In an effort to keep the previous article’s length down to a manageable level, it wrapped up before talking about all of the things that we can learn about Jesus from just two verses in Hebrews, so let’s review the passage again before picking back up with that thought.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Hebrews 1:3-4 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.1.3-4.NIV
From the previous article, Jesus (God the Son) is “the radiance of God’s glory”, and “the exact representation of his being”. We also learn from these verses that Jesus sustains (or upholds [NASB]) “all things”. Not only was Jesus instrumental in creating the universe, but He continues to “keep it operational”, we might say, through His word. Jesus continues to be involved in the universe. He did not abandon it when He returned to Heaven.
I expect that Christians today could use this reminder, just like persecuted Christians in the first century. Jesus may have bodily left this earth, but He didn’t walk away from helping us. Those facing first-century persecution may have feared that since Jesus was no longer around, they were on their own; however, that was not – and is not – the case.
Next, we find that Jesus “provided purification for sins”. You may have already known that, but reminders are still helpful!
He also sat down in a place of great authority – God’s right hand – in Heaven. Per Girdwood & Verkruyse, p.44-45, this was also a place from which Jesus can intercede for us to God the Father, as a perfect High Priest. This was particularly important for first-century Christians, who were engaged in a spiritual battle that had spilled over into the physical world. When Roman emperors wanted their subjects to hail them as gods, and could punish those who failed to do so, it was valuable to have reminders that Jesus had even greater authority, seated right next to God the Father.
In reality, the spiritual battle taking place for the souls of human beings has spilled out into the physical world throughout history. Moses’ confrontation with Pharaoh put the God of the Hebrews – Yahweh – up against the gods of the Egyptians. Israel’s wars with other nations took on a spiritual tone, as foreign countries expected their false gods to give them victory over Israel’s God. And, when the true God allowed others to prevail upon His people (i.e., as a matter of discipline), this raised doubts in the minds of some of the Israelites…just as persecution would have done for first-century Christians.
The same is true today. The war between good and evil isn’t about merely making this world look better, or forcing people to do the right thing without letting God change their hearts. Instead, it is a battle between God and evil forces that have rebelled against God. God will win, and human beings must pick a side, but we cannot stay out of the battles that ensue.
Finally, with Jesus’ being seated in this place of authority, that puts Him above even the angels. As a reminder, while angels are quite real and – even today – God has them work as He wills, angels are not to be worshiped. They – like us – are servants of God, including God the Son.
So, let’s remember that we do not serve an absent Lord and Savior. God continues to be involved in our lives, and He keeps things running until we join Him in ultimate, guaranteed victory.
Now, this mini-series has spent a lot of time on just the first four verses of the book of Hebrews. The next section, though, reinforces points from this introduction through a lot of Scripture. For the first-century Jewish Christian who may have been internally objecting to these statements about Jesus in the opening verses of this book, there was plenty of proof: from Scriptures whose reliability had already been validated.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for January 4, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 