Our Purpose Visualized

For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him.
–Hebrews 2:8

We as Christians are wealthier than we think we are. Some of you right now are in the midst of the breakup of a very important relationship, or maybe you are facing unbearable pressure in your finances or at work, or maybe you are confronting the uncertainty of illness, and you are being tempted to ask yourself: Why am I going through this? Where is God when I need him the very most? Why isn’t he answering my specific request for help?

The writer of Hebrews answers that question in 2:5-9 by doing three things. First of all, he reminds us of our original purpose. He visualizes God’s original purpose for the kind of life He wanted us to live. Then he shows us how God’s purpose has been temporarily compromised. Finally, he closes on a note of hope of how that purpose will be ultimately realized.

We are going to wade into some deep theological waters, but they have great application for us today. First of all, our purpose visualized. The writer reminds us of what God originally intended for you and me by comparing us to the angels. Remember the angels we talked about a few weeks ago? And what most people do not realize is verses 1-4 of chapter 2 that we looked at last time–how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation–those four verses were just a parenthesis; the writer was talking about angels, then he said: Oh, by the way, speaking of salvation, you need salvation. And then he picks up with the discussion of angels in verse 5. Notice how he closed chapter 1: “To which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet’? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (1:13-14). These Jewish Christians were saying, “We do not need to go through all this hassle of being a Christian; we can go back into Judaism because, after all, Judaism has some good things in it like angels.” The writer says, “Angels are wonderful, but they are not superior to Christ. Christ is superior to angels. Angels are simply servants of Christ sent out to render service for those of us who belong to Christ. And speaking of salvation, you are not going to escape if you neglect so great a salvation.”

In verse 5, he picks up the subject of angels: “For [God] did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.” This is another way that angels are inferior to Christ. God did not promise that angels will rule over the world to come. He did not subject to angels the world to come; that is, He did not put the world to come under the angels’ authority. Instead, Jesus Christ will one day rule over the angels, and those of us who belong to Christ will also rule over the angels and over the entire world.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “The Parable Of The Lottery Ticket” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2013.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.