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Jesus’ Superiority to Angels: Hebrews 1:1-2:18
In 2:1-4, the author exhorted his audience to pay careful attention to the great message of salvation first announced by Jesus. He reminded them that violating messages from angels in the past received just punishment from God. So, his readers should not think that it was possible to escape the judgment of God if they ignored the great salvation revealed by Christ, the one who is our salvation.
Hebrews 2:5-9 supports belief in the supremacy of Christ by explaining that Jesus is now ruler over the angels. And in the future all believers will reign over them with him. The author noted that God temporarily set humanity a little lower than the angels, but destined human beings to rule over all creation in the world to come. This final glory given to human beings is anticipated in Christ’s current reign in heaven as God’s royal high priest.
And finally, in Hebrews 2:10-18, the author demonstrated that Jesus is Abraham’s descendant. And Jesus will share his glory with Abraham’s descendants, not with angels. The author quoted David and Isaiah in this section to show Jesus’ connection to Abraham’s family tree. He also explained that Jesus, in his humanity, broke the power of the great fallen angel, the Devil. This was not to free angels, but to free Abraham’s descendants from the fear of death. Christ’s humanity made him a merciful and faithful high priest who atoned for the sins of his people.
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About this Plan
Hebrews is one of the most challenging books in the New Testament. In this book we discover that the original audience was facing persecution and that they were tempted to turn away from Christ. That’s why the author of Hebrews placed their emphasis on standing strong in the faith. In this reading plan, we’ll see how crucial it is that we stand strong in our faith, no matter what opposition we may face.
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