City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

1 In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs.

Hebrews 1:1-4

Reflection

As an Evangelical it’s easy to be one dimensional about the incarnation. Evangelicals are taught to appreciate the incarnation for the atonement. We talk about it; we sing about it. Our favorite verse is about it: “For God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). 

The sacrifice of God’s Son for our sins is definitely worthy of our contemplation and our praise, but the significance of the incarnation does not stop there, as the writer of Hebrews makes clear in the letter’s first verses. The incarnation is about substitution but it is also about communication. God spoke through prophets in the Old Testament to reveal Himself to man. He revealed Himself through statements, descriptions, and admonitions. He described what He liked, what He did not like, and what He expected of us, and from that we made inferences about His nature.

Now, though, He has spoken to us in Jesus, and we need not merely infer about His nature. His communication is not by mere description. God has revealed Himself in an image, a picture, a reflection of His very nature manifest in human flesh. We can now see the nature of God expressed in a person, and not just a likeness, but the “exact representation of His nature”  (Heb. 1:3 NASB).

This is what Jesus was trying to tell Philip, when Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9). Jesus is the manifestation of God, the ultimate communication. That is why John calls Him “the Word” (John 1:1). He is not the words of God. He is the Word, the most comprehensive expression of who God is, ever made to man.

To know Jesus then is to know God, and we know Jesus through the Bible. We know Him through the Old Testament that describes Him and what He would come to do. We know Him through the Gospels that record what He did and said and how He responded in the same situations we face daily. We know him in the letters of the New Testament where those who walked with Him describe Him.

Application

When we recognize this, we recognize that Bible study is not merely a discipline but an experience. It is the coffee shop where we meet Jesus and get to know Him. People want intimacy with God, but intimacy with God starts with knowledge of the Word.

God has indeed spoken to us through His Son, but if we are not in the Word, are we even listening?

Prayer

Lord, help me to know You better through Your Word. Amen.