Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds
Several years ago, I was with a group of people who were giving the gospel in New York City. One day we were in the subway system below Manhattan when a well-dressed man came up and asked, “Why do you believe in three gods?” I thought he wanted to pick a fight, but it was a good and legitimate question. His question was not about the Father or the Holy Spirit. I think his question was specifically about Jesus.
If you look at John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1, you find that there is one God in three Persons. Jesus is God’s last Word regarding the universe. Hebrews 1:1-3 says, “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets.” That is, in various times and ways, God spoke through the ancient prophets. It continues, “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son…by whom also he made the worlds…by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins.”
He goes on to talk about how Jesus is better and more excellent than the angels. He is greater than the prophets who foretold Him and the angels who announced His earthly ministry. Hebrews goes on to cite various texts in the ancient Scriptures. What you find here is that Jesus Christ is the only one in a body with whom God the Father will ever share His glory. Jesus is unique and singular. In short, the test of truth regarding God and the universe is Jesus, what you do with Jesus.
What Hebrews says is shocking to many a person, and it is unrelenting. John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1 are very direct. There is no middle ground. Jesus is not merely a good teacher or an historical figure. The Bible claims that He is one with the Father and was there on the day of Creation. He is the Creator.
This has some ramifications for people like you and me. In the first place, Jesus is the interpreting ethic of the Bible. Maybe you have heard a preacher say, “Jesus is in every book of the Bible.” Hebrews is a sermon with texts, and the author says that Psalm 45 and 102 are talking about Jesus. Knowing who Jesus is helps you understand the Bible in a way you could not otherwise. The Bible says that the natural man does not receive spiritual things because they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them because they are spiritually discerned. Now you might think this is a stretch, but read any book of the Bible and Jesus is there. So much of the Bible is difficult to understand if you excise Jesus or the supernatural. So, the test of truth regarding God and the universe is Jesus. He is the interpreting ethic of the Scripture.
Let’s think about preachers. As a preacher, I know that sometimes preachers can get too big for their own good. They believe their own publicity. Nearly every time an angel appeared to a person in the Scripture, the person to whom the angel was sent was scared out of their wits, but angels are merely messengers, not God’s Son. God has spoken by His prophets, by the angels, and now He has spoken by His Son through preachers. We should give preachers the respect due their responsibility and office, but a preacher is just a messenger to give the truth.
When it comes to podcasts and all the influx of information into our heads every day, there are a lot of people with whom we agree. We can listen to podcasts about any number of subjects that are all good and we can partner with people over many of these subjects, but that is not the same as doing right by Jesus. There are many believers who love Jesus, but they see things differently than I do. That makes me cranky, but I need to realize that I have a greater partnership with someone who is straight on Jesus than with someone who is merely straight on many other good subjects. So, I’m thankful for all the information I can receive from good, smart people, but the test of truth regarding God and the universe is Jesus.
What about the test of truth in your life? Hebrews 2:1 says, “Therefore…” Because God has spoken by His prophets, the angels, and His Son “we ought to give the more earnest heed to things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” If God expected obedience from messages delivered by angels and men, how much more from the message delivered by His own Son? Hebrews 2:2-3 says, “For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation: which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by they that heard them.”
C.S. Lewis famously said that Jesus Christ is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. If Jesus thought He was God the Son but was not, He was a crazy man, and a crazy man is not a good teacher. He is not even good; he is crazy. If Jesus knew He was not God the Son but claimed to be, then He was a liar, and a liar cannot be a good teacher. But if Jesus Christ is God the Son, present on the day of Creation, the very image of God’s Person, upholding things by the word of His power, then He is the Lord.
Where are you with Jesus today? The test of truth regarding God, the universe, and ultimately my life and yours is what you do with God’s Son, Jesus.