Hebrews 1:3 "Who (speaking of the Son in verse 2) being the brightness of His glory, (something that is a stumbling block for many) and the express image of His person, (and as we saw in the Book of Colossians, He is the visible manifestation of the invisible God) and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, (had finished the work of the cross, His death, His shed blood, His burial, and His resurrection and ascension and brought the New Covenant's Grace there inaugurated) sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;"
We see that when Christ said, “it is finished,” the work of that alter, the cross, meant that His humanity (as the son of man) and His prophetic ministry to the Hebrews had also ended as it was the end of that age, and so He could sit down, and that’s what we have to understand. It’s a symbolic thing more than anything else, His work of redemption is now finished, for the Hebrews and all of mankind. As the second Adam to correct or redeem that which was lost by the first man Adam. But His High Priestly Spiritual ministry to the world had just begun. Now without physical limitation of time and space and substance, as He had before His incarnation, as the third person of the Godhead. He now works through His Body and each of His disciples who are the obedient willing, the select few. He through obedience of death released or completed the requirements of the ministration of death in the old covenant's law being made a curse in mans flesh.
That’s why we're almost screaming that Redemption and Salvation is by trusting, and trust alone in that finished work of the cross and the Lords ascension. Listen, we can’t add to it, and we can’t take away from it. See that’s why Paul puts such an anathema on those who would adulterate the Gospel of Grace leading to Salvation, by adding something that we might consider harmless in some of the deeds of the Levitical Law. But Paul says, "If you’re going to adulterate my Gospel, then you’re under the anathema of God." And why not, because He had finished it completely. He suffered, He died, He shed His Blood, and He arose from the dead and ascended back to His place at the Fathers right hand. So how in the world can men dare to add to that for Redemption or His working of our Salvation? So here’s the whole idea that He had finished it, He now presented Himself in Heaven and was declared the Son of God and our High Priest-King, and He could sit down, and He never again had to do the work of an Apostle or Prophet. Now let’s see what Paul says about it back in Ephesians chapter 1, and verse 20. And again, we're going to come up to verse 19 because of that word "power." Every times we see that word "power," we stop and read it slowly and digest it, because with it is associated the Authority and power of an Endless Life. The work of Grace in those who have through death passed through the eye of the needle into the power of an Eternal Life which was hid in Christ Jesus. And seen by the three on the hill of transfiguration.
Ephesians 1:19 "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power."
The only criteria for our Redemption and Salvation under Paul’s Gospel is to believe it with all our hearts.(This is not an emotional reaction to a moving sermon or the feeling of goose bumps on our arms. It is a Knowing or having an inward understanding of the Truth.) That power is released when we believe and receive the Truth as our own. And it’s according to the working of His mighty power, as we showed in the last section of studies and that power was exercised at His resurrection. In death to the old system of religion and its legalism and ministration of death which served only to reveal mans total bondage to sin and his inability in his sufficiency to over come its hold on him.
Ephesians 1:20 "Which (that is the mighty power) He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, (remember our remarks of Romans 1:4? What is it but that it was the power of God when He raised Christ from the dead? In the Authority and power of an Endless Life. Here it is again.) and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places."
It was finished! No more Apostolic or Prophetic work needs to be done. It’s all finished. And we are part and parcel of that power when we've passed from death into the New Covenant of an Endless Life in Christ. Now His position at the Father’s right hand is exemplified in verse 21.
Ephesians 1:21 "Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, (and again it goes back to the power above) and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:"
Not only in this world, but even in all eternity to come. There will never be a name that will match the name of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Now let’s come back to Hebrews once again. Why? Because of the Endless Life or Eternal Life that He imparts to those who by trusting His word receive the benefit of the benefactor His Grace and Truth in our heart. By having received the revelation which Paul reveals which requires the Holy Spirits working in us as we pass through the first covenant's training and its ministration of death to reveal our undoneness and need of redemption from religions legalism which holds us in darkness.
So after finishing the work of redemption to which no man dare add a thing, He could sit down and proclaim that everything was done that needed to be done to bring about man’s redemption and salvation. Now let’s go down to verse 4 and remember when we introduced Hebrews, we made the statement that throughout the Epistle of Hebrews we’re going to be running into a constant comparison of that which was good, but now we’ve got something far Better. Here we have the first instance. God the Son having finished the work of redemption, having set down at the Father’s right hand:
Hebrews 1:4 "Being made so much better (underline that word "better" every time we come across it, we think there will be 11 or 12 of them in this Epistle of Hebrews.) than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." Even the two crowning angels of Michael and Gabriel can’t come close to the power and majesty of the Son, Christ Jesus the High Priest-King. Now verse 5 and here is the argument.
Hebrews 1:5a "For to which of the angels said He at any time, you are My Son, this day have I begotten You?…." The only begotten Son of God is a reference to His resurrection. Never to Bethlehem, because He was not a begotten, He was simply brought about by an act of God. It was not a procreation between a man and a woman. God Himself overshadowed Mary and it was not an act of procreation. As Mary was just a surrogate mother as she willfully received the incorruptible seed the Word spoken into her womb, which there put on the flesh of man to become the son of man, a secret of God. So that is not what begotten is talking about. The only begotten Son of God is His resurrection in the power of an Endless Life.
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