Christ's Superiority Over Angels (Part: 1)

"For to which of the angels did He ever say, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU?" And again, I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME?"

(Hebrews 1: 5, NASB)

 

We read in Hebrews 1: 5-2: 18 Christ's superiority over angels. Yet, there are those people today who believe that Jesus was not God, instead He was Michael the archangel who came in the flesh to die for our sins. This of course leads us to the subject before us in the theme text above. In this blog entry my focus will be restricted to proving the Superiority of Christ over angels. I will deal with the topic on Jesus and Michael the archangel in the next blog entry.  

So what can we learn from the passage of Scripture above about the Lord Jesus Christ? It is interesting to note that two specific questions are asked in contrast between the Lord Jesus and angels in their relation to God the Father. For the text says: "For to which of the angels did He ever say, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU?" This part of Hebrews 1: 5 is echoed in three other passages (see 5: 5; Acts 13: 33; Psalm 2: 7). Of course, the answer to the question being asked in the text is "no angel, none." For God never said to any angel, "YOU ARE MY SON..." Now some might object and say, "angels" are referred to in Scripture as "sons of God" (see Gen. 6: 2; Job 1: 6; 2: 1; 38: 7, etc.). Yes, it is true that "angels" are sometimes referred to as "sons of God" but never are they called in the singular, "Son of God" (Gal. 2: 20, NASB), or "only begotten Son" (John 1: 18, KJV, DARBY), or "the One and Only Son" (John 1: 14, 18, CSB), or "[but God] the One and Only" (John 1: 18, 14, NIV). This of course makes Jesus distinct, and sets Him apart from all the angels. For as I have said, the singular noun "son" is never applied in Scripture individually of angels. Concerning the phrase, "YOU ARE MY SON," noted Greek scholar, M. R. Vincent gives this insightful comment: 

"You are my Son. Note the emphatic position of vios son. See on ver. 4. In the O.T. son is applied to angels collectively, but never individually. See Ps. 29. 1; 89. 6. Similarly, son is applied to the chosen nation, Ex. 4. 22; Hos. 11. 1, but to no individual of the nation."[1] 

The phrase, "TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU?"  "The word "TODAY" indicates that God's Son was born in a point of time. He was always God, but he demonstrated his role as Son in space and time at his incarnation and was affirmed as such by his resurrection (Rom. 1:4)."[2] Now as for the term, "BEGOTTEN YOU" it is rendered in John 3: 16 as "only begotten Son" which makes Him unique, one of a kind.  

Now as for the next part of the verse, which says, "And again, I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME?" This is not only direct, but personal as well. The phrase, "I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME?"  This does not refer in any way to God the Father first becoming a father to the Lord Jesus at His birth into humanity. For God the Son, Jesus Christ, was always the Son before He came into the world in the flesh (see John 1: 1; 8: 58; 17: 5). What it refers to here, since He was not born naturally through the sexual union between a man and woman, but was born of a virgin (see Isa. 7: 14; 9: 6; Matt. 1: 18-25), is that Jesus shares the same divine nature with the Father in that He is every bit God as the Father is (see Heb. 1: 3; John 10: 30; Col. 1: 19; 2: 9).  Though Joseph was Jesus' earthly Father, he was not His natural father, God the Father is. Writing on Hebrews 1: 5, noted Bible scholar David W. Chapman observes: 

"You are my Son. This citation from Ps. 2: 7 invokes the whole Psalm: the Messiah is the Anointed One (Ps. 2:2), is king over all (Ps. 2:6-8), and especially is God's Son (Ps. 2:7). Today I have begotten you. A poetic expression reflecting the unique relationship of the Son to God Almighty (see further Heb. 1: 6); this speaks of entering into a new phase of that Father-Son relationship and should not be pressed to suggest that the Son once did not exist (he has begotten the already living Son "today"). Similar words of divine sonship are spoken at Jesus' baptism (Mark 1: 11; Luke 3:22; cf. Matt. 3:17) and his transfiguration (Matt. 17: 5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35); see also Acts 13:33; Heb. 5:5. He shall be to me a son. This proclamation (2 Sam. 7:14; also 1 Chron. 17:13) is declared to King David concerning his covenant heir, whom God will designate God's own "Son." In the context of Samuel, the reader might assume this refers to David's son Solomon, but Solomon failed to follow the law and was not "established forever" (2 Sam. 7:16); hence, the promise can only be fulfilled by the Davidic Messiah. Psalm 2 and 2 Samuel 7 are linked by the special designation "Son," and by their messianic theology (a link also assumed in NT-era Judaism, e.g., 4QFlorilegium in the Dead Sea Scrolls)."[3] 

Yes, angels are "sons of God" and believers are referred to as "sons of God," but never are they said to be "The only begotten Son of God." Angels are "sons of God" in context that they were created to serve God; we are "sons of God" through the new birth in Christ and by adoption; whereas, "the only begotten Son of God" is the "Son" in the context that He is the original, unique Son of God, the second person of the Godhead.

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[1] Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament: Vol. IV, (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1976), pg. 387. (NOTE: I have converted the Roman Numerals in the Scripture passages cited in Vincent's quote to numbers for easier reading, and changed the first four bolded words to modern English).

[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (ESV), (Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois, 2010), pg. 1848.

[3] David W. Chapman, ESV Study Bible, (Crossway Bibles, Wheaton, Illinois, 2008), pgs. 2361-2362.