Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
God’s one and only son
1 In many ways and by many means God spoke in ancient times to our ancestors in the prophets; 2 but at the end of these days he spoke to us in a son.
He appointed this son to be heir of all things;
through him, in addition, he created the worlds.
3 He is the shining reflection of God’s own glory,
the precise expression of his own very being;
he sustains all things through his powerful word.
He accomplished the cleansing needed for sins,
and sat down at the right of the Majesty Supreme.
4 See how much greater he is than the angels:
the name he is granted is finer than theirs.
5 For to which angel did God ever say, “You are my son, today I became your father”? Or, again, “I will be his father, and he will be my son”?
The Messiah is superior to angels
6 Again, when God brings the firstborn son into the world, he says,
Let all God’s angels worship him.
7 In relation to the angels, this is what it says:
God makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.
8 In relation to the son, however, it says,
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom;
9 you loved justice and hated lawlessness,
therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness,
as superior to your comrades.
10 And, again:
You established the earth, O Lord, from the beginning;
and the heavens are the works of your hands;
11 they will be destroyed, but you will remain;
all of them will grow old like clothing,
12 you will roll them up like a cloak,
and they will be changed like clothing.
But you are the same, and your years will never give out.
13 But to which of the angels did God ever say,
Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies a stool for your feet?
14 Must we not say, then, that the angels are all servant spirits, sent to act on behalf of those who are to inherit salvation?
Don’t neglect God’s salvation!
2 So, then, we must pay all the closer attention to what we heard, in case we drift away from it. 2 You see, if the word which was spoken through angels was reliable, with appropriate and just punishment every time anyone broke it or disobeyed it, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore a rescue as great as this? It started by being declared through the Lord, and it was confirmed to us by those who heard him; 4 and God bore witness as well, along with them, in signs and wonders and many different types of powerful deeds, and by the holy spirit, distributed in accordance with his will.
Jesus as the truly human being
5 You see, God didn’t place the world to come (which is what I’m writing about) under the control of angels. 6 Someone has spoken of it somewhere in these terms:
What are humans, that you should remember them?
What is the son of man, that you should take thought for him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels,
you crowned him with glory and honor,
8 and you placed everything under his feet.
When it speaks of everything being subjected to him, it leaves nothing that is not subjected to him. As things are at present, we don’t see everything subjected to him. 9 What we do see is the one who was, for a little while, made lower than the angels—that is, Jesus—crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by God’s grace he might taste death on behalf of everyone.
The Messiah and his brothers and sisters
10 This is how it works out. Everything exists for the sake of God and because of him; and it was appropriate that, in bringing many children to glory, he should make perfect, through suffering, the one who leads the way to salvation. 11 For the one who makes others holy, and the ones who are made holy, all belong to a single family.
This is why he isn’t ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters, 12 when he says,
I will announce your name to my brothers and sisters;
I will sing your praise in the midst of the assembly,
13 and again,
I will place my trust in him,
and again,
Look, here I am, with the children God has given me.
14 Since the children share in blood and flesh, he too shared in them, in just the same way, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and set free the people who all their lives long were under the power of slavery because of the fear of death. 16 It’s obvious, you see, that he isn’t taking special thought for angels; he’s taking special thought for Abraham’s family. 17 That’s why he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he might become a merciful and trustworthy high priest in God’s presence, to make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 He himself has suffered, you see, through being put to the test, and that’s why he is able to help those who are being tested right now.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.