Hebrews 1:3-4

The focus of this week’s study in Hebrews is Ch 1 vs. 3 and 4, regarding Christ’s work of redemption.  The text in Hebrews says:

1:3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (ESV)

In just these few words, highlighted by bold font in the above text, is the briefest summary of the great work of Christ in the enabling the new creation of the New Covenant (Testament), namely that we have been made righteous in God’s sight, and completely and finally so.  We see in a single phrase in the beginning of verse 3 that Christ upholds the entire universe by the word of his power, and in the closing phrase of this same verse he accomplished the great act of redemption that has been awaited since the explosion from the Garden many millennia before.  If there is one single verse in the Bible that expresses more dramatically and succinctly that which is wonderfully beyond any full human comprehension this verse has to be on the short list as it expresses his upholding both the physical creation of everything in Space-Time and the new creation of our righteous standing before God.

The charts for this week’s study are given below (which includes a few corrections since the original posting):

Study #4 is here: