The Son Is The Radiance of God’s Glory
Hebrews 1:3 New International Version
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The word glory here can also mean splendor or honor. It is Jesus who manifest the glory of Almighty God. Even during His earthly ministry when He emptied Himself of His heavenly glory and did all things as a human man, He still manifested the glory of the Father. Through His many miracles, He demonstrated the authority He has as The Son of God over creation. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth, and even those under the earth (Phil 2:10).
But it is the Son who is the radiance of God’s glory. The writer of Hebrews has the specific mission and focus to show the supremacy of Christ. Jesus is greater than the angels. Jesus is greater than Moses and the Old Covenant. The Jewish Christians who were considering abandoning faith in Christ needed to see that to abandon Jesus is to abandon hope. To abandon Jesus is to abandon salvation. To abandon Jesus is to abandon Almighty God. To abandon Jesus and return to the law would leave them with nothing.
But not only is Jesus the radiance of God’s glory, He is the exact representation of His being. To see Jesus is to see the Father (John 14:9). Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead manifested in flesh. God Almighty is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are one but they are distinctly different. They are in perfect unity but play a specific role and function in the Godhead. But often we may wonder who The Father is and who The Holy Spirit is. There are many today who struggle with the concept of God The Father because of their experiences as a child growing up. Their father may have been abusive or neglectful. He may have failed to give them the love and nurturing they needed. But not so with God The Father. Jesus shows us that the Father is kind, loving, and compassionate. He is slow to anger and abounding in love. In Christ we have the fullness of the Godhead on all display to see.
But not only can we know the Father through coming to know Jesus, we can come to know The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our teacher and our guide. He is our comforter. He is the one who equips us for service. He fills us and enables us to accomplish the will of God. What we see Jesus doing in the lives of His disciples during His earthly ministry is what we see the Holy Spirit will do in our lives. Everything begins with knowing Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. There is one way to Almighty God without Jesus.
Jesus sustains all things by His powerful word. He holds all things together by His mighty power. Through His spoken word all things were created and by His spoken word all things are held together. His power is without limit and without end. The more we meditate on the truth of who Jesus is, the more we come to know Him and desire to worship Him. There is nothing we will face that is greater than our Lord and Savior.
Jesus has provided purification for sins. Through His shed blood our sins have been dealt with. We are redeemed because of what Jesus has done. He has paid a price that we could not pay. If we try to earn the forgiveness of God through our good works, it would be impossible. But God by His grace has offered us forgiveness. God in His mercy has provided salvation as a gift to be received. Without Jesus there is no purification of sins. Without Jesus our sin remains. But with Jesus our sins have been forgiven, our past, present, and future sins are washed way.
Jesus has sat down at the right hand of Almighty God (Acts 7:55-56). The right hand is a position of authority and power. The Father has placed all things under the authority of the Son (Matt 28:18). Jesus is Almighty God. He is one with the Father. He is the only one who is worthy of our worship. There are many things that clamor for our time and attention, but none of them compare with Jesus. Every day we have an opportunity to spend time with our Lord and Savior. We have an opportunity to spend time with Almighty God. There are many things that will try to drive us away from Jesus. There will be challenges and trials we will face in this life as Christians. But as we abide in Him on a daily basis, we will see His life produced within us. We will see His power and strength fill us. We will learn what it means to walk in His authority and be used by Him to bring honor and glory to His name.
Prayer
Father help me each day to truly learn who Jesus is. Jesus help me to understand all that you are. Open my heart and mind to understand not only how much you love me, but all that you have done and accomplished for me. Lead and guide me each day by The Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit have your way in my heart and life. Father remove anything from my life that would hinder what you desire to do. May your will and purposes be accomplished in my life. In the name of Jesus, Amen!
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