| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Peter G. Chase" |
| Date: |
11 Dec 2003 01:30:33 AM |
| Object: |
DN Christ Is Superior to Angels 12/11/2003 |
DRAWING NEAR
December 11
Christ Is Superior to Angels
"Having become . . . much better than the angels" (Heb. 1:4).
Through a deft use of the Old Testament, the writer proves that
Christ is the mediator of a greater covenant.
Man is a wonderful and amazing creation--higher than plants, animals,
and any other material creation in this world. But there are created
beings even higher than man--angels.
Hebrews 2:9 shows this to be the case because when Jesus became a
man, He was "made for a little while lower than the angels." After
the fall of the rebellious angels under Lucifer, the angels in heaven
were no longer subject to sin. These angels are holy, powerful, and
wise. They are special beings created by God before He created man.
The Jewish people understood the exalted position of angels because
they knew that the Old Covenant was brought to men and maintained by
angelic mediation. Galatians 3:19 says, "Why the Law then? It was
added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels
by the agency of a mediator, until the seed should come to whom the
promise had been made."
Because of this high regard for angels by his readers, the writer of
Hebrews was faced with a problem. If he was to show that Christ was
the mediator of a better covenant, he would have to prove that Christ
is better than angels. To do so, he used seven Old Testament passages
to verify his claim.
If he had tried to prove from Christian writings that Christ is a
better mediator, his unbelieving Jewish readers would have said, "We
don't accept these writings as being from God." So in effect he
wisely replies, "Open up your own Scriptures and I'll prove my claim
from them." It results in a powerful and irresistible argument.
For the next several days, we'll see in what ways Christ is superior
to angels and how He could mediate a better covenant for us.
Suggestion for Prayer:
Because much of our understanding of the New Testament is based on
the writings of the Old Testament, thank God for how He has brought
His complete Word to us intact throughout the centuries.
For Further Study:
Read Galatians 3:8, Romans 9:15, and Matthew 4:4. What Old Testament
verses to those passages quote? What truth does each of them verify?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Galatians 3:8
8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles
by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you
all the nations shall be blessed."
Romans 9:15
15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have
mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have
compassion."
Matthew 4:4
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"
~~~
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://www2.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
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
http://www.gty.org/Gospel/
http://www.nwbible.org/
To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
.
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