Hebrews 1 and 2 and Christological Heresies

Wednesday my pastor was out of town, so I taught the adult Bible study at my church. This is the notes/outline of what I presented.

Hebrews 1 and 2 and Christological Heresies

9 If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son. 10 Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1John 5:9-12(ESV)

We know from the clear teaching of the Apostle John from his first epistle that unless a person has the Son, they do not have life. It is vitally important that we understand who the Son is if we would believe in Him. Over the years, since the time of the Apostles, many heresies have arisen concerning the person of Christ. Unless we have a proper understanding of who Christ is, as revealed in sacred scripture, we will merely be worshipping a god of our imagination.

The Deity of Christ

The writer to the Hebrews opened his letter with a profound statement regarding who this Jesus is that we worship.

1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making 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 inherited is more excellent than theirs. Hebrews 1:1-4 (ESV)

This text has many implications, however, here we will deal with the divinity of Christ as revealed by the writer.

Verse two distinguishes between the Father and the Son. The fact that the Son was appointed by the Father negates the idea that the Father and the Son are the same person. A heresy developed in the third century by the theologian Sabellius, known as Sabellianism (or more common recently as Modalism or “Jesus Only”), taught that God revealed Himself in three modes or manifestations, known as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Sabellianism denies the distinction of the persons in the Godhead. Modern day heretics like Oneness Pentecostals still hold to this false teaching, the most notable proponent being Bishop T.D. Jakes.

Verses two through four teach that Christ is the one through whom God created the world, and that He upholds the universe by the word of His power. This clearly teaches that Jesus is God, for no mere creation could uphold the universe by his word, much less create it. The Apostle Paul said no one has ever seen the Father, (1 Tim. 6:16) but here Christ is portrayed as the radiance of His glory, the very shekinah that was with the Jews in the wilderness! Furthermore, the exact imprint of His nature could not be merely a man, or any other creature for that matter. The word translated “nature” here is where we get the word character. In other words, Christ is the exact representation of the character of God, hence Christ can say, “Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

This passage stands in clear contrast to Arianism, a heresy developed by Arius, an elder in the Egyptian church in the third and fourth centuries. Arius taught that Christ was a lesser, created being, that the Father used for the redemption of His people. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim the heresies of Arius as their own to this day, although they have gone further than even Arius dared to go in their blasphemy.

Mormonism also teaches that Christ was created by the Father, although differently than the Aryans. Mormons teach that Christ was conceived by the physical union between the Father and the virgin Mary. They have a convoluted concept of Jesus’ preexistence, in the loins of the Father, so they claim to believe in the eternality of the Son, although still as a lesser being than the Father.

Verse four also teaches that Christ is superior to the angels. Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as Seventh Day Adventists teach that Christ is in fact the Archangel Michael.

The Humanity of Christ

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18 (ESV)

We have seen from chapter one of Hebrews that Christ is truly divine, and a separate person from the Father. Chapter two clearly lays out the humanity of Christ as well. The writer says that Christ himself partook of flesh and blood, just as the children of God have. We see in verse fourteen that in order for the power of death to be defeated, Christ must have truly died, in the same way that His children die. Without a true death of the Son, there can be no deliverance for us.

The heresy of Docetism developed as early as 70 A.D. and was held by early gnostics. Docetism, (from the root dokeo, or “to seem”) is the belief that Christ only seemed to have a physical body, but in reality he was only spirit, and so the life, death and resurrection of Christ were simply an illusion. If Christ only seemed to die, then logically we must conclude that the wrath of God only seemed to have been propitiated at the cross. This leaves us in our sins, and no one can be saved.

Monophysitism is the belief that Christ possessed no human nature, but the “humanness” of Jesus was consumed by His divinity, thereby making Christ not “truly” human. If Christ was not a man, in every sense of the word, He did not qualify for the priesthood, making Him unable to offer sacrifice on behalf of His people.

There are many more heresies or variations of the ones addressed here, but the point has been made. Historic orthodox Christianity holds that Christ is 100 percent God, and 100 percent man. His human and divine natures are distinct, yet function within the one person of Jesus Christ. The second person of the Trinity added humanity unto Himself at the incarnation, bridging the gap between God and man and thereby making Him fully able to fulfill the law, and bear the weight of the wrath of God at Calvary.