Hebrews
I.
The God who is is a God of revelation, He speaks - Heb.1:1 ; Amos 3:7 .
Scripture
records God’s Propositional Revelation in words. (Revelation is not an event or
an action or an experience as some modern theologians have tried to define it.)
God
speaks through His servants - II Pet.1:20 , using declarative statements
that can be verified or falsified through the use of reason and logic - Acts 17:10-11 .
The
doctrine of Inspiration - II
Tim.3:16 , stands or falls with this truth.
II.
God’s revelation has culminated in His son Jesus Christ - Heb.1:2 .
Jesus
is the final word on what God has spoken – Mat.17:5 ; Mk.12:6 ;
Jn.1:17-18 .
When
Jesus comments on previous revelation, He is the final authority. I Pet.1:11; Rev.19:10d .
When
Jesus gives new revelation, instruction or commandment, He speaks with the full
authority of God Jn.15:15 ;
Gal.4:4-7 .
III.
Jesus Christ is preeminent in all things. He is heir of all things – Heb.1:2c ;
Mt.28:18 ; Jn.3:35 ; 13:3 ; 16:15 ; 17:2-5 ; I
Cor.8:6Eph.1:18-23 ;
Phil.29-11; Col.1:15-20 .
IV.
Jesus Christ is one with God as creator of all things – Heb.1:2e ;
Is.45:11 - 12Jn.1:3 ; Col.1:16-17 .
V.
Jesus Christ shares all of the attributes of God the Father, both communicable
and incommunicable –
Lk.1:35
– “the Holy Offspring...The Son of God”;
Ps.99:5.
The Father is Holy and the Son
is Holy
(of
course the Holy Spirit is also Holy):
both in essence: (metaphysical,
nonmoral attributes)
“Set Apartness” Jn.1:1-3; 17:5;
And in character: moral uniqueness, absolute
perfection – Jn.8:46; Heb.4:15; Ps.92:15.
There cannot be more than one
absolutely perfect, Holy Being. For there to be more than one they would have
to differ in some way, otherwise they would be the same, they would be one. To
differ would mean that one would have to posses a perfection that the other
lacked, but then the one who lacked would be less than perfect. God is “The
Holy One” Hos.11:9; Jesus is “The Holy One” Acts 3:14.
Jesus Christ is What God is: “The radiance of His glory” – Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God’s
essential being (compare I
Cor.15:40-41 ). Jn.1:1 ,14 ; II
Cor.4:6
Jesus Christ is Who God is: “The exact representation (Gk. character) of His
nature”,
In
His personal character attributes. Jn.14:9-10; Col.1:15
Jesus Christ does What God Does: “Upholds all things by the word
of His power” – Col.1:17 ; Rev.4:11
page 2.
The
attributes of God are the essential traits of His being, His nature and
His activities.
What
(essence): Nonmoral (not immoral),
Incommunicable, Metaphysical.
Pure
Actuality- “I
Am”-ness, Isness, Being (Ex.3:14; Jn.8:58)
Simple- Indivisible- “God is one” (Deut.6.4 ; Jn.14:9)
Aseity- Self Existent (Ps.90:2; Jn.1:1, 3)
Necessity – 1) His nonexistence is not possible,
2)
His existence is essential to all being,
3)
His essence is to exist, 4) His essence and existence are identical. - (Acts
17:23-25; Ro.11:36; Col.1:17).
A
Necessary Being is one that cannot not exist. God is that being.
Immutability – Changeless (Mal.3:6; Heb.1:10-12;
Jas.1:17; Heb.13:8)
Eternality – Above and Beyond Time (Nontemporal,
Timelessness) – Is.57:15; II Tim.1:9; Heb.1:2e-
[There
are 3 states of being regarding duration in time and eternity; 1. Temporal-
having beginning and end (earthly creatures including man). 2. Aeviternal-
having beginning but no end (Angels and resurrected men). 3. Eternal - having
no beginning and no end (God only).]
Immateriality
and Immensity – Nonspatial and Not Measurable.
God is present at every
point in space
but He is not part of space or
confined to it or
limited by it. Gen.1:1; Jn.1:3.
Infinity – Non Finite (Limitless in His Being)
–
I
Kngs.8:27; Col.1:17; Ps.90:2; Ro.5:20-grace.
Impassibility – Not subject to passion. This
attribute is easily misunderstood and is rejected by many. When properly
understood it is obvious that it follows from many of God’s other attributes
such as absolute perfection, sovereignty, pure actuality and immutability. This
does not mean that God is without feelings; it means that His feelings are not
subject to outside influence. His feelings flow from His own essential nature
and do not change. It does not mean that God is static and immobile: God does
act but not because He is moved to do so by others. He remains the Unmoved
Mover of all else. Is.40:13-14, 28; Num.23:19. God does have feelings, even
different feelings but not changing feelings. He always feels good about good things
and bad about bad things. God does not change, we change and move under another
unchangeable attribute of God. God is not reactive but proactive in His
feelings. He has sensitivity but not sentimentality - Eph.4:30; Ps.45:7;
Det.29:20; Heb.11:6.
Omnipotence – Almighty (Heb. shaddai; Gk.
pantokrator)
Is.9:6; 10:21.
Omnipresence – Everywhere at once –
Ps.139:7-10;
Mt.28:20.
Omniscience – All
knowing – Heb.413; Jn.5:25.
Omnisapience – All wise – Jude 25 KJV; I Cor.1:24.
Light – God is spiritual light –
Is.60:19-20;
He
gives spiritual light – Ps.19:8; He is the
Great
Illuminator – Jn.8:12; I Tim.6:16;
His
glory is radiant – Is.60:1; Mt.17:2.
Majesty – The greatest, most eminent,
most
exalted most glorious being conceivable.
Rev.4:11;
5:12; Ps.104:1.
Beauty – That aspect of God’s being that when
perceived
produces in the beholder an
overwhelming
sense of pleasure and delight - Ps. 96:9; Is.33:17. The fact that beauty is
universally accepted to exist in degrees, that is to say some things are more
beautiful and some are less, infers irresistibly that there is an objective
standard for beauty. That standard is the source of all beauty. That objective
standard is God’s nature and is the ultimate basis for knowing what is
beautiful.
Immortal
Life – God is alive
(He is life in the essence of His being) and He is the source of all life –
Jer.10:10; Jn.1:4.
page 3.
Unity and Triunity - There is only one God,
not two or more. God is not made up of
parts.
He is Simple as we have seen. There are three
Persons in the one God. He is three
Who’s and
one What. God has three “I’s” in His
one “It” –
there are three Subjects in one Object.
All of this is a great mystery, but it
is not a
contradiction. To say that there are
the three
beings in one being (essences in one
essence)
would
be a contradiction. To say there are three
persons
in one person would also be a
contradiction.
Deut.6:4 – The most significant
declaration in
scripture of whom and what God is; a
declaration
of unity in plurality. “Jehovah our God
(Elohim
= plural) is one (Echad = unity in plurality; Gen.2:24) Jehovah.” Jn.14:9-11,
16-18.
Who (character): Moral, Communicable
Who (character): Moral, Communicable
(do
not necessitate infinitude).
Holiness – Absolute moral purity, absolute
moral
perfection
– Ex.15:11; Lev.19:2; Acts 4:25-27;
Jn.17:9;
Heb.2:11; I Jn.3:3.
Righteousness – Justice (intrinsically absolutely just),
“Right”-ness – God is the basis and the standard for
justice
– Zeph.3:5; I Jn.2:1. Jesus made it possible
for
man to be righteous (extrinsically – added to him,
not
of his internal nature) – Ro.3:21-26; 8:3-4; Phip.3:9.
Jealousy – Holy Zeal, Angry Wrath – Ex.20:5; 34:14;
Jn.2:17
– God declares that His name is “Jealous.”
He
is jealous for His name, His people, His land
and
His city and against idols, other gods and
other
sins. God’s jealousy is always right and never
wrong,
with man there is inconsistency, never with
God.
But even with man godly jealousy is right –
II
Cor.11:2; Num.5:11-31.
Perfection – Morally Impeccable, Complete,
Without
Blemish,
Whole, Finished – Deut.32:4; Heb.2:10;
Mt.5:48.
Truthfulness – Faithful, Real, Reliable, Correct,
Upright
– Heb.6:16-18; Jn.14:6.
Goodness/
Love – Omnibenevolence,
Loving-kindness,
Good
Will – Jer.31:13; I Jn.3:16.
Activities
Sovereignty – God’s authority over all things,
God’s governance over His creation, God’s
right
to control all things. “God, from all eternity,
did,
by the most wise and holy counsel of His own
will,
freely, and unchangeably ordain whatever
comes
to pass.” The Westminster
Because
God is the Creator and the Sustainer of all
things,
He has dominion over all things.
Sovereignty
is not an attribute of God; it flows from
and
is in accordance with His attributes, but it is
an
activity of God as He relates to His creation. Ps.115:3;135:6; Rev.19:16.
Mercy – Ransom, Compassion, Kindness, Pity,
Sympathy,
Propitiation /the Mercy Seat –
Ex.15:13;
34: 7; Heb.13:5; Mt.28: 20a.
Mercy
is not an attribute of God; it is an act of God
flowing
from His attributes particularly His Goodness
and
Love. It is Everlasting, Faithful, Unfailing, and Longsuffering. God’s mercy is
received by the
repentant
– Num.14:9; I Jn.2:1-2.
Wrath – Burning Anger, Fury, Rage –
Rev.6:16.
Wrath
is not an attribute of God; it is an act
that
flows from His attributes, particularly His
Righteousness,
Holiness and Jealousy. God’s wrath
is
for the unrepentant – Ro.1:18; 2: 4-9.
page 4.
The superiority of the Son of God over the
Angels of God.
A. The Son of God:
1. The Son is better than the Angels; He is the Heir of God,
He has a more
excellent name than the Angels. vs. 4
2. God calls Him “My Son”, “Begotten Son”, “a Son to Me”.
vs. 5
II San.7:14; I Ch.17:13-14; 22:10; Ps.2:7;
89:26-29; Jn.3:16; Acts 13:33;
Heb.5:5; I Jn.4:9.
3. He is God’s “First Born”; He is to be worshiped by the
Angels. vs. 6
Ps.89:27; Jn.1:14,
18; Ro.8:29 ; Col.1:15;
Rev.1:5 ; 5:9-12 .
4. He is God (the Son); He has an eternal throne and a kingdom.
vs. 8
Ps.45:6; 72:1-14 ; 145:13 ; Is.9:7; 32:1 ; 45:21-22; Jer.23:5; 33:15 ;
Zech.9: 9.
5. The Son is God, “God the Anointed”, He is above His
companions. vs. 9
6. He is LORD of
creation. vs. 10
Ps.8:3;19:1;102:
25-27; Is.48:12-13; Jn.1:1-3 ;
Col.1:16-17; Rev.3:14.
7. He is eternal. vs.11
8. He is unchanging. vs. 12
Jn.8:58;
Heb13:8.
9. He is seated at the right hand of God; God Himself will
defeat all of the
enemies of the Son. vs. 13
Ps.2:8; 21:8-9; 110:1; 132:18;
Is.63:3-6; Mt.24:44; Acts 7:55 ;
Eph.1:20; I Pet. 3:22.
B. The Angels:
1. They are less perfect than the Son in inheritance and in
name. vs. 4
I Cor.6:3;
Heb.2:5.
2. No Angel is God’s begotten Son. vs. 5
Job 1:6;
2:1.
3. Angels are to worship the Son. vs. 6
Ps.103:20;
4. Angels are ministers and servants of God. vs. 7
I
Kng.22:19; Job 1:6 ; Ps.104:4 ; 103:20-21; Dan.7:10 ;
5. No Angel is invited to sit at God’s right hand. vs. 13
6. Angels are ministering
spirits whose job it is to serve those who
will inherit salvation. vs. 14
page 5
Hebrews chapter two
1)
A word of warning: With all of the
astounding and beautiful declarations and revelations of chapter one in mind we
need to pause and reflect on the impact of what has been said.
a)
Jesus Christ is to be the focus of our attention above all else; who He is,
what He is, what He has said and what He has done is doing and will do.
b)
The nature of reality is twofold including the visible material world in which
we live and move as well as the invisible realm in which the angels live and
move. Jesus is Lord over both realms.
c)
We have need of remembering what God has revealed: Deut.4:9 – “Be careful...do
not forget.”
d)
We have
need of applying what we have learned:
Jas. 1:22-25 -
But prove
yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For
if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at
his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone
away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who
looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it,
not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be
blessed in what he does.
2-3)
The Law and the Gospel: We know that
the Law and the Prophets are unalterable (Mt.5:18) and we have the record of
the consequences of ignoring them.
How
much more so the words and the gospel of Jesus Christ who is Lord over all and
superior to the Prophets and the Angels (Acts 7:53 – the angels were active in
the giving of the Law).
4)
God Himself has validated the Apostles
teachings regarding Jesus:
a)
Signs – semion – An event or
occurrence that transcends the normal course of nature through which God
validates the message and authority of His servant. A “Sign” points to God’s man and God’s message.
(Sometimes translated into English as miracle)
b)
Wonders – teras – That which causes
astonishment and terror in those who observe it through which God declares
Himself; God’s self attestation through astounding demonstration. (Never occurs
alone in the New Testament)
c)
Miracles – dunamis – Mighty works of
power, ability and strength beyond the natural realm.
d)
Gifts of the Holy Spirit – merismos –
A portion, share or part of the whole of the catalog of gifts that God provides
to the Body of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
5)
The privileged position of man:
a)
The world to come promised to redeemed mankind.
Mt.25:34; I Cor.2:9; II Pet.3:13; I Jn.3:2
6)
The object of God’s consideration:
a)
He will not forget His love for mankind.
Lk.1:68-75; Jn. 3:16; II Cor.6:1-2; I
Jn.4:9-10
7)
Crowned: God bestows value upon His
creation mankind, the “Crown of Creation.”
a)
With glory/Kabod = worthiness; in the
image and likeness of God,
male and female. Gen.1:26-27; Ro.5:8
male and female. Gen.1:26-27; Ro.5:8
b)
With honor/hadar = ornamentation,
splendor; the image of God,
man has intrinsic value, his life is valuable to God.
man has intrinsic value, his life is valuable to God.
Gen.9:6; I Cor.11:7; Jas.3:9
page 6
8) Man’s
dominion over creation: Ps.8:4-8
a) In the beginning, before
the fall.
Gen.1:28-31
b) Not yet, until the regeneration.
Job
41; Mt.19:28
c) In the future.
Isa.65:17-25; II Tim.2:12; Rev.5:
9-10; 20:6; 22:5
9) We see Jesus: Gen.3:15; Isa.7:14-15; 9: 6-7; 11:1-5
a) Suffering servant
Isa.52:13- 53:12; Phil.2:7-8;
Heb.10:5-7
b) Crowned King
Phil.2:9-11; Rev.19:11-16
c) All sufficient sacrifice
Jn.1:29; 11:50-52; 12:32; Ro.5:8,
18; 8:3-4, 32-39;
II Cor.5:14-15; Gal.4:4; I Tim.2:5-6;
I Jn.2:2
10) The Author of salvation: Heb.12:2
a) All things are for Him.
Isa.43:21; Ro.11:36; I Cor.8:6;
b) All things are through Him.
II Cor.5:18; Col.1:16-20
c) Brings many sons to glory
through His suffering.
Hos.1:10; Ro.8:29-30; II Cor.6:18;
Rev.7:9-10
d) Perfect through sufferings.
Lk.24:26, 46-47; Jn.19:30;
Col.2:13-14; Heb.5:8-10
11) One Father: Ro.8:15
a) He who sanctifies
Jn.10:36;
17:19; Heb.10:10, 14; 13:12
b) Those who are sanctified
Jn.17:21; Acts 20:32; 26:18; I Cor.1:2
c)
Brethren
Gal.4:4; Heb.11:16;
Mt.12:48-50; 25:40;
28:10; 20:17; Ro.8:29
12) Our Brother: Eph.1:5
a) “I will proclaim Thy name.
Ps.22:22, 25; 111:1
b) “In the midst of the congregation”
Ps.40:10; 89:1
13) I will put My trust in Him: Ps.118:8
Ps.18:2; 91:2; Isa.50:7-9Mt.27:43
a) I and the children God gave Me.
Isa.53:10; Jn.10:29; 17:6-12
page 7
14) Flesh and Blood:
a) He Himself.
Gen.3:15; Isa.7:14; Jn.1:14;
Phil.2:7-8; I Tim.3:16;
Heb.2:18; 4:15
b) Through death.
Isa.53:12; Jn.12:24, 31-33; Ro.14:9; Heb.9:15;
Rev.1:18
c) Destroy the power of the devil.
Isa.25:8; Hos.13:14; I
Cor.15:54-55; II Tim.1:10; I Jn.3:8-10
15) Deliver:
a) From death.
Ps.56:13; 89:48; II Cor.1:10
b) From
fear
c) From slavery.
Ro.8:15; II Tim.1:17
16) Children
of Abraham: Mat.1:1
a)
Physical descendents
Gen.12:1-3; 15:1-21; 17:18-21; 22:15-18;
26:24-25;
25:21-26;
27:26-30; 28:10-16; 49:1-27; Is.41:8-14
b) Spiritual descendents
Ro.4: 16; Gal.3:29
17)
The Perfect High Priest: Exodus
chapters 28+29
the
office of the Levitcal High Priest
a) The offerings made by the Aaronic priests
Leviticus chapters 1-7; The sin
offering Lev.6:25 –
“It is
Most Holy.”
b) Our superior High Priest
Heb.7:17-28; Phip.2:7-8; II Cor.5:21; Ro.5:10;
Rev.1:5; Heb.9:14
18)
Tempted;
a) Mt.4:1-10; 26:37-39; 41-56;
Heb.4:15-16; 5:1-10
Jesus the God/ man: Mt.3:17 + 4:1-2; 8:23-27 + 29;
Lk.2:52 + Jn.20:27-30; Jn.1:14 + 4:5-6;
11:35; 19:28 + 34;
Ro.1:2-3; Heb.1:2-3, 4-6, 8-13 + 2:14, 17-18;
4:15
Jesus is the perfect mediator between
God and man because
He
is the exact representation of God to man: Heb.1:2-3;
Jn.14:9; 12:44-45; Acts 4:12
Jesus
is the perfect mediator between man and God because
He is the perfect representation of humanity
before God:
Heb.2:10-12, 14, 17-18; 4:15; 5:7-9; I
Tim. 2:1-6
No comments:
Post a Comment