We have referred to this passage in Hebrews a couple of times. But now let’s take a brief but closer look.
·
First, notice the words in italics in most
English versions. Twice in these verses
the word “His” is italicized. That means
it is not in the original Greek but has been supplied by the translators in the
belief that it makes better sense. The
one in v2 is critical in my view: …has in these last days spoken to us by
Son. Not “His Son” but simply “by
Son.” What does that mean? It means God has spoken by the essence of
sonship. It means the Son is not just
speaking God’s words; the Son is the essence of what God is saying. We’ll come to the other in a moment. Not only was Jesus not an angel; He was not a
partner or clone or anything else. A
father can only beget a son that is the same nature as he, the father, is. Jesus was/is a Son.
·
Notice the contrast between “time past” and “these
last days.” The former refers to what we
call the Old Testament, the latter is the New Testament. The speaking of God in Christ brought about
something new, that could only be revealed in this unmediated way.
·
Note the distinction between “prophets” and “Son.” In time past the prophets were separate from
God; they had to say, ‘Thus saith the LORD.’
In these last days the Son is the message and messenger, the revealer
and revelation.
·
Note “various times and in various ways” and “by
Son.” What God did in Christ was to
speak with finality. There was one
Incarnation, God speaking in one person and time. The new testament message is “the faith which
was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3).
·
Then note the several titles or descriptions of
who the Son is and how this effects God speaking by Him. As “heir of all things” He is the subject of
all that is to be done through the revelation.
“He made the worlds,” meaning He has a connection with all
creation. He is “the brightness of (His)
glory and the express image of His person.”
In other words, as we have already seen, He is fully God in the
flesh. “Upholding all things by the word
of His power” means He is the “Word” of creation, as John 1 indicated. His word is powerful, this word that God is
speaking by Son. He “purged our sins,”
His sacrifice that is the transition from the old to the new testaments. Jesus is intimately involved with what God
speaks by Him.
There is so much about our Lord Jesus Christ
that tells us that God has said all that we need to hear when He spoke “by Son.” Jesus is the “Word” who became flesh (Jn.
1:1). He is the Prophet (Ac. 3:22) who
speaks the word of God with perfect clarity.
He is the Light that shines in a dark world (Jn. 8:12; 1:4). He is called Teacher or Rabbi, the perfect master
of His message (John 1:38; 13:13). He is
the Son, whose intimate oneness with the Father (Jn. 1:18) enables Him to
disclose the very mind of His Father. He
is God’s final and perfect revelation!
This revelation has come to us today through the Scriptures. Christ, the Living Word is given to us in the
Written Word. "Whoever wants a
living Savior can have him only in the garments of Scripture; whoever wants a
holy Word of God can have it only as it is the continuance of the modality of
the incarnation, as the inspired report of Je-sus Christ." (Bernard Ramm)
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