PRAYER + PRAISE
The Son Radiates God’s Glory
- Adam Cole // August 4, 2009
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all thing by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. —Hebrews 1:3-4 (NIV)
The book of Hebrews, whose authorship is unknown, is meant to minister to the Judean people, both the unconverted and the converted, to both portray to them the deity and magnificence of Christ, and how it is by His grace alone (not the law), which accounts for salvation.
We feel the exaltation of Christ as it is displayed in a poetic way in verses 3-4 that brings His fullness forward.
Jesus Christ is expressed here as the “radiance,” or as the New King James version puts it “the brightness,” of God’s glory, coming to mean that Jesus is not just reflecting the glory of God—as if He were a mirror—but is actually expressing/embodying that glory in and of Himself, as being God in the flesh. It links to John 8:12, when Jesus spoke to His disciples describing Himself as “the light of the world.” Thus “exact representation of His being,” or as the NKJV says “express image of his person” like a stamped image on a coin, further identifies Jesus as God.
In sustaining all things, Jesus Christ upholds the world—all things through Him—by His Word, by the Word that spoke everything into creation and now ensures that the creative world is not overturned by the evils of sinful man.
And once He made us pure in His death, He took His place next to the All Mighty. In completing His mission, Jesus Christ returned to the throne, much higher than the angels.
Being God’s glory here in earth, being His express image, sustaining and redeeming the world, and then taking an ordained place in heaven….this is Jesus Christ, worthy of our highest praise.
As we come to understand Jesus in this way, our call then, is to likewise be that light, to likewise be that radiance of His glory, though we may fall short—because we are imperfect beings—we can at least strive to walk in His holy footsteps.
Praise: That Jesus Christ walked in the essence of God.
Prayer: That we can understand His divine nature consistent with all His divine qualities, and emulate them as best we can.
Prayer for Today: Lord, we Thank You for who You are as the Father and as the Son, and as the Holy Spirit. For as the Father, You begot the Son, in a way that He was able to walk in the exact same light that You are. We give our highest praise to Jesus Christ and bow down to Him, for He is the author of creation and salvation. May He reign in us with the fullness of who He is. In the Name of the Son, Amen. The MacArthur Study Bible was used as reference for this devotional.