If the sun didn’t radiate light, and if we could exist without the sun, we wouldn’t know anything about that star, or whatever it might otherwise be called. Whatever we know about God comes to us by knowing Jesus. He is the radiance of the glory of God (Hebrews 1:3). How bright is God? …as bright as Jesus! How powerful is God? …as powerful as Jesus was in his weakest moment (viz. the cross). How do we know God loves us? …look at Jesus! What does God say to us today? …what does Jesus say to us in his word? What is God doing today? …what is Jesus doing today? What can be known of God comes to us through Jesus (Matthew 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 1:18). He, that is, Jesus, is the radiance of the glory of God.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created mankind in his image, but mankind rebelled, and, in doing so, he could no longer clearly reflect God in his creation. Therefore, man had to be discarded as a failure or redeemed and restored to his original state. The One who became Jesus (John 1:1, 14) walked among us as the express image of God (Hebrews 1:3). The Greek word for express image is charakter (G5481), from which we derive our word character. So, Jesus, when he spoke, expressed who God was in his heart (John 1:18). When Jesus did anything, like healing a person or raising the dead, what he did expressed who God really is. In other words, Jesus was the character or the integrity of God. If we wish to know who God is and what he is like, look at Jesus! Jesus is what God is like. When he yielded himself to the cross, Jesus expressed the character and nature of God. When he rose from the dead, he showed that, whatever the world would like to do to God, was powerless in the face of who and what God is.
Many, today, would say that meekness is weakness, but the very weakness of God is more powerful than the greatest of men, and the Lord’s foolishness (from mankind’s point of view) is wiser that the wisest of men (1Corinthians 1:25). Moreover, this very idea is expressed in the lives of those who would embrace Jesus as their Lord. Everyone who would imitate Jesus in his weakness would find, in reality, that he expresses the almighty power of God (2Corinthians 13:4), which is most clearly understood when we are weak (2Corinthians 12:10; 13:8-9). When we truly embrace the express image or the character of God, then we, with an unveiled face, behold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, and in doing so we, ourselves, are changed into that very image or character of God – from glorious revelation to glorious revelation – through the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) dwelling within us (2Corinthians 3:18). Such is the power of God that restores his creation to its former glory.
We are told by the scholars who have translated this verse (Hebrews 1:3) that Jesus had to be constantly ensuring the existence of creation. That is, moment by moment he had to keep the universe from passing out of existence. Although I once thought they were correct, I no longer believe their claim is true. It simply doesn’t make sense to believe that God’s work is that precarious. I believe that when God created all that is, it actually IS. He created it all with the power of self-sustainment. It grows old and will eventually pass out of existence without his personal intervention, but the world, as we know it, is self-sustaining. The Greek word that the translators use to say that the Lord (constantly) upholds or sustains all things is phero (G5342). It is used in the Septuagint to say that Moses couldn’t bear (G5342) the responsibility of Israel alone (Numbers 11:14; Deuteronomy 1:9, 12).
Causing the meaning of phero (G5342) to point to sustaining creation itself removes the Scripture from its context, and changes the subject. Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ radiates the knowledge of God, which means he lives out the true character of God. To break off this line of reasoning in order to try to prove Jesus is God by saying he is constantly sustaining the existence of his creation, does damage to the text. Here, in the logical unfolding of his attributes would lead to his bearing (G5342) all things by the word of HIS (i.e. the Father’s) power. In other words, he bore the rebellion of the whole of mankind through the powerful word of his Father (cf. John 8:28). Where Moses failed through the flesh, Jesus succeeded through the Spirit.
Notice the natural flow of Jesus’ attributes that, while bearing our rebellion through the mighty word of his Father, he, alone (distinguished from Moses who couldn’t bear the responsibility of even one nation alone), made atonement for the sins of the whole world, which will be discussed in greater detail later in the epistle. Continuing in the flow of the context of Jesus’ attributes, the text says that once atonement was made Jesus, our High Priest, sat down, which, in the context of being in the heavenly Temple, would mean he sat down on the Mercy Seat. This is the very place before which atonement was made, and symbolized the Presence of God. Jesus, therefore, sat down upon the Throne of God (viz. Revelation 22:1, 3). In doing so, he proves himself to be very God himself, because God said he refuses to share his glory with anyone or anything else (Isaiah 42:8, 11).
Thus, Jesus’ attributes begin with revealing or radiating knowledge of God to mankind, and not only so, but Jesus actually lived out that knowledge in the flesh (John 1:1, 14) by expressing the very character of God, so men would have an example to follow. Moreover, Jesus took upon himself the responsibility of mankind’s rebellion and bore our sins through the Spirit of God and made atonement for us, thus, revealing what sort of God we are called to obey and worship (cf. John 1:18).
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