rich foundation

Before leaving chapter 1 in the epistle to the Hebrews, I want to pause for a moment to consider the rich Christological foundation that the author has developed thus far. Though much more can be said of the Person and work of Jesus (indeed, even the apostle John writes that if all the things concerning Jesus "were written in detail...even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written" [John 21:25]), we have learned of Christ in Hebrews 1 that He:

1) is the final and authoritative person through whom God speaks (v2)
2) is appointed by God heir of all things (v2)
3) is the One through whom God made the world/ages (v2)
4) is the radiance of God's glory (v3)
5) is the exact representation of God's nature (v3)
6) is the One who upholds all things by the word of His power (v3)
7) is the One who made purification for the sins of humankind (v3)
8) is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high (v3)
9) has become better better than the angels (v4):
a. as the only begotten Son (v5)
b. as being worthy of worship (v6)
c. as the righteous King (v8)
d. as Creator of the earth and the heavens (v10)
10) has inherited a name better than that of the angels (v4)
11) reigns forever (v8)
12) is omnipotent (vv. 3, 10, 12)
13) abides forever and is eternal (v12)
14) is immutable (v12)

Truly, as Paul writes to the Ephesians, these things are:

[I]n accordance with the working of the strength of [God's] might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but the one to come. And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:19-23)

In light of these things, how can we not respond in worship and adoration? How can we not, both out of pure volition and holy desire, offer our lives to Him who bought us with His very blood? I encourage you to read this first chapter of Hebrews again and again, and to let God write its meaning on your heart.
Perhaps too often it is easy to misconceive theology as too abstract or even irrelevant. Or, we wrongly consider doctrines of God (including Christ) to be dry and lifeless principles suitable for memorization but discarded from everyday thought and action. For this reason, I would like to end the commentary on chapter one with an exhortation from the great Dutch Reformed Pastor from South Africa, Andrew Murray. Here I quote him at length:

"And now let me once again urge my reader to mark well the lesson this chapter is teaching us and the object it has in view. Let no one think, as I myself long thought, that, because we firmly believe in the divinity of our Saviour, this chapter, with its proof-texts, has no special message for our spiritual life, and that we may therefore hasten on to what the Epistle has to teach farther on. No, let us remember that this is the foundation chapter. The divinity of Christ is the rock on which we rest. It is in virtue of His divinity that He effected a real cleansing and putting away of sin, that He can actually comunicate and maintain the divine life in us, that He can enter into our innermost being, and dwell there. If we open our hearts and give them time to receive the full impression of the truth, we shall see that all we are to learn of the person and work of Christ has its value and its power from this - that He is God." (Murray 61-62, emphasis added)

__________
References:
Murray, A. (n.d.). The Holiest of All. Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell.

omnipotent Creator (better than the angels, part 5 of 5)

...And, "You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a garment, and like a mantle You will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end." But to which of the angels has He ever said, "Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet"? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:10-14)



We come now to the final comparison between Christ and the angels in the first chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews. In this passage, the author returns to a previous theme, that of Christ as Creator (see this post for earlier discussion). However, here, the writer is much more explicit, citing Scriptural evidence, again from the book of Psalms (see Hebrews 1:5 [= Psalm 2:7] & 1:8-9 [= Psalm 45:6-7]), to authenticate the claim of Jesus' role as Creator of all things. In this we are assured yet again of the reality that Jesus is "better than the angels," who are "ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:4, 14). Furthermore, we see a contrast between Christ an His creation that illuminates the immutability of Jesus. Truly, as we will later read, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).
This section builds onto previous thought and begins immediately with a quotation from Psalm 102, verses 25-27. In order to understand who the referent is in this citation of Psalms, we need to look at the treatment of the passage in the epistle itself as well as consider its original Scriptural context. In Hebrews, we see from verse eight that this is a continuation of the thought that begins with the interjection "But of the Son He says," thus continuing God's declarations concerning the Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:8). Consequently, it is evident that the writer of the epistle views this passage in Psalms as definitively referring to Jesus.
Nevertheless, the referent in the psalm itself is Yahweh, the God of all (see, for example, Psalm 102:12-23 where the psalmist refers to God as LORD, or Yahweh). Since, in the context of ancient Judaism, the type of creatorship spoken of here is a unique role that God alone operates in, the application of these verses to Christ is an explicit deification of Jesus, attributing to Him qualities that are singularly divine. In actuality, though, the author is not "deifying" Jesus in the sense of apotheosis (wherein one could make someone out to be a god). Rather, the author is agreeing with the nature of Christ and of the Godhead. Each part of the Triune God, in perfect unity, was active in the creation of the universe. So, the application of Psalm 102:25-27 concords with the reality of Christ, and of God.
Whether one believes that this creative event happened thousands of years ago or billions of years before now, all would agree that the universe has been around for quite some time. The duration of a single human life is but a fleeting moment in comparison to that of the earth, the moon, the stars, and even the galaxies. These latter entities seem to persist and endure, unlike members of humankind. We who are so frail often look at mountains and rocks as symbols of stability and unchangingness. Yet, the psalmist (and the author of Hebrews) testifies of these things in relation to Christ the omnipotent and eternal Creator by saying:

You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a garment, and like a mantle You will roll them up; like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end. (Hebrews 1:10-12)

So, the writer here establishes the supremacy of Christ over the angels by exalting Him in His power, His immutability, and His eternality. That is, Jesus "laid the foundation of the earth" and "the heavens are the works of His hands." Though we may view these things as constant, established, and permanent, "they will perish." But Christ "will remain." He is firm, fixed, steadfast, abiding, and unchanging. The earth and the heavens "will become old," but Jesus Christ is "the same, and [His] years will not come to an end." Jesus is everlasting; when the light of all the trillions of stars fades, His True light will radiate brilliantly forever.
As a result, the Christology that Hebrews develops maintains a perfect balance between the complete humanity of Jesus and the complete divinity of Jesus. Though for our sake and the glory of God He became incarnate, His life extends far beyond thirty-three years. For, as we read in Hebrews, "[His] years will not come to an end" (Hebrews1:12). Not only does Jesus exist from eternity, but He also remains changeless and unchanged. For this reason He reveals of Himself to St. John: "I am the first and the last, and the Living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore" (Revelation 1:17, 18). Knowing this of Christ, how could we ever reasonably consider Him to be a mere angel? To the angels God has never granted authority "to sit at [His] right hand;" this is a privilege that both inheres to and was earned by the Son alone (Hebrews 1:13; see also 1:3). And while He, by nature God, "emptied Himself" and took "the form of a bond-servant," the angels are by nature "ministering spirits" whom God has ordained to serve humankind (Philippians 2:7; Hebrews 1:14). Jesus, then, is rightly the source of our confidence and comfort forever. Who He is - our God, Creator, Savior, Brother, High Priest, and Sacrifice - He is eternally. He will not, nor can He ever, change. "He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself" (2 Timothy 2:13).

eternal King (better than the angels, part 4 of 5)

...And of the angels He says, "Who makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire." But of the Son, He says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions" (Hebrews 1:7-9)

Before Mary, the mother of Jesus, conceived as a virgin, God sent the angel Gabriel, "who stands in the presence of God" (Luke 1:19), to proclaim this good news:

"Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But [Mary] was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end" (Luke 1:28-33, emphasis added)

While we may frequently speak of this passage in the context of the Advent/Christmas season, focusing on the humility and grace with which Mary submitted to God's holy will as well as the glorious Incarnation of Jesus, I would like to highlight here features of the circumstance as a whole. Specifically, in this event we see features that resemble the contrast in Hebrews 1:7-9 between Christ and the angels: angels are "ministers" whereas Jesus is the eternal King (see also Hebrews 1:14).
We get the impression in Scripture that angels are glorious and majestic beings that inspire awe and fear in humans. So, as in the Lucan passage above, we constantly read that the angels declare upon their appearance, "Do not fear." Moreover, these beings, at least some of which are "in the presence of God," arouse worship, though, not being worthy, they never receive it and explicitly encourage humanity to worship God alone (see, for example, Revelation 22:8-9). Yet despite the grandeur that angels display, the writer of Hebrews reminds us what God has revealed of them, in that God "makes His angels winds and His ministers a flame of fire" (Hebrews 1:7; Psalm 104:4, LXX). In our frailty, we are wont to exalt angels because of their apparent splendor. But God is gracious to remind us that His angels are created, temporal and fleeting beings, like "wind" and "fire," whose primary purpose is to worship and serve Him. What they have, they receive from God, the Creator of all things. What God has, He possesses eternally, being uncreated. Even the great angel Gabriel was but a messenger, a servant, sent from God to declare the True Majesty, God's Son, Jesus the eternal Savior King.
Though we must temper our attitude toward angels, it is always fitting to worship the divine Son. In contrast to the temporal angels, whose majesty is derived, we see Jesus, who is "better than the angels," as reigning forever, and His majesty inheres. So, as we read in Hebrews, the writer quotes again from Psalms, citing God as the author who declares Jesus' deity and eternal, righteous reign as King: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions" (Hebrews 1:8-9; Psalm 45:6-7).
When we speak of Jesus' reign and His kingdom, we should recall that it is intimately related to His person and work. Therefore, it relates to His nature as both fully divine and fully human, and it relates to His Incarnation, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. As divine, He possesses innate authority and sovereignty; as human, His obedience to God and love for righteousness has enabled Him to be "anointed...above [His] companions." Stemming from Jesus' work in His Incarnation and Crucifixion, we perceive attributes of Christ's Kingship and kingdom that are unique in comparison to any earthly king and kingdom. Jesus humbly condescends to the lowly estate of humanity in the midst of our fallen condition. Furthermore, He empties Himself to take on the form of a servant so that He might suffer on our behalf and become accustomed to our weaknesses. His reign and His kingdom are characterized by selfless acts of love towards others in need, and He was put to death because the world, for whom He died, would not receive Him. Yet, He rose from the dead, conquering death and hell and bestowing life upon those who will believe in Him, and He is now entered into the position of exaltation which He had from the beginning. He is King forever, and the principles of His kingdom originate from Himself. Consequently, greatness is measured in terms of lowliness and servitude; nobility is measured in terms of righteousness, uprightness, and a morality that continuously expresses love toward God and necessarily overflows with compassion toward all of humankind without partiality (see, for example Matthew 20:20-28; 23:11-12; Luke 22:24-36; John 12:24-26; 13:1-15; Matthew 22:36-40; 9:35-36).
Because of the singularity of Christ's Kingship and His pure righteousness, we must take care not to associate His righteous rule with kingdoms of this fallen world. The kingdoms of the world all too frequently display selfishness and an insatiable desire to oppress and destroy others for personal gain and protection of so-called "rights." The kingdom that Christ ushered in through His first coming is distinguished by love and service. In an already/not-yet tension, the Kingdom of God both has come (the Incarnation) and is to come (the Second Coming). Christ desires to rule and reign in us, His believers. And if we say that we believe in Him we ought to live as He lived, obeying and manifesting the principles of His kingdom. Furthermore, we wait anxiously for His return when He will inaugurate the age of His perfect, just, and righteous reign over all things. With such a King as we have, what amazing comfort we find to abide in Him and partake in His kingdom. He reigns forever, triumphing over all - even death and hell - rendering powerless all unrighteousness and evil. And though we still see so much of this (unrighteousness and evil) in the world, He will come again to bring the fulness of His sovereign reign to perfect fruition throughout all the earth.

While I know that I have already written a bit long (especially for a blog!), I invite you to consider and contemplate a small portion of the richness of Christian worship throughout various centuries that has sprung from the source of Christ the eternal and righteous King. In these hymns we are brought to a place of prostration and worship before Jesus, the humble King who gave Himself for His creation, and now lives forever to give us life in Him:

Crown Him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon His throne.
Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of Him
Who died for thee,
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Throughout all eternity.
(Matthew Bridges: Crown Him with Many Crowns, v. 1)

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine own sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
(Charles Wesley: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus, v. 2)

O Christ, our King, Creator, Lord
Savior of all who trust Thy word
To them who seek Thee ever near
Now to our praises bend Thine ear

Now in the Father's glory high
Great Conqueror never more to die
Us by Thy mighty power defend
And reign through ages without end
(Gregory the Great: O Christ, Our King, Creator, Lord, vv. 1 & 5)

Lead on, O King eternal,
We follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning,
Where'er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted over us,
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits its conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.
(Ernest Shurtleff: Lead on, O King Eternal, v. 3)

Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore
Rejoice, give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore;

The Lord our Savior Reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains
He took His seat above;

His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules over earth and heaven,
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus given;

Rejoice in glorious hope!
Our Lord the Judge shall come,
And take His servants
Up to their eternal home.
(Charles Wesley: Rejoice, the Lord is King, vv. 1-4)

Lo! He comes with clouds descending,
Once for our salvation, slain;
Thousand thousand saints attending,
Swell the triumph of His train:
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
God appears on earth to reign.

Yea, amen! Let all adore Thee,
High on Thine eternal throne;
Savior, take the power and glory,
Claim the kingdom for Thine own;
O come quickly! O come quickly!
Hallelujah! Come, Lord, come!
(Charles Wesley & Martin Madan: Lo, He Comes with Clouds Descending, vv. 1 & 5)

and unto the Lamb (better than the angels, part 3 of 5)

And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, "And let all the angels of God worship Him" (Hebrews 1:6)

Why is worship so important to God, such that He commands worship for Himself alone? Unfortunately, many will never seek the answer to this question, since the question itself seems to provoke anger, giving rise to thoughts such as: What type of egotistical God commands anything for Himself?, or, Why is God so selfish that He needs our worship? These concerns are grounded in misunderstanding in that they anthropomorphize God. In other words, these questions ascribe to God attributes or qualities that are uniquely human, such as "need" and "selfishness." Yet, if we allow God to reveal to us the truth of the matter, we find that both God's glory and our ultimate good are tied to the importance of right worship. Moreover, understanding worship allows us to understand the nature of Christ more perfectly. For, being Himself God, Jesus is worthy of receiving worship. So, God declares Christ's superiority over the angels by saying "let all the angels of God worship Him" (Hebrews 1:6; Deuteronomy 32:43, LXX & DSS).

Perhaps it would be helpful to provide a basic definition of worship in the sense that I use it here. Although I'm sure the following is inadequate, we might say that worship is:

an act that admits or ascribes high(est) worth to the recipient of that action

The difference, then, between worship that is right and worship that is not arises from the nature of the one or thing that receives the action. So, if the action is in accordance with the nature of the one/thing worshiped (that is, the recipient indeed possess high[est] worth), then right worship is possible. When the action discords with the nature of the one/thing worshiped (that is, the recipient does not actually possess high[est] worth), the opposite is true, and we cannot worship rightly. With this basic, though I'm sure flawed, conceptualization of worship, we begin to see why right worship is both commanded by God and crucial for humanity.
God commands worship because in doing so 1) He agrees with His supreme reality, and 2) He seeks our well-being and satisfaction. God intrinsically possesses, or exists as, the highest value and is therefore the only object of worship that befits right worship. Furthermore, when we worship Him rightly, not only do we admit His worth and ascribe to Him the glory He already possesses, but we also experience the fulness of joy and satisfaction by being satisfied in and with Him. As a result, by necessity of there existing only a single Being who is worthy of worship, to worship anything else discords with reality and cannot give us any true pleasure.
With this in mind, we are now (somewhat) prepared to feel the weight of God's statement about Jesus in Deuteronomy and in Hebrews by declaring: "let all the angels of God worship Him" (Hebrews 1:6). How great and worthy must Jesus be if even the angels are to worship Him! In the context of what is discussed above, the unavoidable implication is that Jesus is worthy of worship because He is Himself God. By now, this should by no means surprise us, for we have already read that Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all that is (1:2-3), and that He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature (1:3). But, by revealing this attribute of Christ here, we see a stark contrast between Christ and the angels, since even the angels worship Him though they cannot receive worship themselves (see Revelation 22:8-9).
Again unsurprisingly, we find that people rightly worshiped Jesus, the God-man, in multiple instances recorded in the Scriptures. So, men from the east came to worship Jesus at His birth (Matthew 2:11). The disciples worshiped Jesus after He walked on water and calmed the stormy sea (14:33). Jesus was worshiped by a man whom He healed that had been blind from birth (John 9:38). He also received worship from His disciples after His resurrection (Matthew 28:9). Additionally, in the book of Revelation we gain a picturesque insight to the heavenly liturgy where God, including Jesus, is worshipped eternally. St. John faithfully records this as part of his vision:

I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped. (Revelation 5:11-14, emphasis added)

So we conclude that, not only is Jesus "better than the angels" as a Son, but He is superior in that He, being divine, is worthy of worship. This reality of Christ's nature as ontologically distinct from and better than angels gives immediate comfort and satisfaction to us as we worship Him. Since Jesus is intrinsically the highest Being, How can we not but delight in Him? How can we not but desire to be found in Him? How can we not but long to glorify Him, perfecting our own joy and satisfaction? And as we read on in Hebrews, we consider: How can we not but confide in Him as the eternal High Priest, the once-for-all sacrifice, the mediator of a better covenant, the captain of our salvation, the Apostle of our confession, and the author and perfecter of our faith?

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Image courtesy of and copyright the Metropolitan Museum of Art (www.metmuseum.org).

Plaque with Agnus Dei and Four Evangelists [German or North Italian Ivory Plaque]. Retrieved March 12, 2020, from http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/06/eust/ho_17.190.38.htm

the uniqueness of filiality

For to which of the angels did He ever say, "You are my Son..."? (Hebrews 1:5)

...as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name...(John 1:12)

Whenever we discuss the name "the Son of God," and perhaps especially in "Western" and/or postmodern culture(s), there is a subtle danger of generalizing the term in such a way that we fail to comprehend its uniqueness and singularity. If this is the case then, crucially, we will fail to understand who Jesus, the Son of God, really is (even in the limited capacity to which we can, by His grace and mercy, comprehend Him). Furthermore, we may mistakenly import our ideas about this concept by disregarding the original intent. As a result, we are left with a concept of filiality (that which pertains to daughters and sons) that is so broadly construed it can no longer capture the purposefully distinguishing nature of the term. Yet, God's desire is such that we know Him, for "we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true" (1 John 5:20).
One way in which we commonly generalize the name "Son of God" is through the seemingly innocent claim "we're all God's children." Depending on what one means by this claim, we can inadvertently (attempt to) diminish the uniqueness of filiality as it applies directly to Christ as well as to humanity through Christ. If for example, by this phrase we mean that by virtue of being human, or by virtue of being created, we are "all God's children," then this mentality discords with a biblical conceptualization of filiality.
The problem with such a concept is that it operates on the assumption that filiality as it relates to God is universally automatic and inherent, and this does not resonate with the teaching of Scripture. Under the biblical framework, filiality entails a privileged relationship that is either possessed innately or entered into. Moreover, each of these aspects relates intimately to the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
Essentially, Jesus is the sole Person to whom sonship inheres, since He is eternally, and by necessity of His unchanging nature, the Son. God reveals to us the eternal, and thus inherent, nature of His Son throughout much of St. John's writings:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1, 14)

By this the love of God was manifest in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him (1 John 4:9)

Moreover, we find that God directly and emphatically declares Christ's nature as Son, both at His baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration:

being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased' (Matthew 3:16-17)

Jesus took Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up to a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light...a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice came out of the cloud and said, 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!' (Matthew 17:1-2, 5)

So, we see that Jesus alone is definitively the Son of God, and this name derives from His eternal nature in which He exists and has existed from the beginning. By claiming that "we are all God's children," we actually diminish Christ's nature (from the point of our perception) by falsely attributing inherent filiality to ourselves.
However, being a son or daughter of God is available to humanity, and it is available universally. God, having created us to experience intimate fellowship with Him and with His Son (see 1 John 1:3), enables us to become His daughters and His sons. We enter into this privilege; being "created" by God does not necessarily entail a filial relationship, though it does implicate a Creator-created relationship that inheres to us. Our filiality receives substance because of Christ's eternal nature as Son, and our subsequent being found in Him; our ability to enter into this unique relationship derives from Christ's Person and His work of offering Himself to God wherein "we become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Again, claiming that "we are all God's children" assumes that this relationship is automatic, and ignores the fact that our being daughters and sons of God is a privilege that we enter into and derives entirely from Jesus.
If we can but stop to contemplate this magnificent truth, we can see how beautiful and humble is the manner in which a holy and infinite God condescends to our state in order to pursue a relationship with us. And, even more incredible, this is a relationship that we in no way deserve to possess. This latter point becomes readily apparent when we consider how we really treat Jesus, the True Son - before ascending into heaven He suffered and died on our behalf, taking the punishment of our sins, and He did this so that we might be called not only friends (see John 15:15), but brethren (see Hebrews 2:11), and children:

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are (1 John 3:1)

God's love is so great toward us that He gave His only begotten Son so that we might become His daughters and sons, entering into a unique and special relationship with Him, and there is nothing higher or greater than can offer more satisfaction.
Though the ability to acquire filiality is universal - God offers this to all of humanity without partiality - it's application depends on our response. Though God wholly desires to give us the highest good, Himself, He knows that real love does not impose forcefully; instead God constantly pursues us - always extending His hand toward humanity - but in His sovereign wisdom He allows us the choice to believe, and,

as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name (John 1:12)

His hand is extended still.

God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life...And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:11-12, 20, emphasis added).

as a Son (better than the angels, part 2 of 5)

For to which of the angels did He ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten You"? And again, "I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to me"? (Hebrews 1:5)

Earlier, we considered the possibility that Jesus, given the uniqueness of His Person, belongs to a category of beings that is intermediate between God and humanity. Specifically, we brought up the question of whether or not Jesus could be some sort of angel. Additionally, we alluded to the fact that, in the epistle to the Hebrews, the author clearly refutes such a proposal by appealing to the reality of Christ's nature. Jesus is not an angel, but is Himself both fully God and fully human; He is indeed God Incarnate.
In order to support such a declaration of Christ's Person, the author begins a series of comparisons between Jesus, as Son of God, and angels. The conclusion of all these comparisons is captured succinctly by a phrase in verse four: Christ is "better than the angels" (Hebrews 1:4). This is the burden of the author in the current passage, as it is the burden of the author throughout the epistle to convince the reader of Christ's supremacy over all. Of all the various attributes that are associated with either Jesus or the angels, the writer begins by affirming Christ's unique nature as a Son.
Importantly, this section (verses 5-14) gives rise to an interesting pattern and focus in the book of Hebrews:

1) The author heavily relies on the authority of the Old Testament
2) The author exclusively quotes the Septuagint, and
3) The author generally ignores the human writer, attributing Scripture to God directly

The second of these points will become relevant, for example, in our discussion of verse 6. With respect to the other two features, the author cites two passages, one from 2 Samuel 7 and the other from Psalm 2, by putting forth the following rhetorical question to consider,

For to which of the angels did He ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten You"? And again, "I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to me?"

Narrowing on the author's treatment of Holy Scripture in this question, we see that the mindset is similar to that of the Apostle Paul, who testifies that "All Scripture is inspired by God" (2 Timothy 3:16). So, God is in this verse the subject of "say," and what God said is a direct quotation from the Old Testament. Again, such a concept in Hebrews should now come as no surprise to us, for the writer opens the epistle with the proposition that in times past, God spoke in manifold ways, including through the words He revealed to be recorded in the Scriptures (Hebrews 1:1). Furthermore, God, in His faithfulness and mercy made known to us in these writings much about the One to whom they point(ed) with great anticipation.
With regard to semantic content of the question, the implication is plainly that Jesus is better than the angels as a Son. God never bestowed upon angels the filial relation that Jesus possesses eternally. So, this sonship is a unique relationship that no angel holds, and this is evidenced by God having spoken this beforehand exclusively to/of Jesus, revealing to humanity a crucial aspect of the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus, the eternal and only-begotten Son, who is not made, enables us to see the Father through Him as a result of the intimate communion He shares with the Father.
Another facet that is a key to understanding this passage and declaration of Christ's sonship is the notion of inheritance. We read that Christ, who is "heir of all things...has inherited a more excellent name than [the angels]," the name of God's Son (Hebrews 1:2, 4). Christ, the heir of all things has inherited all things by virtue of His sonship and His obedience. We, too, have an inheritance that we yearn to receive, and the Holy Spirit is our divinely-given pledge of promise for this, assuring us that our expectation and desire is not in vain (Ephesians 1:11, 13-14). However, our inheritance is entirely predicated upon Jesus; indeed, without the inheritance of the Son, ours has no foundation. Assuredly, we have "good news" preached to us, as Paul preached to many at Pisidian Antioch, that God has fulfilled the promise "made to the fathers...in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second psalm, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You'" (Acts 13:32-33; Psalm 2:7). Having been "raised up from the dead, no longer to return to decay," Jesus, "declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead," obtained His rightful inheritance (Acts 13:34; Romans 1:4). He wholeheartedly offers and invites us to enter in to His inheritance, that which He guarantees for us by the sacrifice of Himself. And we know that while the "way of life" that we "inherited from [our] forefathers" is "futile," Jesus has redeemed us by His "precious blood," and He has prepared for us "an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away" (1 Peter 1:18-19, 4). For this we wait, who have been caused by God "to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," knowing that our inheritance is "reserved in heaven for [us]" (1:3-4). And we are "protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time" (1:5).

Christos angelos? (better than the angels, 1 of 5)

...having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:4)

After having introduced us to the Person and Work of Christ, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews now turns to clarifying the supremacy of Jesus over the angels. From this point in chapter 1 up through chapter 2, the writer presents Christ as "better than" the angels in two ways: as Son of God and as Son of Man. So, in these chapters we see displayed both Christ's divinity and humanity without diminishing the integrity of His Person. Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, the only begotten God, and the firstborn of all creation, discloses to us what would be later termed by St. Athanasius the hypostatic union: the perfect unity of two natures in one Person.

Because of Christ's uniqueness as both fully God and fully human, we are presented with a seeming paradox that we often attempt to resolve by either denying or belittling one part of who Jesus is. For example, we have mentioned before that God is ontologically distinct, that is, different by His nature, from anything else that is. And, since God both exists by Himself eternally and caused everthing else that is to exist, we can consider a categorical distinction to hold between that-which-is-Creator and that-which-is-created. This sounds clean and neat so far: God caused to exists and is distinct by His nature from anything else, including angels, humans, animals, plants, etc. However, if we claim that Jesus is both fully God and fully human, this appears to pose a problem for our simple categorization. How can Jesus simultaneously belong to both that-which-is-Creator and that-which-is-created?

The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews begins to answer this question in the first four verses of chapter 1 by declaring straighforwardly the reality of Jesus' Person, which we have discussed beforehand (see, for example, this post). Throughout the epistle, the author develops a high Christology without ever denying or diminishing Christ's humanity or His deity, thus maintaining a line of thought consistent with the concept of hypostatic union. Still, beyond just declaring the truth of Jesus' nature, the author explicates for us in various ways why Jesus cannot be considered either God or human in the sense of an either/or dichotomy. The first way in which this is achieved is by comparing Jesus to the angels.

There are, I believe, at least two significant reasons for such a comparison. The first is that Scripture reveals of angels that they are personal beings who are different than humans. They are presented as mighty, powerful, and awe-inspiring beings who are often sent by God as messengers to humanity or, perhaps, mediators between God and humanity. The second reason is that Scripture reveals of Christ that He is clearly more than human, as was witnessed and testified by those who knew Him while on the earth both before and after His resurrection from the dead.

So, perhaps our human reasoning may proceed like this: 1) angels appear to be "greater" than human beings, 2) Jesus is also evidently "greater" than humans, as well (after all, He walked on water [Matthew 14:25-26], calmed stormy seas [Mark 4:36-41], was transfigured before Peter, James, and John [Matthew 17:1-2; 2 Peter 1:17-18], raised Lazarus from the dead [John 11:1-44], mystically appeared in in the midst of His disciples after His death and resurrection [Luke 24:33-37], and ascended into heaven in the sight of some of His disciples [Acts 1:6-10]), 3) therefore, Jesus must belong to the angelic realm, since there is only one God. Though this type of reasoning might seem sensible at first glance, the writer of Hebrews stresses that this is neither consistent with the reality of Christ's Person nor consistent with the reality God's Person (who is indeed One, though Three). Reading on in Hebrews we find manifold reasons to uphold the validity of the hypostatic union. At present however, the writer singles out angels in comparison to Christ in order to conclude that Jesus is better because He is the Son of God (Hebrews 1:5), because He is worthy of worship (1:6), because He is the eternal King (1:7-9), and because He is the omnipotent and immutable Creator (1:10-12).

prophet, priest, & king

Throughout the first four verses of Hebrews, the author provides multiple propositions with regard to Christ that rightly portray His nature as both fully human and fully divine. As a result, we see the supremacy of Christ displayed, which will form the basis of comparison between Christ (as Son of God and Son of Man) and the angels, Christ and Moses, Christ and the Levitical priesthood, and so on. So, because of who Jesus is in His Person, we will see that Christ is "better than" in all of these comparisons. Additionally, and intimately related to this point, the writer foreshadows the argumentation to appear later in the epistle by implicitly alluding to the various roles in which Jesus was and is active. Namely, in these four verses we see Christ as prophet, priest, and king. And, as the writer intimates, it is not merely the fact that a single individual operated in each of these three roles that is significant. Rather, because of each part the dual nature of Christ coupled with His absolute and voluntary obedience to the will of the Father, we see the expectations of these roles dramatically fulfilled in who Jesus is/was and what He does/did. Jesus is not merely the last in the line of prophets, the last in the line of priests, and the last in a line of kings; Jesus is in a sense the Prophet, the Priest, and the King to which others pointed but were insufficient in their capacity to effectuate and consummate.
Though the writer does not yet explicitly designate Christ as active in each of these offices, the implication is clear. "God, after He spoke long ago [...] in the prophets [...], in these last days has spoken to us in His Son," the ultimate Prophet who "spoke the things as [His] Father taught Him" (Hebrews 1:1-2; John 8:28). Not as the priests who repeatedly offered sacrifices as a covering for sins, obligated to stand because their work was never fully complete, Jesus is the Priest who conclusively "made purification of sins" and has "sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3). Moreover, as the kings of Israel were limited in their reign by physical constraints, Christ the King has been "appointed heir of all things," and "His kingdom will have no end" (1:2; Nicene Creed; see also 2 Peter 1:11).
If such things are so, then we ought to see and realize how much we can trust in Christ, for He is the God Incarnate. Indeed, because of these things, "He is able to save [...] to the uttermost [those] that come unto God by Him" (Hebrews 7:25, KJV).

a more excellent name

...having become as much better than the angels, He has inherited a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:4)

Before we attend to the final propositions concerning Christ in Hebrews 1:1-4, let us briefly recall what the author has mentioned until this point. By doing so, and by considering all these attributes together, we can see how the author develops a beautiful Christology that is wholly consistent with the Person of Jesus, the Son of God, who "has inherited a more excellent name than [the angels]" (Hebrews 1:4).
First, we encounter the reality of God who initiates a relationship with humankind by an act of divine communication, and we see this in two parts:

God has spoken through the prophets, and
God, in these last days, has spoken through His Son, Jesus

Given the authority of God's speech, and the finality of God's self-revelation through Christ, we are invited and encouraged to consider the Person and work of the eternal Son. And, though we are only beginning to touch, as it were, the hem of His garment, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews introduces the reader to a series of propositions in regard to Christ. Namely,

1. Jesus has been appointed heir over all things,
2. Jesus is He through whom God made the world,
3. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory
and the exact representation of God's nature,
4. Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power,
5. Jesus has made purification of sins, and
6. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high

Finally, and keeping all these in mind, we see yet another attribute of Jesus:

7. Jesus is better than the angels
and has inherited a more excellent name than they

Of this final aspect of Jesus's Person and work, the author will have much to say; indeed, the subsequent portion of Hebrews 1 as well as the entirety of chapter 2 detail the supremacy of Christ over the angels both as the Son of God and the Son of Man. By now, this should be no surprise to us. As mentioned above, Jesus, unlike any of the angels, is Himself divine, as evidenced by His role as Creator and Sustainer, and by His being the exact nature of God. Furthermore, Jesus, unlike any of the angels, is heir over all things, is the only begotten Son of God, is the Savior of humankind, and the Eternal High Priest.
For these reasons it is entirely clear that Jesus is "better than the angels" (1:4). And, because in His Person we see the perfect union of deity and humanity, we can believe with assurance of the exalted Jesus that He has "become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they" (1:4). Jesus Christ, the Incarnate God, is able to complete for humankind on behalf of humankind the perfection that we are unable to realize, but so desperately need and desire. Being fully God, He is by nature better than the angels; being fully human, yet perfect in every way, He has become better than the angels.
For us, the humanity of Christ gives immediacy and tangibility to the glorious and unending love of God. In what greater way could an infinite and holy God express the love that He is and holds toward us than by humbly condescending to our lowly state in order to offer us the highest gift, the gift of Himself? God the Son reaches out to us, becoming one of us, so that He might offer Himself as our help, our propitiation, our life, our entrance into the presence of God, our salvation (see 2:14-18; 4:14-16). Therefore, the name of Jesus, the Son of God, is in every way better than that of the angels. And we "who believe in the name of the Son of God," have confidence and "know that [we] have eternal life" in Him (1 John 5:13).

seated at the right hand of the Father

...When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high...(Hebrews 1:3)

Jesus, after dying on the cross for the sins of all humanity and making purification for ours sins, trampled down death by death and rose from the grave so that, ascending into heaven He might be seated at the right hand of the Father. Again turning to the Nicene Creed, we find this confession:

On the third day He rose again
in fulfillment of the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

But, we might ask, why (if at all) does it matter that Jesus is "seated," and why (if at all) does it matter that Jesus is "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:3)? By turning our attention to these facets of Christ's role in redemption, the author of Hebrews introduces us to the significance of both Jesus' heavenly posture and position. To better understand the importance of each of these aspects, we will consider an analogy from God's creation of the universe (and all that is) as well as draw from a portion of the doctrine of the Incarnation that Paul details in his letter to the Philippians.
Recall that when God created "the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them," He rested from His work on the seventh day because it was completed (Genesis 1; Psalm 146:6; Nehemiah 9:6; Acts 4:24; 14:15; Genesis 2:2-3). Similarly, by being "seated" at the right hand of the Father, Christ has entered into a posture of rest because His sacrificial work is complete, having been offered "once for all" (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12; 10:10; 1 Peter 3:8). This posture is significant because it reveals his superiority over the former Levitical priesthood (see, for example, Hebrews 7:23-28). The priests of old were "weak" as a result of their mortality in addition to their own sinfulness. Moreover, the sacrifices offered at their hands only provided a covering, and could not offer absolute purification as does Jesus, since in the ancient sacrifices "there is a reminder of sins year by year" (10:3-4, 11). As a result, the Levitical priests by necessity would first offer sacrifice for their own sins before the sins of the people and, additionally, they offered sacrifices year by year until their own death prevented their work. Furthermore, since their work was never finished, they could never rest from it, but repeatedly offered sacrifices while on the earth.
The writer of Hebrews crucially notes that "Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently" (7:24). Yet, though Jesus is the eternal High Priest, this does not mean that he repeatedly makes offerings for sin throughout eternity. Rather, Jesus offered Himself once for all time and has rested from His work in that His offering is perfect and complete. So, Jesus has entered into a posture of rest, and is "seated."
Turning to the second aspect, that of position, we read that Jesus is "seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (1:3, emphasis added). A typical concern that arises in reaction to this proposition is whether or not it implies Christ's subordination to the Father, the Majesty on High. Yet we must remember to retain the full context of this statement, both in the book of Hebrews as well as in the whole of Scripture. We have already seen that in the first verses of Hebrews the writer directly implies Jesus' deity by delineating His role as Creator, Sustainer, and Savior, and by uniting Christ's nature with the Person of God. Conjoining this with the doctrine of the Incarnation, we know that the Eternal Word who "was with God and was God" became flesh and "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, being made in the likeness of men" (John 1:1; Philippians 2:7). Paul also testifies that Jesus "humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death" and that "[f]or this reason also, God highly exalted Him" (2:8-9). When we consider these aspects in light of Christ's divinity revealed in Hebrews and elsewhere, we conclude that Jesus has reentered into a position of exaltation that He, by His own nature, possessed eternally, though He chose to take on human flesh both "for our sake and for our salvation" and for the glory of God.
What this suggests for us, who frequently strive in our own strength to merit salvation, is that we can find rest in the One Who has ceased from His work and by His own merit obtained for us "so great a salvation" (Hebrews 2:3). Though we should "[never] grow weary of doing good" and should always be encouraged to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, we must remember that it is God who works in us to will and to work for His good pleasure (Galatians 6:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Philippians 2:12-13). We have no need for fruitless efforts of sacrificing again and again to be cleansed from sin because we can be sure that Jesus, "having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God" (10:12). For us, He is and always will be enough.

absolute purification

...When He had made purification of sins...(Hebrews 1:3)

Though we will later discuss the reasons as to why Jesus is, from the perspective of His humanity, the sole human capable of inaugurating salvation (cf. Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:14-16; 7:11-28; 9:1-10:14), we find here a statement regarding the reality of Christ's salvific work in the proposition that "[Jesus] had made purification of sins" (Hebrews 1:3). That is, at the time of the author's writing the epistle to the Hebrews, the act of purification was a past event, and one that Jesus Himself had both brought about and carried out to completion. From our point in history, we may also say that Jesus has made purification of sins, implicating that this past action holds even for the present. Thus, it is not surprising that we read elsewhere in Hebrews that Christ perpetually holds the office of the Great High Priest, as He is a "priest forever" (5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21; see art inserted below).

What the author highlights in verse three with regards to the purification that Jesus made is the absolute and definitive quality that pertains to Christ's offering of Himself as a sacrifice for sin. As will be argued later in the epistle, Jesus Christ has "by one offering perfected for all time those who are sanctified," and, furthermore, "where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin" (10:14, 18). What this entails, then, is the singularity of Christ's sacrifice, the completeness of Christ's sacrifice, and the inability for any other imitation to effectuate these aspects in order to consummate humankind by cleansing us from all sin. For those prior to the coming of the Messiah, the provisional sacrifices of animals by obedience to the Law necessarily looked forward to the one time offering of Jesus, since they could not produce the absolute purification that He would as the one truly pure and spotless Lamb. And, for those to come after Jesus' incarnation, death, and resurrection, we conclude that there can no longer be any (additional) offering for sin; Jesus has made purification and there is no longer (nor has there ever been) need outside of Him.

If the Levitical sacrifices were insufficient, why should we declare the all-sufficiency of Christ? This question is, in part, an apparent reason for why the epistle to the Hebrews was written. The author provides the answer to this soteriological question by developing a Christology that is consistent with Jesus' reality (i.e., His Person and Work). The propitiatory sacrifice of Christ offering Himself is perfect and complete because in it God Himself directly cleanses our sins. As we will read in Hebrews, Christ is able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness because in Him we see the perfect union of divinity and humanity. In Him we see true innocence. In Him we see true perfection. In Him we have a sinless and eternal Great High Priest. Therefore, we find a means of obtaining ultimate and eternal resolution for the problem that plagues all of humankind, our desparate need to be cleansed from sin. Knowing these things, we are confident that "if we confess our sin, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Jesus lovingly invites us to eat and drink of His body and blood (John 6:35, 51-58), for, the blood of Jesus alone, an offering of Himself by Himself, is able to provide absolute purification. With this in mind, our hearts cannot but overflow with joy, singing in praise to God for the cleansing blood of His Son:

Oh! Precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

_________________________
Icon of Christ the Great Hight Priest used by permission and is courtesy of Marek Czarnecki at Seraphic Restorations,
(c)MCzarnecki2010. Visit his website at www.seraphicrestorations.com.

the word of His power

...And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power...(Hebrews 1:3)

As we learned previously, the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews offers a glimpse of the role of Christ in the creation of the universe, revealing Him as the one "through whom [God] made the world" (Hebrews 1:2). In addition, we alluded to other passages, both internal and external to the epistle under discussion, in which we see Christ's role as Creator expounded upon even further. Essentially, all things were created not only through Him, but also for Him and by Him (2:9; John 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16). Jesus is not merely some means or tool by which God created all that is; Jesus is co-Creator with God, being Himself one Person of the Triune Godhead, all of whom partake of (or share) the same being and substance.
Here in verse 3 the author expands upon Christ's role in creating and relationship to creation by declaring that He "upholds all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3). So, in the first part of this proposition we see that Jesus is not only active in creatio originans ("originating creation"); He is also active in creatio continuans ("continuing creation"). Jesus Christ is the dynamic Sustainer of the entirety of the created realm. As Paul the Apostle writes, "[Jesus] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17).
What is unique about the concept that this phrase in Hebrews captures (& other similar passages) in conjunction with the descriptions of the creation in Genesis 1 and John 1:1-3 is the verbal aspect of creation. Not surprisingly, this verbal aspect of the act of creation reveals something of the nature of the agent that is able to bring about such an inimitable type of activity. We are then, more or less, seeking to answer the following: What type of being or person can create and sustain by word alone? In the Scriptures, the only Person that possesses such an attribute is that which is uncreated, and there is only One who is uncreated: God. As a result, we have yet another proposition that undeniably implies the deity of Christ, given the theological context of Old Testament Judaism.
Exactly how God achieves this verbal aspect of creating and sustaining must remain at present a beautiful mystery. Though God has been so gracious to reveal part of His nature by declaring His ability to speak things that are not into existence as if they were, we are humbled to know that such a simple action (from God's perspective) is, in its entirety, incomprehensible for us who are incapable of doing such. Yet, this should by no means discourage us, for God invites us to know and trust in Him who is able to speak and, therefore, create, and to speak and, therefore, sustain. As we fix our gaze upon Jesus, we take comfort in knowing that since He is able to "uphold all things by the word of His power," so He will be able to sustain us to the end.

hypostasis

...And He is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His nature...(Hebrews 1:3)

As we have read previously, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews deifies Christ by establishing His role in creation and by declaring Him the "radiance of [God's] glory" (Hebrews 1:2-3). Yet, the writer continues to expound the nature of Christ, for conjoined to this latter proposition is one of the most definitive expressions of Jesus' divinity in the entire epistle: Jesus is "the exact representation of [God's] nature" (1:3, NASB). This phrase is rendered into English multiple ways in a variety of translations, each proclaiming the same truth, that Jesus: "is the express image of [God's] person," "is the exact imprint of [God's] nature," "bears the very stamp of [God's] nature," or is "the very image of [God's] substance" (1:3, KJV/NKJV; 1:3, ESV; 1:3, RSV; 1:3, ASV). Interestingly, the differences in wording are reminiscent of the historical development of some important theological terms, terms that saints of old took great care to formulate in order to most accurately represent the relationship(s) between the God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Though the orthodox position traces back to first generation Christians (and, crucially, to Scripture), disagreement concerning the Person of Christ culminated in the fourth century with what is often termed the Arian Controversy/Heresy. Because of the uniqueness of Christ, many were divided (as people still are today) with respect to how to more or less "categorize" Him in terms of ontology. That is, we can make an ontological distinction between God and non-God, between God and God's creation. Within the latter of these categories we can further distinguish between, for example, angelic beings and human beings (among other things). Those who knew Christ on the earth were wholly convinced of His humanity; they had physically "heard," "seen" and "touched" Him (1 John 1:1). Yet they were additionally assured of His simultaneous other-than-humanness. Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God who is better than the angels (cf. John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9; Hebrews 1:2-5). A pressing question immediately arose in the early church, one that we do well to consider today: Who is Jesus the Christ?

In the early part of the 4th century A.D., under an attempt to preserve the "unicity of God," Arius brought "trinitarian speculation" to a head, denying the deity of all but the Father (Davis 1983:61). At the Council of Nicaea, Bishop Athanasius of Alexandria (pictured at right) opposed Arius with what would come to be adopted as the biblically affirmed catholic faith in regard to the Person of Christ: Christ shares, and is, the same being as the Father. Eventually, the terms that developed to maintain a proper and biblically-founded Christology were "hypostasis" (cf. Hebrews 1:3) and "being/essence (ousia)" in the East, and "person" and "substance" in the West. Using a modified philosophical term, Athanasius confirmed that Jesus was "one in being (homoousia)" with the Father, and this confession is preserved in the Nicene Creed, which states:

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the Only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
one in Being with the Father

As a result, the orthodox view of the early church affirmed that God exists in three hypostases but one being (ousia), in three Persons but one substance.
Returning to the epistle to the Hebrews, we see its author maintaining the same Christology: Jesus Christ is "the exact representation of [God's] nature," "the exact imprint of [God's] nature," "the very image of [God's] substance" (Hebrews 1:3, NASB, ESV, and ASV). Although we may be tempted to dismiss such discussion as too abstract, we find concrete relevance of this eternal truth in the ability of the Incarnate God to bring about our salvation, as Jesus is He who "made purification for our sins" (1:3).

References
Davis, L.D. (1983). The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787): Their History and Theology. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.

radiance of God's glory

...And He is the radiance of God's glory...(Hebrews 1:3)

After declaring that Jesus is He "whom [God] appointed all things, through whom [God] also made the world," the author of Hebrews conjoins yet another attribute of Christ in the proposition that "[Jesus] is the radiance of [God's] glory" (Hebrews 1:3). We do well to ask, "What does this statement claim about the nature of God?" And, "What does this statement claim about the nature of Christ?" Importantly, how can this be said of Jesus, who walked the earth in human flesh, when God alone is uniquely glorious (that is, unique in the glory that He possesses and that radiates from Him)? Not surprisingly, we find yet another attribute that deifies Christ, posing a superficial dilemma to Christian monotheism and its Jewish foundation. Again, we conclude that this is non-contradictory when we consider the New Testament teaching that Jesus, who is a distinct Person from the Father, is as the Nicene Creed affirms "one in being with the Father," and both are God.
Bearing in mind the deity of Christ is fundamental to understanding the attribute that Jesus is the radiance of God's glory. For, in this manner we can truly see the nature of God perfectly manifested in the Person of Christ. Moreover, to this end, an encounter with Christ is the equivalent to encountering the Father. As Jesus said to Philip the apostle, "He who has seen the Me has seen the Father" and also "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (John 14:9, 11). Philip's initial desire that Jesus "show [them] the Father," evidencing his confusion, should not surprise us, for as John writes, "No one has seen God at any time" (John 1:18a). Yet, Jesus maintains that if we see Him we see the Father, for, being in truth "the only begotten God," Jesus has declared the Father and has made Him known (John 14:9; 1:18b). Similarly, Paul writes of Jesus that "He is the image of the invisible God," and that "in the face of Christ" we see God's glory (Colossians 1:15a; 2 Corinthians 4:6; see also 2 Corinthians 4:4).
In the epistle to the Hebrews, the writer constantly brings to our attention the divine and exalted nature of Christ so that we can be assured of Christ's supremacy, as it is ontologically grounded (that is, it derives from His being). This, in turn, gives substance to our hope in Christ as the one in whom we can trust as the author and perfecter of our faith, and the guarantor of our salvation.

without Him nothing was made

...in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world...(Hebrews 1:2)

After declaring that Jesus has been "appointed [by God] heir of all things," the author of Hebrews turns to a second attribute of Christ: through Him God made the world (Hebrews 1:2). The writer asserts that Jesus possesses a unique role in the creation of the universe, that of co-creation with God (which we will discuss further below). So, with regard to the Person of Christ in light of the Incarnation, He necessarily existed prior to becoming human Himself as well as existing before all of creation (including humanity) in general. The nature of Christ, then, or who He is in His Person, is a key focus of the attributes mentioned in Hebrews 1:2-4.
When we consider the claim of Jesus' involvement in the creation of the universe, and what that implies about His nature, in a Jewish context (since the New Testament operates on the foundation of the Old, and since the author of Hebrews claims continuity with prior revelation), it is clear that this impinges upon the notion that God, who is "one," initially created (creatio originans, 'originating creation') the universe by an omnipotent act of speaking (see Genesis 1:1; Deuteronomy 6:4). Additionally, God is seen as the sole active sustainer (creatio continuans, 'continuing creation') of the the entirety of creation (see, e.g., Psalm 104; Copan and Craig 2004). As a result, for someone to claim that any additional being or person experiences this type of creative role is the equivalent of deifying that entity or person. The writer of Hebrews, in accordance with New Testament Christology, applies both types of creation, creatio originans and creatio continuans, to Christ. In order to resolve the dilemma posed by claiming continuity with Old Testament Judaism and its conceptualization of God, two conclusions can be made: either the New Testament claims entail polytheism and are therefore blasphemous, or the New Testament claims are entirely accurate and entail the divinity of Jesus. I argue that the latter is the correct position (that is, the one that is in accordance with the reality of God).
The reason that the proposition of Christ's divinity can be seen as completely compatible with early Jewish monotheism is that the New Testament writers do not view Christ as a second God, but instead a second Person of one God. For this reason the apostle John writes in his prologue:

[i]n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being [...] And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, as of the only begotten from the Father [...] No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. (John 1:1-3, 14, 18, NASB)

So, similar to what we find in Hebrews, the Incarnate Christ was "with God" in the beginning and, more profoundly, "was [Himself] God." Because of the deity of Christ, the writer of Hebrews states that "through [Him] God made the world" (Hebrews 1:2). That is, "[a]ll things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being" (John 1:3). Or, as Paul writes,

by [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible [...], all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17)

With this in mind as we read Hebrews, we can rest in the words that God has spoken through Christ, knowing that God is directly revealing God to us through Him.

References
Copan, P. and Craig, W. L. (2004). Creation Out of Nothing: A Biblical, Philosophical, and Scientific Exploration. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic and Apollos.

heir of all things

...in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things...(Hebrews 1:2)

Upon mentioning the Son of God, the author of Hebrews turns to a series of attributes that relate to the Person and work of Jesus. Namely, the Son is He 1) whom God has appointed heir of all things, 2) through whom God made the world, 3) who is the radiance of God's glory and 4) who is the exact representation of God's nature, 5) who upholds all things by the word of His power, 6) who made purification of sins, 7) who sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and 8) who has become better than the angels, having inherited a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:2-4). Each of these attributes serves as the foundation for the Christology that the author develops throughout the letter.
In the first of these descriptions of Christ, the author maintains that God has "appointed [Him] heir of all things" (1:2). Superficially, one might mistake this action of "appointing" to indicate a qualitative difference between the Person of the Father and the Person of the Son with regard to divinity. Put another way, if Christ is God, how can He be "appointed" to a position (i.e., "heir of all things") by another? Would He not, by His own divine nature, already be over "all things"? The question brings up a valid concern, but if taken seriously, ignores or dismisses the fulness of biblical revelation with regard to the Person and work of Jesus, and the Person and work of God.


As we will see as we continue in Hebrews, the author of Hebrews and other New Testament writers maintain that they are constant with prior revelation from God in their claim that Christ is divine, in that He not only is from God but is also of the same being and essence (1:3a; see also Colossians 1:15, 19; 2:9; also John 1:1-2, 18, NASB). Accordingly, when we read or declare that Jesus was "appointed" by God to be "heir of all things," we are not diminishing either the nature of God or the nature of Jesus. Rather, we are describing the particular filial relationship that holds between two Persons of the Triune God. The Father, who is not the Son but is God, "appointed" the Son, who is not the Father but is God, "heir of all things" (see inserted picture above).
To properly understand (as fully as we are able) a notion like the Son being "appointed heir of all things," we have to bear in mind the dual nature of Christ who, by His eternal nature is fully God, and, by His own volition is fully human. Christ has been "appointed" heir of all things, in short, so that God may be "all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28; see also Colossians 3:11). The Incarnate Deity, wholly able to sympathise with fallen humanity in order to serve as our faithful High Priest, has come to redeem and restore all of creation to a right relationship with God that we might enter in to God's holy presence (Hebrews 2:14-18; 4:14-16). So, God the Son humbled and emptied Himself to be made in the likeness of humankind, so that by His work He might be made "heir of all things" (see Philippians 2:5-11). Though co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, the Son chose to subordinate Himself, and as a faithful servant and heir will subject all things to God, so that God might be all in all, with the end that "all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father" (1 Corinthians 15:28; John 5:23).

to us in His Son (part 1 of 2)

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in theses last days has spoken to us in His Son...(Hebrews 1:1-2)

After introducing us to the proposition that God has spoken, the writer of Hebrews refines this claim in two ways. First, highlighting the historical authenticity and continuity of God's communication to humankind through the Scriptures, the author reminds the audience that "God [...] spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways" (Hebrews 1:1, NASB). Second, and foundational to the argumentation of Hebrews, the author declares that God "has in these last days spoken to us in His Son" (1:2). Accordingly, Jesus, the Son of God, is the ultimate means by which God has communicated His final, authoritative, divine, and living words to us and to all of humanity. Such claims are not only central tenets of Christian doctrine, but, for the recipients of the Letter to the Hebrews (and to us), the reality of these assertions serves as the substance for their (and our) hope, comfort, faith, and life. For this reason, the first major section of Hebrews ends with an exhortation that we "pay much closer attention to what we have heard [in/through Christ], lest we drift away from it" (2:1, ESV). The finality and reality of God speaking to us through Christ is of such weight that we cannot afford to act towards it with a Laodicean mindset.
The guarantee that God has spoken to us in His Son reveals in part both the nature of God as well as the nature of Christ. Again, as mentioned previously, we see God as an intimate and personal initiator whose words can be trusted because His communication is directly from Himself, for example through prophets and through Christ. Moreover, with regard to Jesus, God's Son, we see the perfection of God's spoken expression. For the writer of Hebrews, since "[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature," God's word through Christ entails the divinity of Christ, the authority of Christ, and fulfillment in Christ (1:3; see also Colossians 1:15a, 19; 2:9; John 1:1-3, 18).

that God has spoken

God, after He spoke long ago to the father in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son...(Hebrews 1:1-2)

One of the many unique features of the New Testament book of Hebrews is the constant emphasis on the primacy of God. Moreover, the author articulates a doctrine of God that is unmistakably Trinitarian. A principal manner in which we observe the Triune God dynamically active is in the proposition that God has spoken. It is this proposition to which the writer of Hebrews initially turns in order to comfort the reader, providing assurance with regard to the authority and efficacy of the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Accordingly, the author of the letter to the Hebrews begins the "brief word of exhortation" with the reality that God has spoken (Hebrews 13:22; 1:1-2). This terse, though profound, phrase is a bold claim that related not only to the original hearers, but one that bears upon humanity today with urgent immediacy. That is, (especially considering American Christianity) we live in a time in which we can (and sometimes do) easily take the word of God for granted (consider, for example, the multitude of Bibles readily available to us as well as their accessibility). Yet, perhaps now more than ever, we cannot afford to treat God's word with even the slightest amount of indifference. Before I am misunderstood, I do not intend to mean that we are personally apathetic in our approach to God's word as authoritative for our lives. Rather, the notion that God has spoken can become so commonplace in our Christianity that we fail to understand how this reality impinges upon all of humanity, especially in a society whose prevalent postmodernism is characterized by the question, "Indeed, has God said?" (Genesis 3:1) Accordingly, our lives need to be marked by a complete understanding for ourselves and others that God has spoken, and still speaks to us today.
Christianity is, in part, predicated upon a claim to the validity and tangibility of the proposition that God has spoken. As the writer of Hebrews notes, "God [...] spoke long ago to the fathers" (Hebrews 1:1). Such an action implies initiation (agreeing with God's sovereignty), desire for fellowship through communication (acknowledging His personhood), and continuity between past and present (affirming the accuracy and dependability of His word). Undoubtedly, if we consider that God exists, the most reliable means for humankind to ascertain any knowledge about God is if God reveals God to us. Furthermore, we ought to expect consistency and continuity throughout the history of God's creation. Hebrews, and Christianity, declares the actuality of God's communication to humankind and invites us to consider its meaning for our lives. Indeed, God has spoken in the Scriptures, whose anticipatory nature receives climactic fulfillment in Jesus Christ.