In my own words, 10 things we learn about Jesus Christ from Hebrews 1:1-4:
1) He is the greatest revelation of God in history.
2) He is the heir of all things – i.e., his “inheritance” is reality itself.
3) Everything was made through Him.
4) By addition of (2) + (3), He is the key agent at both the beginning and the end of time (cf. Col. 1:16).
5) He is the shining out (apaugasma) of God’s glory.
6) He is the full representation of God’s very essence or being.
7) He upholds the entire universe through his authoritative power. Without him, nothing would hold together (cf. Colossians 1:17: “by him all things consist.”)
8) He made purification for sins.
9) He sits at God’s majestic right hand in heaven. Ellingworth: “the right hand … is a natural metaphor for power…. To sit or stand … on an important person’s right side is a sign of honor in many cultures …. To sit at God’s right hand is therefore to share in his power without limitation.”
10) He is exalted over the angels.
In short, He is Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, Revealer, and Redeemer. He has union with God without limitation – full Deity and full glory with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. All things are from Him at the beginning, all things are upheld by Him in the present, and all things are for Him at the end. A high Christology!
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