DRAWING NEAR
December 12
A More Excellent Name
"He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which
of the angels did He ever say, 'Thou art My Son, today I have
begotten Thee'? And again, 'I will be a Father to Him, and He
shall be a Son to Me'?" (Heb. 1:4-5).
Jesus is better than the angels because Christ was more than a
messenger--He was a Son.
In our culture, the names we pick for our children don't have much
connection with the child's character. But in the Bible, God chose
specific names that related to some character quality of the
individuals who bore them.
The writer of Hebrews was well aware of that when He asked this
rhetorical question: "To which of the angels did [God] ever say,
'Thou art My Son, today I have begotten Thee'? and again, 'I will be
a Father to Him, and He shall be a Son to Me'?" quoting Psalm 2:7 and
2 Samuel 7:14. Of course, the answer is no angel.
The title Son refers to Jesus Christ in His incarnation. Though His
sonship was anticipated in the Old Testament (Prov. 30:4), He did not
become a Son until He was begotten into time. Prior to that He was
eternal God with God. Presenting Jesus as the Son is God's analogy to
help us understand the relationship between the First and Second
Persons of the Trinity.
Christ became a Son in two different ways. First, He was not a Son
until He came into the world through the virgin birth (Luke 1:35;
3:22). But second, His sonship came to full bloom in His resurrection
(Rom. 1:3-4).
The Old Testament prophesied that Christ would come as a Son. In the
New Testament He came as a Son in His virgin birth and was declared
to be the Son by His resurrection from the dead. Don't ever get
trapped into the heresy of those who claim that Jesus Christ is
eternally subservient to God. For a temporary period of time, He set
aside what was rightfully His and humbled Himself to become a Son for
our sakes.
Suggestion for Prayer:
Thank God for His amazing plan to redeem man through the incarnation
of the Second Person of the Trinity. Praise Him that He became Man to
redeem you.
For Further Study:
Read Acts 13:33 and Romans 1:3-4 noting the reason that Christ can be
considered God's Son.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Psalm 2:7
7 I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, You are My
Son, Today I have begotten You.
2 Samuel 7:14
14 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows
of the sons of men.
Proverbs 30:4
4 Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the
wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has
established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is
His Son's name, If you know?
Acts 13:33
33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has
raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: You are
My Son, Today I have begotten You.
Romans 1:3-4
3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed
of David according to the flesh,
4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the
Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
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me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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