Hebrews 1:3

Did you ever have one of these in your house?  Some of you may be really confused as to what that picture is, but for the rest who may have lived in an older house (Or may have been forced to work on income properties like I did) you immediately know that that's a radiator.

Today, I will be spending the majority of my time talking about radiators...well, not exactly.



Hebrews 1:3 says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."

There is a LOT to this verse.  Truly stop and think about the beauty of this verse.  This verse is full of power statements:

radiance
exact representation
sustaining ALL things by his powerful word
provided purification for sins
Majesty in heaven

I could spend time writing a blog on each of these statements, however, I will not.  When I read this verse the word "Radiance" jumped out at me.  What picture pops into your brain when you hear the word radiance?

                    This!                                    

       THIS?












This?









Apparantly when I hear the word "Radiance" I think of a radiator.  It could be because of the hatred I have for radiators.  I don't know why I hate them because they are a source of heat and comfort, but they are SO ugly. They creak and groan and I SWEAR they come to life at night. Not to mention they are a decorating nightmare.  Anyways, back to the verse.

"The Son is the radiance of God's glory."  What does that mean?

God's glory is communicated through Jesus Christ!  It's important to understand that "radiance" does NOT equal reflection.  One blogger put it like this:

When we see the full moon in the sky, we think that it is brightly shining. But in fact, the moon has no ability to shine at all. It is a lifeless, dusty rock. Its brightness is merely a reflection of the sun's light.
In reality, the sun's light is radiated from the burning star in the center of our solar system. Christ is not reflecting God's glory, as the moon reflects the sun, but He is the radiance of God's glory, as the light and energy waves bring the power of the sun to us.

Without light waves, we could not see the sun. Without its energy being transmitted to earth, we could not feel its heat. The same is true here: without Jesus Christ, we could not see God. But now, because Christ has come, we have seen God.


 I could not have said it better...which is why I just pasted and copied what this author wrote!

Without that ugly radiator in my bedroom when I was younger, I could not have felt the heat from the furnace.  Without the sacrifice that Jesus made, I could not see God's glory.


John 14:5-9 sums this up really well:Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him." Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?


Isn't it beautiful that because of Jesus' sacrifice we now can see God's glory?  Sit and think with me about the beauty of this verse!