JESUS: BEGOTTEN, NOT CREATED Hebrews 1:1-9
Pastor Dennis Bone
5-4-14
Last week as we studied together the introduction to the book of Hebrews, we looked at this presentation of Jesus as divine in the first three verses; and in our passage for this morning the writer continues to make this biblical case for the deity of Christ, specifically in His relationship to the angels. Since the first century the church has faced challenges to the person of Christ and His divinity, from within and without, and the faithful church continues to stands firm upon the truth of God’s Word as revealed to us in the Scripture.
In recent years the Jehovah Witnesses have popularized the lie that Jesus is not God, but a “god” and join the long line of false teachings that view Jesus as simply a great prophet or top-notch angel, who at best helps us out in our efforts to get to God. The book of Hebrews addresses some of the earliest forms of false teaching regarding Jesus, and in this the first chapter of Hebrews 1 the writer uses a multitude of Old Testament passages to prove that Jesus is not only greater or superior to the angels, but that the reason for this is that Jesus is divine: He is God. So please follow along as we hear what he says beginning in verses 4 – 8 of Hebrews chapter 1:
So he (the Son, who sat down at the right hand of God the Father – vs. 3) became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you (or, become your Father)?” Or again, “I will be his Father and he will be my Son?” And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servant flames of fire.” But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
The major theme of this book is the superiority of Jesus over the Old Testament or old covenant system. He is superior because He is God the Son, who came in the flesh to fulfill this old system by accomplishing salvation for His people through His work of redemption – His birth, death, resurrection and exaltation back into heaven – and by faith in Him both Jews and Gentiles receive forgiveness and salvation. This is the Christian gospel. Yet from the early days of the church, and still today, there has been questions and even controversy over the nature of Jesus as God, and the role of Jesus as Savior and King. Our passage speaks to both of these things, specifically in contrast with the angels.
What makes Jesus superior to the angels? The answer is in verse 4: “So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.” The name of Jesus is divine; it’s His divinity or deity that makes him superior to the angels. The rest of the chapter goes on to prove this point, and to explain what the name of the Son means and why it is true that He is divine. In the minds of most Jewish people angels were messengers from God. They were created beings, which played a significant role in revealing revelation from God in the Old Testament. The serious issue dealt with here, and in other places within the early church, was the danger of seeing Jesus as just another prophet or created being, thus undermining His authority.
Thus the most important point and key truth set forth throughout this book is that Jesus is not just another prophet; He is the final prophet; He is not even an angel, He is greater than the angels; He is not a created being, He is the eternal Son of God. It’s this great truth that gives Jesus the authority to say, “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me.” Thus as we look back at our text from Hebrews 1, we see that the reason Jesus’ name is divine is rooted in the fact that the Son is preexistent and eternal.
In other words, Jesus existed before the angels, and before anything that was created. As the apostle John writes in his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and was God; and through Him (Jesus) all things were made.” The one who was in the beginning with God is eternal – He has no beginning or end – and as we read later in Hebrews: “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
This confirms what was said in verses 2 and 3 of Hebrews 1, that through Him the universe was made and that He – the Son – is the exact representation of His being. So we see first that it is the name of Jesus as the preexistent and eternal Son that sets Him apart, and sets Him above the angels. This is reflected in verse 5, where the first of seven verses from the Old Testament are quoted to support the superiority of Jesus. This one is from Psalm 2: “For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you (or, become your Father)?” The answer is of course “None” and the point is that Jesus is unique; He is begotten, not created. The Psalmist refers to Jesus’ eternal Sonship and the role He will assume when He comes into the world.
The word “begotten” comes from the Greek word “to generate” or to bring forth, not to create. The “only begotten Son” is generated by the Father as they existed in eternity. This establishes a Father-Son relationship in the Godhead and the role of the Son in redemption. In an early church creed – the Nicene Creed – we read and confess this clear truth: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God . . . very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.”
The point of the writer here in Hebrews is to show Jesus’ superiority over the angels by proving His deity and this divine relationship that He has with God the Father. This continues in verse 6 as we read: “And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” Secondly we see that Jesus is “firstborn” in terms of preeminence, not chronology. The word “firstborn,” much like begotten, has at times confused people, but it has nothing to do with being created; rather it refers to rank. It comes from the Greek word meaning premier or prominent; and refers to the preeminent one or highest one, which is exactly the role of Jesus even as He comes into the world.
Paul uses the same term in Colossians 1 when he says: “Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” As the preeminent one, He created all things and is before all things and is over all things – He is supreme. Paul goes on to say that Jesus is not only the firstborn over creation but He is the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. You see, Jesus has the preeminent role in creation and in redemption. The third point in the outline as it relates to the name of Jesus as the “firstborn” is that He is the firstborn from the dead in regard to His resurrection and redemptive role as the Son. God brings Him into this world for this very reason, and when He does according to verse 6, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
A fourth point then is that Jesus is worshipped because He is divine, and the angels serve Him. Only God is worthy of worship, and we hear this worship in Luke 2 when Jesus is born; and we see it again in Revelation 5 after His resurrection and exaltation. One of the primary roles or functions for the angels is to worship God, thus this again speaks to Jesus preeminence as the Son and that the angels serve Him; and this service proves that Jesus is divine. And then a fifth point is the contrast made in verse 8. The angels are servants of Jesus the King – verse 8 – “But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.” The angels are created servants; Jesus is the eternal king. The angels worship Jesus the divine king.
In the context of His eternal throne, Jesus is referred to as God in verse 8, but it’s in the context of His coming into the world that Jesus is exalted based upon His divine work of redemption. It’s important to see that the argument that the writer is making here. Jesus was always superior to the angels, as the Creator and as God the Son; but He has now become better in a different way through His role as the Redeemer.
Jesus did what no angel or created being could ever do. He came to fulfill the words of Psalm 45, as quoted in verse 9 as the divine, yet human Savior – the God-Man – who for a time was made a little lower than the angels in order to achieve salvation for sinful man. We read in verse 9: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” This refers to the life and ministry of Jesus, first on earth, and then in the joy of His resurrection and exaltation, where He now rules over all things, including the angels. The eternal throne is Jesus’ throne; and He sits on this throne not only as the sovereign creator, but now, by virtue of His coming into the world He sits upon the throne as the Sovereign Redeemer, who sat down after making purification for our sins.
This is why Paul says in Philippians 2: “Therefore (on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work upon the cross) God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” The name of Jesus is divine and it has been revealed to us through His work of salvation for us. It was not the role of angels to redeem sinners; it is the role of the Son; and in fulfilling His role He now rules as the Risen King. And so not only is the name of Jesus divine, but the rule of Jesus is divine as well.
The final verses of the chapter support this same theme of Jesus superiority because He is God. Beginning with verse 10: He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?”
The answer to this question, as the one before is simply “None.” No angel is sovereign and no angels rule, they serve, so once again we are directed to the sovereign and eternal nature of Jesus the Son. The summary is this; as I will have to get to the specifics of the second half of the outline next week: The one who was in the beginning with God and who created the heavens and the earth is eternal, and this eternal one entered into the world to conquer the enemies of sin and death, and after conquering them sits down at the right hand of God and reigns until He puts all of His enemies under His feet.
This one is Jesus: our divine Savior and King. So why is this so important for us to believe and be reminded of as Christians today? First, Jesus is the divine Head of His church. His work as Redeemer is finished and He sits on His eternal throne, but the work of His church continues through the message of redemption as proclaimed in the gospel. We worship Jesus as our God when we honor Him as our King. It does not honor Him or benefit the church to accept a message that questions His deity or teachings that undermine His Word. Second, Jesus is the divine priest for His church. Only God can forgive sins; and Jesus as God the Son does this for those who trust Him by faith.
Sinners cannot turn to angels or prophets or religious alters or simply “higher powers” to remove the guilt of sin or to pay the penalty of disobedience to a holy God. Only Jesus has the authority and ability to do this for us, because only Jesus is the divine and perfect Son of God.
The divinity of Christ is what gives us comfort and clarity as believers; and it’s this comfort and clarity that we offer to others in His gospel: Believe and trust fully in the divine person and work of God the Son, Jesus Christ our God and Savior.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC.
Pastor Dennis Bone
5-4-14
Last week as we studied together the introduction to the book of Hebrews, we looked at this presentation of Jesus as divine in the first three verses; and in our passage for this morning the writer continues to make this biblical case for the deity of Christ, specifically in His relationship to the angels. Since the first century the church has faced challenges to the person of Christ and His divinity, from within and without, and the faithful church continues to stands firm upon the truth of God’s Word as revealed to us in the Scripture.
In recent years the Jehovah Witnesses have popularized the lie that Jesus is not God, but a “god” and join the long line of false teachings that view Jesus as simply a great prophet or top-notch angel, who at best helps us out in our efforts to get to God. The book of Hebrews addresses some of the earliest forms of false teaching regarding Jesus, and in this the first chapter of Hebrews 1 the writer uses a multitude of Old Testament passages to prove that Jesus is not only greater or superior to the angels, but that the reason for this is that Jesus is divine: He is God. So please follow along as we hear what he says beginning in verses 4 – 8 of Hebrews chapter 1:
So he (the Son, who sat down at the right hand of God the Father – vs. 3) became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you (or, become your Father)?” Or again, “I will be his Father and he will be my Son?” And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” In speaking of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, his servant flames of fire.” But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
The major theme of this book is the superiority of Jesus over the Old Testament or old covenant system. He is superior because He is God the Son, who came in the flesh to fulfill this old system by accomplishing salvation for His people through His work of redemption – His birth, death, resurrection and exaltation back into heaven – and by faith in Him both Jews and Gentiles receive forgiveness and salvation. This is the Christian gospel. Yet from the early days of the church, and still today, there has been questions and even controversy over the nature of Jesus as God, and the role of Jesus as Savior and King. Our passage speaks to both of these things, specifically in contrast with the angels.
What makes Jesus superior to the angels? The answer is in verse 4: “So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.” The name of Jesus is divine; it’s His divinity or deity that makes him superior to the angels. The rest of the chapter goes on to prove this point, and to explain what the name of the Son means and why it is true that He is divine. In the minds of most Jewish people angels were messengers from God. They were created beings, which played a significant role in revealing revelation from God in the Old Testament. The serious issue dealt with here, and in other places within the early church, was the danger of seeing Jesus as just another prophet or created being, thus undermining His authority.
Thus the most important point and key truth set forth throughout this book is that Jesus is not just another prophet; He is the final prophet; He is not even an angel, He is greater than the angels; He is not a created being, He is the eternal Son of God. It’s this great truth that gives Jesus the authority to say, “I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me.” Thus as we look back at our text from Hebrews 1, we see that the reason Jesus’ name is divine is rooted in the fact that the Son is preexistent and eternal.
In other words, Jesus existed before the angels, and before anything that was created. As the apostle John writes in his gospel: “In the beginning was the Word; the Word was with God and was God; and through Him (Jesus) all things were made.” The one who was in the beginning with God is eternal – He has no beginning or end – and as we read later in Hebrews: “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.”
This confirms what was said in verses 2 and 3 of Hebrews 1, that through Him the universe was made and that He – the Son – is the exact representation of His being. So we see first that it is the name of Jesus as the preexistent and eternal Son that sets Him apart, and sets Him above the angels. This is reflected in verse 5, where the first of seven verses from the Old Testament are quoted to support the superiority of Jesus. This one is from Psalm 2: “For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you (or, become your Father)?” The answer is of course “None” and the point is that Jesus is unique; He is begotten, not created. The Psalmist refers to Jesus’ eternal Sonship and the role He will assume when He comes into the world.
The word “begotten” comes from the Greek word “to generate” or to bring forth, not to create. The “only begotten Son” is generated by the Father as they existed in eternity. This establishes a Father-Son relationship in the Godhead and the role of the Son in redemption. In an early church creed – the Nicene Creed – we read and confess this clear truth: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God . . . very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father.”
The point of the writer here in Hebrews is to show Jesus’ superiority over the angels by proving His deity and this divine relationship that He has with God the Father. This continues in verse 6 as we read: “And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” Secondly we see that Jesus is “firstborn” in terms of preeminence, not chronology. The word “firstborn,” much like begotten, has at times confused people, but it has nothing to do with being created; rather it refers to rank. It comes from the Greek word meaning premier or prominent; and refers to the preeminent one or highest one, which is exactly the role of Jesus even as He comes into the world.
Paul uses the same term in Colossians 1 when he says: “Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” As the preeminent one, He created all things and is before all things and is over all things – He is supreme. Paul goes on to say that Jesus is not only the firstborn over creation but He is the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. You see, Jesus has the preeminent role in creation and in redemption. The third point in the outline as it relates to the name of Jesus as the “firstborn” is that He is the firstborn from the dead in regard to His resurrection and redemptive role as the Son. God brings Him into this world for this very reason, and when He does according to verse 6, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
A fourth point then is that Jesus is worshipped because He is divine, and the angels serve Him. Only God is worthy of worship, and we hear this worship in Luke 2 when Jesus is born; and we see it again in Revelation 5 after His resurrection and exaltation. One of the primary roles or functions for the angels is to worship God, thus this again speaks to Jesus preeminence as the Son and that the angels serve Him; and this service proves that Jesus is divine. And then a fifth point is the contrast made in verse 8. The angels are servants of Jesus the King – verse 8 – “But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.” The angels are created servants; Jesus is the eternal king. The angels worship Jesus the divine king.
In the context of His eternal throne, Jesus is referred to as God in verse 8, but it’s in the context of His coming into the world that Jesus is exalted based upon His divine work of redemption. It’s important to see that the argument that the writer is making here. Jesus was always superior to the angels, as the Creator and as God the Son; but He has now become better in a different way through His role as the Redeemer.
Jesus did what no angel or created being could ever do. He came to fulfill the words of Psalm 45, as quoted in verse 9 as the divine, yet human Savior – the God-Man – who for a time was made a little lower than the angels in order to achieve salvation for sinful man. We read in verse 9: “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” This refers to the life and ministry of Jesus, first on earth, and then in the joy of His resurrection and exaltation, where He now rules over all things, including the angels. The eternal throne is Jesus’ throne; and He sits on this throne not only as the sovereign creator, but now, by virtue of His coming into the world He sits upon the throne as the Sovereign Redeemer, who sat down after making purification for our sins.
This is why Paul says in Philippians 2: “Therefore (on the basis of Christ’s redemptive work upon the cross) God exalted him to the highest place and gave him a name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” The name of Jesus is divine and it has been revealed to us through His work of salvation for us. It was not the role of angels to redeem sinners; it is the role of the Son; and in fulfilling His role He now rules as the Risen King. And so not only is the name of Jesus divine, but the rule of Jesus is divine as well.
The final verses of the chapter support this same theme of Jesus superiority because He is God. Beginning with verse 10: He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. To which of the angels did God ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet?”
The answer to this question, as the one before is simply “None.” No angel is sovereign and no angels rule, they serve, so once again we are directed to the sovereign and eternal nature of Jesus the Son. The summary is this; as I will have to get to the specifics of the second half of the outline next week: The one who was in the beginning with God and who created the heavens and the earth is eternal, and this eternal one entered into the world to conquer the enemies of sin and death, and after conquering them sits down at the right hand of God and reigns until He puts all of His enemies under His feet.
This one is Jesus: our divine Savior and King. So why is this so important for us to believe and be reminded of as Christians today? First, Jesus is the divine Head of His church. His work as Redeemer is finished and He sits on His eternal throne, but the work of His church continues through the message of redemption as proclaimed in the gospel. We worship Jesus as our God when we honor Him as our King. It does not honor Him or benefit the church to accept a message that questions His deity or teachings that undermine His Word. Second, Jesus is the divine priest for His church. Only God can forgive sins; and Jesus as God the Son does this for those who trust Him by faith.
Sinners cannot turn to angels or prophets or religious alters or simply “higher powers” to remove the guilt of sin or to pay the penalty of disobedience to a holy God. Only Jesus has the authority and ability to do this for us, because only Jesus is the divine and perfect Son of God.
The divinity of Christ is what gives us comfort and clarity as believers; and it’s this comfort and clarity that we offer to others in His gospel: Believe and trust fully in the divine person and work of God the Son, Jesus Christ our God and Savior.
©You’re welcome to recycle these resources for your church free of charge. However, if you find them useful, please consider making a donation to the ministry of GCC.
