A Better Revelation
The Unfolding Revelation of Christ
Human understanding of the divine is often a journey of ever-increasing clarity and depth. Just as C.S. Lewis’s character Lucy found Aslan to grow “bigger” each year she aged, not because Aslan changed, but because her capacity to perceive his greatness expanded, so too does the believer’s comprehension of Jesus Christ deepen with spiritual maturity. While Christ remains “the same yesterday, today, and forever,” the more one grows in knowledge and faith, the more magnificent and all-encompassing His person and work become. The letter to the Hebrews immediately establishes this profound truth, presenting Christ as the ultimate and most intimate revelation of God.
Divine Communication: From Shadows to Substance
Humanity does not grope in the dark for a silent, distant, or unknowable God. On the contrary, the God of the universe has taken the initiative to make Himself known. He is not hidden or far off; He has spoken, and through His self-revelation, His power, holiness, righteousness, plan of redemption, and love are made accessible.
God’s self-disclosure has unfolded through various means, each with increasing intimacy. The initial revelation is evident in creation itself, often termed natural revelation. The intricate design and breathtaking majesty of the cosmos bear undeniable witness to a Creator.
Psalms 19:1 (NASB) For the choir director. A Psalm of David. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
This grandeur, from the vastness of the Grand Canyon to the precise orbital mechanics of Earth, powerfully testifies to an intelligent designer with specific intent. This natural revelation is sufficient to condemn humanity for its failure to acknowledge God, but it is not sufficient for salvation.
Romans 1:19-20 (NASB) because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Beyond the natural world, God has also revealed Himself through His inspired Word, known as special revelation. Scripture is divinely inspired, literally “God-breathed,” making it profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB) All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
This divine inspiration means that the biblical authors, though writing with their unique personalities and perspectives, were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak from God, ensuring the authoritative and unified message of scripture.
2 Peter 1:21 (NASB) for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
The Old Testament, specifically through the prophets, served as a foundational revelation, consistently pointing forward to a greater fulfillment. Jesus Himself affirmed this, explaining to His disciples post-resurrection how all the scriptures, from Moses and the prophets, spoke concerning Him.
Luke 24:27 (NASB) Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
Every narrative and prophecy in the Old Testament, therefore, whispers His name, culminating in the declaration that those who search the Scriptures for eternal life ultimately find that they speak of Christ.
John 5:39 (NASB) ’You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
The Superiority of Incarnate Revelation
While natural and special revelation provided glimpses and prophecies, God’s ultimate and most intimate self-disclosure came through the incarnation of His Son. The author of Hebrews emphasizes this shift from past, partial revelations to a singular, complete one:
Hebrews 1:1-2 (NASB) God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
This marks a transition from God speaking “in the prophets” to speaking “in his Son.” The concept of incarnation signifies God’s gracious and unprecedented rescue mission to redeem humanity from sin. The Apostle John introduces this profound truth by stating that “in the beginning was the Word,” referring to the full embodiment of God, who was with God and was God.
John 1:1-3 (NASB) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
This divine Word, the very light and life of humanity, eventually “became flesh and dwelt among us.” The term “dwelt” evokes the imagery of the Tabernacle, where God’s presence resided among His people in the Old Covenant, now fulfilled in the bodily presence of Christ.
John 1:14 (NASB) And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This full deity clothed in humanity is further elaborated by Paul, who describes Christ’s pre-existence in the form of God, His voluntary self-emptying, and His taking on the form of a bond-servant, becoming obedient to death on a cross.
Philippians 2:6-8 (NASB) who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Christ’s incarnation means that “in him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” This declaration counters any notion, such as Gnosticism, that Christ was a lesser deity, asserting instead the complete and total presence of God within Jesus’ human form.
Colossians 2:9-10 (NASB) For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;
The Divine Attributes of the Son
Christ’s identity as the Son of God encompasses several profound attributes that underscore His supremacy.
First, He is “appointed heir of all things.” This speaks to His ultimate authority and future reign. Having humbled Himself, God highly exalted Him, bestowing upon Him a name above every name, ensuring that every knee will bow and every tongue confess Him as Lord.
Philippians 2:9-11 (NASB) For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
His role as heir culminates in the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth, where God’s tabernacle will be among humanity, and all suffering will be abolished.
Revelation 21:1-4 (NASB) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer [any] sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be [any] death; there will no longer be [any] mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.’
Second, it is “through whom also he made the world.” While Genesis 1:1 states that God created the heavens and the earth, the New Testament clarifies that Jesus was the agent of creation. All things came into being through Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:16-17 (NASB) For by Him all things were created, [both] in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
This means that Jesus is not merely a created being but is co-eternal and co-creator with God the Father.
Third, Jesus is “the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his nature.” This description goes beyond mere reflection; Christ is the direct, emanating light and essence of God’s glory. He is not a lesser copy but the very image of God, the full manifestation of the divine character.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NASB) in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
The Necessity of Christ’s Dual Nature: Fully God and Fully Man
For Christ to be the “better revelation” and the effective Savior, He had to be both fully God and fully man. This dual nature, known as the Hypostatic Union, is a cornerstone of Christian theology.
Christ’s full deity is essential. He not only claimed to be equal with God, a claim that deeply offended His contemporaries, but He also used the divine name “I Am” to assert His eternal existence before Abraham.
John 8:58 (NASB) Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’
He further asserted His unity with the Father, leaving no doubt about His divine identity.
John 10:30 (NASB) ‘I and the Father are one.’
His deity is not merely a claim but a theological necessity. Human sin is an offense against a holy God, a divine offense that humanity itself cannot rectify. The futile attempts of Adam and Eve to cover their sin with fig leaves highlight the inadequacy of human effort. Only a divine sacrifice, provided by God Himself, could satisfy divine wrath and reconcile humanity.
Genesis 3:21 (NASB) The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
Through Christ, God can be both just in punishing sin and the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus. The divine price for sin was paid on the cross, where Christ, who knew no sin, became sin on humanity’s behalf, allowing believers to become the righteousness of God in Him. This substitutionary act is the ultimate expression of divine love and propitiation.
1 John 4:10 (NASB) In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.
Equally crucial is Christ’s full humanity. Had He not been fully man, His sacrifice would not have been truly representative of humanity. Jesus experienced the full spectrum of human life—born of a virgin, growing in wisdom and stature, experiencing hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, and anger. Yet, crucially, He lived without sin, though He was tempted in every way.
Hebrews 4:15 (NASB) For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as [we are, yet] without sin.
His sinlessness made Him the perfect, unblemished sacrifice, fully capable of identifying with human frailties while remaining untainted by sin.
The Finished Work and Exalted Status of Christ
Having made purification for sins, Christ performed a singular, decisive act that contrasts sharply with the Old Covenant system. Under the Law, priests continually stood, offering repeated sacrifices for sins that could never ultimately take away guilt. The constant repetition underscored their inadequacy.
Hebrews 10:11 (NASB) Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;
However, Christ, after His unique offering, “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Hebrews 1:3 (NASB) And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
His seating signifies the completion and efficacy of His work. When Jesus declared “It is finished” on the cross, He truly meant it. His single sacrifice was once for all, perfectly purifying sins. His resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand confirm the divine acceptance and ultimate triumph of His atonement.
The early church grappled with the profound implications of Christ’s dual nature. Through councils like Nicaea (325 AD) and Chalcedon (451 AD), the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union was affirmed: Jesus is uniquely one person with two distinct natures—fully God and fully man—without confusion, change, division, or separation. This theological understanding, articulated in creeds such as the Nicene Creed, stands as a testament to centuries of biblical reflection, affirming Christ’s co-essentiality with the Father while maintaining His full humanity.
An Ever-Enlarging View of Jesus
The profound truths of Hebrews 1:1-4 unveil Jesus as a revelation far superior to any that preceded Him. He is not merely a prophet, a created being, or a reflection of God, but the very essence of God made manifest. He is the pre-existent, co-creating Son, the heir of all things, the radiance of divine glory, and the exact representation of God’s nature, who, in His perfect humanity and deity, made purification for sins and now reigns from heaven’s throne.
This understanding of Christ’s incomparable nature should, like Lucy’s encounter with Aslan, continually expand one’s view of Him. With every engagement with scripture and every moment of spiritual growth, Jesus becomes larger, more glorious, and more central to existence. The unwavering confession of the church throughout history, echoing the ancient creeds, is that Jesus is indeed a better revelation—fully God and fully man, the unique Savior who died and rose, and who will come again. May this truth inspire an ever-deepening awe and worship for the One who is truly none like Him.