The Epistle to the Hebrews: Chapter 1
Hebrews: A Study
By Jinu Ninan
Chapter 1:
Jesus Christ: The Son of God, Superior to Angels
The first chapter of Hebrews begins by emphasizing the supremacy of Jesus Christ. From chapter 2 onward, the author explains Christ’s humility, His humanity, and His role as the High Priest through His death and resurrection. But first, it is essential to establish His greatness and divinity.
The author explains that Jesus, the Son of God, is the almighty Creator, Sustainer, and Ruler of the universe.
Verse 1:
"In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son."
The author begins by showing the partial nature of the Old Testament revelations and the completeness of the New Testament revelation in Christ. God communicated with His people in different ways and at different times, but these were limited. In the last days, He has fully revealed His thoughts through His Son. The author clarifies the fundamental difference between God speaking through past prophets and speaking through His Son in the final age.
The earliest revelations of God’s nature were given to the Jewish patriarchs. Yet, these Old Testament revelations were incomplete. Christians now understand the full revelation through Christ and interpret the Old Testament in light of it. Any later messages that contradict the revelation in Christ do not need to be accepted.
Through Christ, not only the divine message but also the nature of God is fully revealed. God always wanted to interact with His people, communicate His plans, reveal His character, and make His will known. He interacted with humanity through prophets, angels, and kings. But all these revelations were limited, and none could fully disclose God’s essence. Even those claiming to safeguard God’s word often misrepresented Him.
Therefore, in this final age, God sent His Son to the earth to fully reveal His plan, His purposes, and His nature. Through Christ, God made Himself known completely and communicated His thoughts fully.
Verse 2:
"But He made the Son heir of all things, and through Him, He created the universe."
Here, the Scripture emphasizes that Jesus, as the Son of God, is heir and Sustainer of all. God the Father created the universe through the Son and for the Son.
Verse 3:
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word."
The Son perfectly reflects God’s glory and essence. God’s fullness dwells in Him. While prophets had limited understanding, the Son reveals God completely in bodily form.
(See John 1:14, 17–18: “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son… full of grace and truth. No one has ever seen God; the one and only Son… has made Him known.”)
The Son sustains everything by His powerful word. As God’s Son, He is not only involved in creation but actively maintains and governs it.
Verse 3 (continued):
"After purifying people from their sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
Hebrews highlights two key roles of Jesus:
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As the Holy Lamb of God: His death paid for humanity’s sins and accomplished redemption.
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As the eternal High Priest: He continually intercedes for us before God.
The old covenant sacrifices, involving animals and offerings, could not permanently remove sin. Therefore, Jesus’ death as a sacrifice and His entrance into the heavenly sanctuary ensures eternal redemption for all believers. His resurrection and exaltation to the Father’s right hand demonstrate His victory and continuing priestly role.
Believers are forgiven the moment they trust in Him and accept Him as Lord, entering a restored relationship with God. If they sin again, they must repent and approach God’s mercy, as Jesus continues His intercessory work at God’s right hand.
The author develops this theme using Psalm 110:
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Verse 1: Christ sits at God’s right hand.
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Verse 4: Christ is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.
Verse 4:
"The Son is superior to the angels; the name He has inherited is superior to theirs."
Through His resurrection, Jesus completed redemption for humanity and now sits at God’s right hand. He holds a name above all names (cf. Philippians 2:8–9).
Verses 5 and 13 of Psalm 2 affirm Christ’s superiority over angels:
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Verse 5: “You are my Son; today I have begotten You.”
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Verse 13: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”
Between these, verses 6–12 further establish His supremacy:
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All angels must worship the Son (v.6). Angels are not eligible to receive worship; only God is.
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The Son is God (v.7–8).
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The Son is eternal (v.8).
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The Son is the anointed One (Messiah/Christ) (v.9).
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The Son is the Creator of heaven and earth (v.10).
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The Son is eternal, unique, and His reign never ends (v.11–12).
Thus, the author affirms that Christ is God, the Creator, eternal, superior to angels, and worthy of worship.
Verse 13:
"Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."
This prophecy is fulfilled in Hebrews 10:12–18, showing Jesus’ eternal priesthood and kingship at God’s right hand. All New Testament references to Christ at God’s right hand (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69; Acts 5:31; 7:55–56; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 10:12, 1:3, etc.) draw from Psalm 110:1.
By quoting Psalm 110 repeatedly, the author establishes Christ’s divinity, messianic authority, kingship, and lordship, emphasizing His superiority over angels and His eternal priesthood.
Summary
In this chapter, Hebrews clearly demonstrates:
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How Christ, exalted through His resurrection and continuing priesthood, is superior to angels.
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His dual role: as the sacrificial Lamb of God (redeeming humanity) and as the eternal High Priest (interceding for us).
In later chapters, the author beautifully explains Christ’s humanity and His ongoing priesthood. These sections can be studied in subsequent lessons.