Hebrews 1:3

"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,"

The most recent new worship song that has been introduced to our fellowship has been "Hebrews 1:3", a song written by Chad Dodson. I know Chad would never write a post like this himself, so I decided to write it. I also know that I can write this post, which praises Chad for giving us this amazing song, and have no fear that it will go to his head or that the glory will be misplaced. We know that Chad's heart is to glorify God in his song-writing and worship leading, and there is no question about that whatsoever.

Hebrews 1:3 is an amazing verse because it proclaims an essential truth about Jesus Christ, and it reminds us of why he is the center of our affections and our worship. It says that when you see Jesus, you see God. He is the exact imprint of His nature. If you take out a quarter from your pocket, how do you know it is a quarter? Because it is the exact imprint of other quarters you have seen and held in your pocket. The Hebrew writer tells it's readers that what they saw in the human being named Jesus was actually the radiance of the glory of God, an exact imprint of His nature. Want to know what God says? Listen to Jesus. Want to know what God does? Watch Jesus. They are one and the same.

Most analogies for this (such as my quarter analogy above) are quite imperfect and can even distort the real truth of the radiance of His glory if pressed too far. But let's try this one: Jesus relates to God the way the rays of sunlight relate to the sun. There is no time that the sun exists without the beams of radiance. They cannot be separated. If you put a solar-activated calculator in the sunlight, numbers appear on the face of the calculator. These are energized by the sun's radiance, but they are not what the sun is. The rays of the sun however are an extension of the sun. We see the sun by means of seeing the rays of the sun. So too we see God the Father by seeing Jesus for they are one God.

So how important is Jesus? Hebrews 1:3 answers that for us.

I know Chad does not have the song "Hebrews 1:3" recorded for us to post here yet, but I am beginning a campaign for that to be his next recording project. I have been singing this song for 8 days now (ever since the first time I heard it), and I can't wait to have a copy of it in my iPod.

In the meantime, here are the lyrics:

A dying son birthing righteousness
For the Father, for His Father’s renown
All have fallen low
All have failed to see
But mercy through grace
From the Father, to honor Him as He

Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God
All the universe stands by the power of His word
When He died He brought all I could not see
Without Him

For all You are
All in joy should raise all the praise that you deserve
For Your splendor, Your immaculate renown
Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God
All the universe stands by the power of His word
When He died He brought all I could not see Without Him

All hearts open here
See the grandeur, greatness, vastness of the King
You’re astounding; breathtaking
You’re astonishing; awe-inspiring
That’s You, I love you Lord, that’s You
That’s You, I love you Lord, that's You

I love singing this song. It's melody is so inviting. There are certain songs that when they get into your head you just cannot stop singing them ("You Make Everything Glorious" by David Crowder is one of them). Hebrews 1:3 is one of them. I don't want to stop singing it. Right now my top two favorite songs to sing in worship to God are both written by our own worship leader: "Sovereign God" and "Hebrews 1:3".

So let all boasting be in the Lord. Because He is the one who puts the new song in our hearts. He is to be credited for the lyric, the melody, and most importantly, the purpose and reason behind why we sing them. And thanks to those whom He calls to be faithful messengers so we can share in what He has given us.

Thank you, Jehovah God, for giving us Hebrews 1:3.

Thank you, Chad, for giving us Hebrews 1:3 to sing back to Him as praise and acknowledgement of our thankfulness and awe for what He has done.

Comments

[Steve Murray]

I can't wait to hear this song. God has blessed Chad with a great gift!