Jesus Is Superior to All Things

Persuading people is not just telling them what is true (although that matters very much), but showing someone that it is true and helping them see why it is worthy of their affirmation.

A great example of this “persuasive” approach is the book of Hebrews, as it is written to an audience struggling with doubt (cf. Hebrews 10:38–39). The author of Hebrews tells his audience, “I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation (paraklēsis), for I have written to you briefly” (Hebrews 13:22). The author’s “word of exhortation” most probably refers to the whole epistle.2 The “exhortation” given by the author of Hebrews is meant to persuade the reader of his argument. In Acts 13:15, the synagogue rulers in Antioch in Pisidia ask the Apostle Paul to give a “word of encouragement,” and so he stands up and tries to persuade the men of Israel and those who fear God that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (cf. Psalm 2:7, 16:10). In Hebrews 1:1–3, the author does not simply say that the Son (Jesus) is superior, but he shows that he is superior by telling us several things about him which bring out his superiority.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

There are several things in these verses that show the Son’s superiority over other worldview claims: (1) God has spoken to us by his Son; (2) the Son created all things; and (3) the Son has made purification for our sins.

God Has Spoken to Us by His Son

Foundational to the Christian faith is the fact that God has spoken. God is not silent, and he has not left us in silence. God is not only the transcendent, absolute, personal Creator of all things, but he relates to his creatures who are made in his image by speaking to us (cf. Genesis 2:16–17). In Western culture, however, there are at least two kinds of extreme views about God speaking: (1) God has not spoken; and (2) God speaks through all religions. Contrary to these claims, the author of Hebrews tells us when and how God has spoken.

In Hebrews 1:1–2, we are told that God spoke long ago by the prophets, but in these last days (cf. Acts 2:17) he has spoken through his Son. In the Old Testament, the main way God spoke to people was through the prophets (Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, etc.).3 Beginning with the first proclamation of a coming Savior in Genesis 3:15, the plan of salvation is unveiled progressively throughout the Old Testament (see Genesis 17:6–7, 22:17–18; Numbers 24:7–9, 17–19; Isaiah 11:1, 4).4 God progressively reveals things to us in Scripture, not from less true to more true but from promise to fulfillment. At the end of Hebrews 11, the author states, “And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:39–40). The promise has been fulfilled, the Christ to whom the heroes of faith looked forward to has come. It is important to understand that we cannot truly know who Jesus is unless we first realize he is the fulfillment of the earlier promises that God gave to the prophets.

As a prophet, Jesus came to reveal God to us. If people want to know who God is, then who better to reveal God the Father than God the Son (John 1:1)? As the eternal Son of God, Jesus not only knows the Father perfectly but has explained him to us (John 1:18; cf. 14:8–10). Jesus is not just a greater revelation of God: he is the final revelation of God. There is no other revelation to look for or wait for as God has spoken finally through Jesus.5 Long ago, God spoke through Adam, Abraham, and Moses; in the last days, he has spoken through his Son; and today he speaks to us through his Word (cf. Hebrews 4:12).

The Son Created the World

There is no more direct way to say that Jesus is God than to say that he is Creator (Hebrews 1:2; cf. 1:10).

There is no more direct way to say that Jesus is God than to say that he is Creator (Hebrews 1:2; cf. 1:10). It was through the Son (Jesus) that God created the world (cf. John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:16). The word for “world” in Hebrews 1:2 is aiōnas, and while it can mean “ages,” it also refers to the world of space (cf. Exodus 15:18, LXX).6 The author of Hebrews further states, “By faith we understand that the universe [aiōnas] was created by the word of God . . ” (Hebrews 11:3). How did God create in Genesis? He spoke things into existence (Genesis 1:3). As we have already seen, God is a speaking God, but he has finished speaking in his Word. Not only is Jesus the Creator of the world, but he is the exact imprint (charaktēr) of God’s nature (hypostasis). The author of Hebrews’ statement in verse 3 is significant, as the word for “imprint” (charaktēr) was often used to refer to an imprint of an image (a king or emperor) on a coin. The writer of Hebrews is saying, if you have seen the Son, you have seen God, as he shares the same nature (hypostasis) (cf. John 14:9).7 The Son (Jesus) is equal with the Father with respect to his deity (cf. Colossians 1:15, 2:9). This means that any notion of Jesus being a created being, as taught by cultic groups (Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, etc.), is false. Jesus is superior to any created being, even angels (cf. Hebrews 1:4–13).

Not only was the world created by the Son, but it is held together by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3; cf. Colossians 1:17). The Son’s creative word that called the world into existence also sustains the world in being. The Son is the One who upholds the world to its appointed course (cf. 2 Peter 3:7). Naturalism, the philosophy which dominates the sciences today, asserts that all reality can be explained in purely natural categories (matter and energy) without any appeal to the supernatural. In a naturalistic worldview (i.e., atheistic), the universe is just doing its own thing. However, nature (creation) is under God’s personal rule. The laws of nature are not impersonal, mechanical creations of God: rather, they are descriptions of the logical, orderly way God normally upholds his universe. The laws of nature are not an alternative to God’s power: they are his power (God decrees the ends as well as the means). This means God can suspend the laws of nature if he wants (turning water into wine, John 2:6–11), but the laws of nature will not randomly change.

Yet if the universe came about by random chance, why would it obey laws? Although naturalists can do science, their worldview cannot give an accounting for why science works. Science has certain preconditions: the universe is logical and orderly and it obeys mathematical laws that are consistent over space and time. Dr. Jason Lisle rightfully points out, “Because there is such regularity in the universe, there are many instances where scientists are able to make successful predictions about the future. For example, astronomers can successfully compute the positions of the planets, moons, and asteroids far into the future. Without uniformity in nature, such predictions would be impossible, and science could not exist.”8 The biblical creationist expects there to be order in the universe because God made all things and has imposed order on the universe. Therefore, the reason the universe functions in a logical, orderly, law-like fashion is because the Son (Jesus) “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3).

The Son Has Made Purification for Our Sins

The author of Hebrews goes from the cosmic role of the Son (Creator, Sustainer) to his personal relationship with mankind as the High Priest who made “purification for sins.” In the Old Testament, a high priest offered sacrifices for the sins of people (cf. Hebrews 5:1). Jesus is our ultimate sacrifice for sin as, “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). The fact that Jesus, after making purification for sins, “sat down” is important, as in the Old Testament the high priest never sat down.

And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:11–12)

Jesus is far superior to anything we can come up with that tempts us to stop following him or to follow anything else.

What do most of the world’s religions have in common? In almost all of them, you must do something: either good works (including reparations) or offering some sort of sacrifice to appease God or the gods (including the state). But these things cannot take away sin (cf. Hebrews 10:11; Isaiah 64:6). Even Roman Catholicism’s teaching on the Mass (where Jesus is offered again as a sacrifice for sins upon an altar) and purgatory (where those who die in God’s grace but are still imperfectly purified need to undergo purification to go to heaven) are both incomplete and unbiblical.9 Roman Catholicism teaches that you can never have peace with God because you don’t have a finished sacrifice: you must go to a priest, who in his ordination service is identified as an Alter Christus (another Christ) through whom you gain access to some of the merit of Christ but not enough to perfect you (Hebrews 10:1–2). But the biblical gospel is that by trusting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24–25, 28), you can have peace with God (Romans 5:1).

The point the author of Hebrews is making is that Jesus is the only High Priest who has accomplished a perfect work of cleansing for sin (Hebrews 9:13–14, 26–28). After Jesus made purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of God (cf. Psalm 110:1). Jesus is the King whom we have offended, whom we are in rebellion against, and yet he gave his life for sinners. What king dies for his people? Kings don’t normally save their enemies—they destroy them. But God in his grace has reconciled his enemies to himself by the death of his Son, Jesus (Romans 5:10).

Jesus is far superior to anything we can come up with that tempts us to stop following him or to follow anything else. Jesus is the Prophet whom God has finally spoken through, he is the High Priest who has accomplished a perfect work of purifying sins, and he is the King (Creator) who rules and reigns over all creation.