Lower than the Angels – Part 1
HEBREWS 2:5-9
AS WE LEARNED LAST WEEK, the book of Hebrews is, in great part, a book of warning. You will remember we centered on the warning not to drift in your relationship with God, not to neglect your great salvation. In our passage this week we will see that the writer has turned from admonition to exposition. The writer of Hebrews is both a preacher and a teacher. “Admonition,” of course, means to rebuke, to point out a fault, to give a cautionary warning. “Exposition” is a setting forth of information; it is teaching. My blogs each week are expository in that they set forth the information in the Bible I have studied. An “exposition,” in fact, is a sermon. Pastor Matt’s sermons are expository; they come straight from the Scripture. He sets his sermons before us each week. Similarly, I am doing that with my blogs.
OUR FOCUS THIS WEEK WILL BE HEBREWS 2:5-9. In this entire chapter of Hebrews, the writer teaches that Jesus became a human being to save us from our sins and to exhibit His intimate identification with the human race. The text even goes so far as to call us “brothers” with Christ. This entire passage, from verses 5 through 18, also teaches us the most significant and usually overlooked principle of exaltation only through abasement: “to go up, you must first come down.” The wonderful Word of the Lord…
NAS Hebrews 2:5-18 For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. 6 But one has testified somewhere, saying, “What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him? 7 “Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands; 8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. 9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying, “I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren, In the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.” 13 And again, “I will put My trust in Him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me.” 14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
IT IS ONE OF THE PURPOSES OF THE WRITER’S IN THIS PASSAGE to show that Christian salvation, the new order of things inaugurated by Christ, is following exactly the original purpose of creation, which was that universal dominion was to pertain to man, and not to angels. This passage, as much of chapter one, puts the angels in their proper place.
THE TITLE OF OUR LAST TWO STUDIES WAS “BETTER THAN THE ANGELS.” This week the title of this message is “Lower than the Angels.” Interesting, huh? This passage gives additional information on the section in chapter 1 on angels. You may remember that angels are important to the writer because they were important to his readers. It is likely that many of the original readers were Jewish Christians who had an exalted opinion of angels. In chapter one, the writer convincingly showed that Jesus was and is superior to the angels. Here in chapter 2, His focus is on the humanity of Christ. In that aspect it may be seen that Christ became temporarily “lower than the angels.” He left heaven and came down to earth. He did this for no other reason but to save us. One book (Ellingworth’s commentary) I read this week titled our passage this week, “The Path to Glory.” Another (MacArthur’s) said, the “Recovery of Man’s Lost Destiny.” “These verses teach us what man’s intended destiny is, how and why it was lost, and how it can be recovered in the exalted Savior.” – John MacArthur
JESUS BECAME “LOWER THAN THE ANGELS” FOR YOU AND FOR ME.
BOTH IDEAS OF “BETTER” AND “LOWER” THAN THE ANGELS ARE ESSENTIAL TO AN ACCURATE UNDERSTANDING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. He is the God-man: 100% God and 100% man. This week we will be discussing both the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ.
THESIS – The Lord Jesus Christ is the God-Man. That is to say He is one Being with two natures (a divine nature and a human nature). Christ is 100% God and 100% Man. The theological name that has been attached to this all-important doctrine is the “Hypostatic Union.”
DEFINITION – The “hypostatic union” is a theological name that refers to the two natures of Jesus Christ. The word hypostasis is a transliteration (brought over from one language to another without translation) of the Greek term υποστσις (hoo-pa-sta-sis), meaning that which underlies; hence, the substance, the reality underlying mere appearance (Heb 1:3). It can also mean confidence or assurance (cf. 2 Cor 9:4). Another approach to the definition of the word is to look at it in terms of its composition. υπο (hoo-pa) is a Greek preposition meaning under; οτασις (sta-sis) is a noun meaning standing or cause to stand. The word denotes a real personal subsistence or person. In philosophy it signifies the underlying or essential part of anything, as distinguished from attributes which may vary. It developed theologically as the term to describe any one of the three real and distinct subsistences in the one undivided substance or essence of God, and especially the one unified personality of Jesus Christ the Son in His two natures.
THE UNION OF THE DIVINE AND HUMAN NATURES – “The overwhelming proof for both the deity and true humanity of Christ makes it self-evident that in His person these natures, so widely differing as to their attributes, are nevertheless brought together into a personal union which will continue forever. Though Christ sometimes operated in the sphere of His humanity and in other cases in the sphere of His deity, in all cases what He did and what He was could be attributed to His one person. Even though it is evident that there were two natures in Christ, He is never considered a dual personality. The normal pronouns such as I, Thou, and He are used of Him frequently.” – Walvoord
THE GOD-MAN – Our blessed Lord combined in one, two natures, both complete; A perfect manhood all sublime, in Godhead all replete. As man He entered Cana’s feast, a humble guest to dine; As God He moved the water there, and changed it into wine. As man He climbed the mountain’s height, a suppliant to be; As God He left the place of prayer and walked upon the sea. As man He wept in heartfelt grief, beside a loved one’s grave; As God He burst the bands of death, Almighty still to save. As man He lay within a boat o’erpowered by needful sleep; As God He rose, rebuked the wind and stilled the angry deep. Such was our Lord in life on earth, in dual nature one; The woman’s seed in very truth and God’s eternal Son. O Child, O Son, O Word made flesh, may Thy high praise increase: Called Wonderful, the Mighty God, Eternal Prince of Peace.” – Internet
SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT OF HYPOSTATIC UNION – The hypostatic or personal union of the human and divine natures in Christ is given explicit divine revelation in at least six major passages of Scripture. When the following passages are studied in connection with other doctrines regarding Christ, it becomes evident that the eternal Son of God took upon Himself a complete human nature and became a Man…
NKJ John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
NKJ Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
THE BIBLE CLEARLY DECLARES JESUS WAS DIVINE. The Bible clearly declares Jesus was God, therefore possessed with a divine nature. Then this divine Being took on flesh…
NKJ John 1:14 And the Word became flesh (human) and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
NKJ Romans 1:1-3 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,
NKJ 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,
CHRIST MAINTAINS HIS TWO NATURES TODAY IN HEAVEN. In the ascension of the incarnate Christ to heaven after His resurrection (Acts 1:9), not only was the divine nature restored to its previous place of infinite glory, but the human nature was also exalted. It is now as the God-Man that He is at the right hand of God the Father (Col 3:1; Heb 1:3).
THIS BLOG HAS TO DO WITH THE HUMILIATION AND SUBSEQUENT EXALTATION OF JESUS. One source said this passage should be titled, “Exaltation through Abasement.” Another read, “The Humiliation and Glory of the Son of Man.” It is really the story of Christianity in a nutshell: “First Suffering, then Glorification.” That is an accurate description of the Christian life: “First suffering on earth, then glorification in heaven.” Certainly, that is the story of Jesus. For our sake, Jesus, who is God Almighty, humbled Himself and temporarily became “lower than the angels” to die on the Cross in order that we might live forever through Him…
THIS GREAT PASSAGE UNDERSCORES THE HUMILIATION AND THE EXALTATION that followed. It also deals directly with the hypostatic union…
NAS Philippians 2:7-9 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
“JESUS CHRIST EMPTIED HIMSELF COMPLETELY of every vestige of advantage and privilege, refusing to assert any divine right on His own behalf. He who created and owned everything (Col 1:15-18). It must always be kept in mind that Jesus emptied Himself only of certain aspects of His prerogatives of deity, not of His deity itself. He was never anything, and never will be anything, but fully and eternally God. Had He stopped being God (an impossibility), He could not have died for the sins of the world.” – John MacArthur
– Professor Thomas A. Rohm
