitting down speaks volumes. Under the old covenant, the priests never sat, because their work was never finished. But Christ, having accomplished redemption, sat down. His seat at the Right Hand of God is the Father’s declaration that the work is done. The sin debt has been paid. The record is clean. There remains not even a trace of any sin of God's redeemed sinners.

This is why any attempt to mix our keeping of the law with grace is the denial of Christ’s finished work. “If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:21). Salvation is not a cooperation between God and man. It is Christ, or nothing. He purged away the sins of those elected sinners. He perfected them forever who are sanctified (set apart in Him by God's electing Grace). This work of justification and sanctification was accomplished at the cross before we were born, and revealed when the Spirit opens our eyes to see Him (Galatians 1:15).

Our Hope is anchored in the LORD Jesus Christ, not in ceremony, ordinance, or religious effort. Baptism and the LORD’s table testify to what Christ has done, but they add nothing to it. The sacred One is Christ Himself. Our rest is found in Him, seated, reigning, having finished the work (Hebrews 10:10,14). To know Him is to know the Father. (John 14:6). To trust Him is the evidence that we have passed from death unto life (John 5:24). He is the final Word, the Radiance of God’s Glory, the Redeemer Who has sat down (Hebrews 1:3). May our eyes never drift to shadows or any object other than Christ, and remain fixed on Him, for in Him alone we see “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).