Hebrews 1:1-2:9
God has spoken! The one who holds the universe together tasted death for us, and now in Him we can inherit salvation.
One of the last lines in “O Come, All Ye Faithful” describes Jesus as “Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.” This line recognizes an important reality about Jesus in Scripture: Jesus is the fullest revelation possible of who God is. So while God is holy and mysterious, we must also recognize that God determined to take on human flesh and become fully man in order to reveal Himself more fully to us. Through the very act of the incarnation, we can know that God loves us because He came to earth to identify with us, die for us, and adopt us as His children.
Read Hebrews 1:1-4:
- What is the significance of Jesus being the “radiance of God’s glory” and the “exact imprint of his nature”?
- According to the author of Hebrews, how is Jesus superior to the angels? (If you’d like, you can read the rest of Hebrews 1 for more comparisons.)
- What do you think it means that Jesus “upholds the universe by the word of his power”?
Read Hebrews 2:1-4:
- According to the author of Hebrews, why is it important to pay attention to the message that has been preached to us?
- How does the author support the claim that the message about Jesus is true and reliable?
Read Hebrews 2:5-9:
- What is the significance of Jesus being made “a little lower than the angels”?
- How does this relate to Jesus’ role as the Savior of humanity?
- What is the purpose of Jesus’ suffering and death, according to the author? How does this help us understand the significance of his resurrection?
Taking it Home:
- What kind of impact should Jesus’ role as both the creator and sustainer of this present world (Hebrews 1:2-3, Hebrews 1:10-12) and also the ruler of the world to come (Hebrews 2:5-8) have on the way we view and treat the natural world and the resources within it?
- How can we make sure that we are paying attention to the message about Jesus and not neglecting this great salvation?
Ways to Pray:
- Adoration: Praise Jesus for being the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his nature.
- Contrition: Confess any ways in which you have failed to let the message about Jesus permeate the way you think and live.
- Thankfulness: Thank Jesus for being made “a little lower than the angels” and for suffering and dying on our behalf.
- Supplication: Ask for guidance in living your life in a way that reflects the truth of Jesus’ superiority and role as the Savior of humanity.
Additional Scriptures to Engage with this week:
- Philippians 2:5-11
- Psalm 110
- Romans 8
- 1 John 2:23-3:3
- Romans 14:7-15:7
- 2 Corinthians 4