“…Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person…” – Hebrews 1:3a

Scripture reading: Hebrews 1:1-4

Jesus is better! He is better than the prophets! God speaks to us through Him. What is God saying to us? Who is Jesus? Why is He better? The answer of verses 1-4 of Hebrews 1 is glorious. Here it is:

…Heir of all things – That means: the universe in all its splendor was not just created for Him, it is a gift of God the Father to His Son! Everything was made to reflect God’s glory (cf. Col. 1:16-17).

…Brightness of God’s glory – Jesus is the outshining splendor of who God is! He is more glorious than the Sun! In the light of Jesus, we see the glory of who God is! (cf. 2 Cor. 4:6).

…Express image of God’s being – Jesus is the exact imprint, representation of God. The best example is a coin with the imprint of a ruler’s face. In the same way, Jesus bears God’s image or imprint (cf. Jn. 14:9).

…Upholding everything by His word – In other words, He’s got the whole world in His hands: every nanoparticle of this creation, everything in your and my life, including our bodies! Without His upholding hand everything would collapse and spin out of control.

…Purged our sins with His own blood – Ah! The Gospel! What filth He came to cleanse from our hearts. What grace to stoop so low!

…Seated at God’s right hand – After His sacrifice, what glory followed! He has a name and a place above every name and every place! Let’s worship Him!

Suggestions for prayer

Praise God for the glory of Christ, His radiance, His Person, His Power, His Sacrifice, there is none like Him!

Rev. Pieter van der Hoek has been serving the Heritage Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa, since July 2023. Prior to that he served the Heritage Reformed Church of Burgessville, Ontario. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.