Christ’s superiority over angels; why is there a need to explain this seemingly obvious topic in the faith? We’ll start off this Bible study series on Hebrews with some background information about the book to better understand who the author is, the intended audience, and the prevailing thought(s) during the time this book was written.
First, let’s begin with the author of Hebrews. Through the ages, the Church has debated the authorship of this book and has made several claims. Some have claimed that the author is Paul the Apostle, while others assert that it may be either Luke, Barnabas, Apollos, Silas, Philip, or Priscilla. The Eastern church believed that the ideas came from Paul but someone else wrote it, which was later accepted by the Western church until the Reformation. Either way, for students of the Bible it’s our objective to study scripture to understand the Holy Spirit’s instruction regarding the topics discussed, which are fundamental principles of the faith.
Secondly, we must address the intended audience which helps us to analyze and establish to whom this book was written for. The audience is of course all believers; however, the author is addressing a concern, correcting a view that must have been prevalent among the 1st and 2nd generation Jews who had received Christ. The author references the Old Testament, which would have resonated with the Jews as most would have known the Old Testament scriptures.
Interestingly, the topics that are discussed by the author’s begins first with the pursuit of correcting a misunderstanding regarding angels, and the deity of Christ, followed by progression of key principles of the faith.
- Jesus is superior to angels (Hebrews 1:15 – 2:18)
- Jesus the High Priest (Hebrews 3:1 – 5:10)
- The Melchizedek priesthood (Hebrews 5:11 – 10:39)
- Faith and endurance in the struggle (Hebrews 11:1 – 12:13)
- Warning & community life (Hebrews 12:14 – 13:21)
- Closing (Hebrews 12:22 – 25)
Chapter 1
We have titled this chapter, Christ’s Superiority Over Angels because one of the main themes here is to assert Christ’s Lordship and the fact that Jesus is not subordinate to angels. God’s method of communication is immediately stated, and the author is adamant about establishing how the Lord communicates in the Church Age, or in the New Testament. Rather than sending prophets to speak on God’s behalf, Christ is the one who has spoken – once and for all. It is God speaking to us directly through His Son who has brought the faith and has established the Church. Moreover, the author delineates the Son’s role and the relationship to the Father. It is stated in verse two, “through whom also He made the universe”. So, the Son is not an angel, and He is not a subordinate to the angels. In fact, He was there with the Father during the time of creation, in which through Him the universe was made. This makes sense as the word of God is taught by the Holy Spirit and through Him directly, we are instructed. More will be said in later chapters regarding that understanding.
Regarding the issue of angels, there are two primary reasons as to why such a belief was prevalent. First, during the time of the Second Temple Judaism, had an excessive reliance upon angels which posed a threat to the pre-eminence of Christ among Jewish Christians in the 1st century. Secondly, a heretical teaching at the time insisted that once approach God only through angels. Basically, to get to God you had to go through angels. Ultimately, Christ is the only intermediary between the Father and mankind, thus, reliance on angels for deliverance is blasphemy. Colossians 2:18 and Revelation 19:9 state the following:
Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has [a]not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
9 Then he (this is the angel) said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Following the establishment of this truth, it’s natural that the author supports this fact with examples from the Old Testament. He establishes Christ’ Godship, the Son as a part of the Holy Trinity.
Here are the following verses and the Old Testament scripture that is referenced:
- Verse 5 – “I will be his Father and he will be my Son” 2 Samuel 7:14 and, “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him who was before you” 1 Chronicles 17:13
- Verse 6 – “Let all God’s angels worship Him” Deuteronomy 32:43
- Verse 7 – In speaking of the angels, the author states the following: “He makes His angels spirits, and His servants flames of fire” – Psalm 104:4
The angels are subordinate and changing, and God does what He wants.
- Verse 8 through 9 – But about the Son he says: “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. – Psalm 45:6
“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God has set you above your companions by anointing you with oil of joy” – Psalm 45:7
- Verse 10 through 12 – “In the beginning 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 the up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end”. – Psalm 102:25 – 27
- Verse 13 – To which of the angels did God ever say: “sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet” – Psalm 110:1
Finally, the author states that “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Of course, we know that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve the Lord and believers. Hence, it’s important that we learn this critical fact of Christ’s Superiority Over Angels, and to dismiss false religions that have sprung up claiming that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. Knowing the Bible and the fundamentals of the Christian creed such as believing that Christ’s superiority over angels is a fact, we’ll succumb to the many false narratives devised by Satan to deviate us from knowing Jesus as the Son of God and the second person of the Holy Trinity.
If you are ready to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, all it takes is a reevaluation of your life, and the understanding that you can not achieve salvation through works – based on your merits. Jesus cam to die for our sins and through Him alone are we saved. Romans 10:9 states If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
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