Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,… I. THE MANNER IN WHICH THE PERSON SPOKEN OF IN THE TEXT IS DESCRIBED. 1. As "the brightness of the Father's glory" — the manifestation of all that is essentially excellent in the Divinity. 2. As "the express image of His person." Not that we are to infer that there either is, or can be, in the universe any image of the Divinity such as there may be of an object that is material; for the Divinity, in His essential character being absolutely invisible, because absolutely spiritual, cannot be materialised; and therefore, to think of Christ the Son of God as being the image of the Divinity in the same way in which one material object may be the image of another, were to degrade Him. But though in this respect He is not "the image" of the Divinity, yet not more exactly does an impression correspond with the seal, or a coin with the die, than Christ the Son of God corresponds with the Divinity. Of Him He is the image, and not merely the image, but the express image; — a resemblance, a likeness in entire conformity to its archetype; a clearly expressed, a complete likeness of the person, of the substance, of the essence of the Divinity; — such a likeness, such a resemblance, as comports with personal distinction; yet such as can originate only in sameness of existence or mode of existence, — as can originate only in perfect identity of nature. II. THE WORK WHICH HE IS REPRESENTED AS HAVING PERFORMED. "Purged our sins." That to which reference is here made, evidently proceeds on the principle that the circumstances of universal man by nature, were circumstances of moral degradation; and not only of moral degradation, but of moral danger — the sad consequence of the apostasy of the great earthly progenitor of man. Nay, more: it evidently proceeds on the principle that it lay not within the sphere of human ability to make reparation for the evil, and thus to remedy the one, and rescue him from the other. No agency was adequate but the agency of One who was Divine. For what, according to Scripture, is the expression "purged," but another phrase for atonement by sacrifice? And what is this but what was required, that the work of "purging our sins" might be performed? But whilst, in order to this, an atonement by sacrifice was required, it was not an atonement by sacrifice of any description, but an atonement by sacrifice, in point of efficiency, unassailable, unquestionable. And is not this what Christ's sacrificial atonement was, being as it was, (1) superlative in its value, (2) vicarous in its nature, and (3) propitiatory in its result? III. THE STATE TO WHICH, BY WAY OF REWARD, HE HAS BEEN EXALTED. It is more than probable, from the lessons taught us in this Epistle, that the primary idea intended to be conveyed is the official greatness of Christ as a priest, when contrasted with the priests under the law. Even the high priest, the chief of those priests, when he entered within the veil with the blood of the typical sacrifice which be had offered for the sins of the people, never sat down in the Holy Place, but, having stood for some time before the mercy-seat making intercession, he retired to offer a new sacrifice, that he might return anew to make intercession; and thus never, so to speak, accomplishing or completing the design of his office, he continued to go the round of his sacred duties. And as it was with the high priest, so it was, according to their order, with the other priests who were subordinate to him. "Every priest," says our apostle, "standeth daily ministering, and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this man," even Christ, "after He had offered one sacrifice for sins," to intimate the completion of His work, "for ever sat down on the right hand of God." Although, however, this idea may have been the primary, yet other ideas, doubtless, are conveyed by the expression. 1. It conveys the idea of honour; and if of honour, of glory and felicity. "Nothing was accounted too costly, of an earthly kind, to render the Jewish temple of old in some degree a befitting audience-chamber for Him whose immensity pervades all space; and is there aught, the scope of infinite wisdom to devise, or of infinite power to effect, which we may not imagine to be brought into full operation in elevating, as the reward of His humiliation, the body of Christ — the most holy shrine of the Divinity — to the highest perfection of which that which is material is capable?" But Christ's having sat down at the right hand of God conveys not merely the idea of honour, and glory, and felicity, but also — 2. The idea of power; and if of power, of authority and dominion. (Alex. Jack, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, |
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