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. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Hebrews 1:3 (NASB1995)
In the first two verses of Hebrews, the writer tells us that God is speaking; first through His Old Testament prophets, then in “these last days” through His Son. We are further told that Jesus is the “heir of all things” and the Creator, but in today’s verse, the writer elaborates in greater detail on the nature of Christ. Indeed, we are told five facts about Christ that qualify Him as God’s supreme messenger.
The first fact is that “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature.” To put it in human terms, Christ bears the family resemblance of His Father God – both in person and nature. We can reflect on how often this is the case with our children, who may be like us – it is God’s way. The writer paints a picture reminiscent of the sunrise in its radiance, but in this text, we are reading of the Son rising. Both the sun and Son dispel darkness; both are the works of the glory of God, of which Christ is the most profound representation. (2 Cor.4:4, Phil. 2:6, Col. 1:15).
The second fact is that Christ “upholds all things by the word of His power.” Not only is He the Creator, but He upholds/sustains all Creation. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together,” says Colossians 1:17. This is beautifully described in John 1:1-3, where we see our Lord’s pre-existence with His Father and His role as Creator/Upholder.
The third fact is that Christ “made purification of sins,” which was His primary purpose on earth (Titus 2:14, Heb. 9:14). In the Old Testament, we saw man’s imperfect efforts at purification from sin in the Law of the Temple. This verse makes the first mention of a “better way” (a repeated phrase in Hebrews) in Christ’s new covenant.
The fourth fact is that after completing His redeeming work, “He sat down at the right hand” of God (Heb. 10:12, 12:2). His work is completed, thus He sits down. Contrast this with when Stephen sees Christ standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55-56), which has been suggested to show our Lord at work, praying and preparing to receive Stephen.
The fifth fact is that He sat down at the right hand of “the Majesty on high.” After purification for all sin is made, He sat down at the right hand of His Father – the place of the highest honor that can only be for the Son of God ( Ps.110:1,2 Pet.1:17).
Dear Reader, I apologise for the length of this study today, but it is an amazing verse that tells us in great detail about our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He is infinitely qualified to redeem us and deliver the message of the Good News to all mankind – the greatest gift of all!
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
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