Hebrews 2:7-12

 

Heb 2:7 (KJB)

Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

 

(Psa 8:5-6 KJV) For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. {6} Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: The writer of Hebrews continues to quote from Psalm 8. Here he states that God made man lower or inferior to the angels yet God had given him dominion over the creation. (Gen 1:26 KJV) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Man had dominion over the creation but man sinned and caused himself to become disgraced. The glory and honor that man had was the fact they were made in God’s image along with the rule over creation but when sin entered, the Bible now spoke of man being made in the image of Adam because the sin nature is passed down. (Gen 5:3 KJV) And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: The human body would be inferior to the spiritual body because it is subject to death and this is why the humans are inferior to the angels. In chapter one, we read that the angels will be serving those who became saved. Angels were not made in the image of God but man was.

 

Heb 2:8 (KJB)

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

 

Subjection - Put in submission to or be made subject to

 

When man was created, God had placed everything in the creation under his authority. It did not matter what it was, whether it was flying creatures, fish, or land animals, all was under the authority of man. We see a contrast in this verse that not all things are yet under his authority. When man sinned then he not only became at enmity with God, but he became at enmity with the creation. Man now runs from the creation he was supposed to rule. Man is subjected to the ravages of the weather such as tornadoes or hurricanes. Man also runs from the animals because many of them are carnivorous. I would not want to meet a Grizzly bear with her cubs or run into a lion before feeding time. Everything in the present creation is degenerating. In the New Heavens and the New Earth, the believers as kings and priests (Rev. 1:6) will have some type of dominion there but as to what, we must wait and see.

 

Heb 2:9 (KJB)

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

 

This verse is now turning from man to the Lord Jesus Christ. First we are told that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels, that is, He took on a fleshly body, the same as all men have except He was sinless. He did this for the purpose of dying for those He came to save. (Mat 1:21 KJV) And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. The result of His death on Calvary produced the salvation for millions which gave Christ a crown of glory and honor. Glory in that His sacrifice was sufficient to save and honor that He is the savior of millions. Then we read that Jesus came to this earth to die for His people and we see that it was the grace of God wrapped up in the blanket of the wrath of God. When these two met, it was the grace of God which overrode the wrath of God toward the believer. Grace had flowed from the cross! No longer will any true Christian ever have to face the wrath of God, that is now reserved for the unbeliever on Judgment Day.

 

Heb 2:10 (KJB)

For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

 

Captain - This word can also be translated as “leader or ruler” plus it can also be translated “author or originator.” All of these English translations would fit just fine.

 

This verse is teaching us that it was absolutely appropriate for the Son of God, who created all things in the earth and the heavens for His own glory, to bring many unto salvation. Salvation was never through the law but it came only through Jesus Christ. (Rom 6:23 KJV) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ became the initiator of our salvation. (Heb 12:2 KJV) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. In Hebrews 12:2, the word “author” in the Greek is the same word as “captain” in our present verse. It was through all the sufferings that Jesus became the perfect author of salvation because He fulfilled all the righteous demands of the holy law of God. As God the Father had created the salvation plan to send His Son into the world to die for the Elect, Jesus was more than suited to fulfill the obligations required to effect salvation for His people.

 

Heb 2:11 (KJB)

For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

 

When the Lord Jesus came to earth to die for His Elect, he had to become one of the human race. He could not pay for their sins any other way. So the great High Priest of Heaven had to become a man to identify with the human race and thereby became their Savior by means of His humiliation. He became one of us and died for us. If one looks at the earthly lineage of Christ, one will see murderers, adulterers, and liars, and yet the Lord Jesus Christ was not ashamed to call them brethren because He knew that by means of His sacrifice the Elect would become saved and sanctified for eternity. (Luke 8:21 KJV) And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it. As we read in Luke 8:21, the family of God consists of those who hear the word of God and act upon that understanding. Jesus uses the terms brethren and mother in a possessive manner that those who are saved are of His Family.

 

Heb 2:12 (KJB)

Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

 

(Psa 22:22 KJV) I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. Psalm 22 starts out with the source of the agonizing cry of Jesus from the cross. (Psa 22:1 KJV) To the chief Musician upon Aijeleth Shahar, A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? The end of the Psalm turns into a psalm of praise. Here Jesus is stating that He will declare the name of God unto all His brethren and we saw that His brethren are the saved. The unsaved of the world do not want to hear about God, as they have their own gods such as education, wealth, evolution, etc. Jesus is going to declare the name of God to all the Christians down through the ages and not necessarily through a church setting but through salvation wherever the person may be. The church in view is not a particular denomination or local church but it is referring to the church universal, all the saved on earth will have a new relationship to God because the enmity which was between us prior to salvation has been eliminated. (Rom 5:1 KJV) Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

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