Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Hebrews Chapter 1
Metaphysically Interpreting Hebrews 1:1-4
1:1God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners,1:2hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; 1:3who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;1:4having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they.
December 24, 1944: Heb. 1:1-4
How does God speak to us “in his Son”? Through the direct inspiration of the new ideas brought to the mind by the indwelling Christ, and also through the words of Jesus Christ, who made Himself one with the Father in thought, word, and life.
How can the new heaven and the new earth be made one? By our living the life of the Christ individually and collectively. “The life was manifested” in Jesus, and it must be manifested in us all before the new heaven and the new earth can appear. Everyone must have a part in this work and must undertake to discharge his part gladly and joyfully.
October 5, 1947: Heb. 1:1-4
What is God's will for us, as originally revealed to Moses and the prophets? That we enter into eternal life by keeping the law of life, which is the divine law.
Why was another revelation of the divine will necessary? Because man failed to keep the law of life.
Under the new will, who is the sole heir of God? The Christ, “his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things.”
How do we benefit under the terms of the new will? In the Christ consciousness we too become heirs of God. We are “joint heirs with Christ.”
What is “the very image of his substance”? The Christ is divine substance made manifest in life.
What more do we understand by “the Christ”? The Christ is the divine idea man, the one complete idea of perfect man in Divine Mind. As the perfect man, he is the embodiment of all divine ideas.
Has the Christ idea any application to the individual? Yes, it is the true, spiritual, higher self of every individual. By looking within, recognizing and realizing our divine sonship in thought, word, and act, we become sons of God manifest.
What are “the angels”? They are our spiritual perceptions and ideas (thoughts or messengers of the Lord). The Christ is higher than the angels, inasmuch as it is the principle that moves us to action.
- UNITY magazine
October 5, 1947: Heb. 1:1-4
INTERPRETATION
“Love,” says Thomas A Kempis, “makes everything that is bitter, sweet, and pleasant.” If we cannot keep this law, we are incapable of keeping any law of the higher realm, and no further testament or “will of God need be made for us.
God spoke first to His creation, as God always has spoken and always will speak, “ by divers portions and in divers manners.” No set form of words, no stereotyped communication is necessary or possible. God speaks through the prophets and teachers, but the divine voice is heard also in the silence of meditation, where no word is spoken, no passage read. A sunrise may speak the word of God, or “a beauteous evening, calm and still.” Wherever union with the divine ideal takes place, there God's voice is heard. God speaks to us “in His Son,” who is the “effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance.”
To make the law of love easier for us to keep, we are told to keep it by loving our neighbor. Since to the beginner in Truth the thought of God is more or less of an abstraction, he is given something concrete on which to work: the one who is nearest him. It is easier to be conscious of those who are close at hand, than those at a distance.
A Savior, Christ the Lord, has always been needed and hoped for, always been expected. Mankind needs to be saved from itself, from the evils that it has set in motion in the world. The triumph of good over evil is possible through keeping the law of love. Love of the good can transform the thoughts and acts of mankind. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, but the transformation from hell to heaven is brought about by a change of consciousness, that puts joy in doing good in the place of the satisfaction felt by the sense man in doing evil; that stills the voice of self-centered desire with the unmistakable voice of God “spoken unto us in his Son.” The world inherently good, created by the Christ word of power, cannot remain permanently evil, but must become “Heavenly places, in Christ Jesus” as our mind holds fast to the concept of the Christ power, cultivating it in consciousness and living it daily.
- UNITY magazine
Metaphysically Interpreting Hebrews 1:5-14
1:5For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son,
This day have I begotten thee?
and again,
I will be to him a Father,
And he shall be to me a Son?
1:6And when he again bringeth in the firstborn into the world he saith,
And let all the angels of God worship him.
1:7And of the angels he saith,
Who maketh his angels winds,
And his ministers a flame a fire:
1:8but of the Son he saith,
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever;
And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
1:9Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee
With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
1:10And,
Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of thy hands:
1:11They shall perish; but thou continuest:
And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
1:12And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up,
As a garment, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same,
And thy years shall not fail.
1:13But of which of the angels hath he said at any time,
Sit thou on my right hand,
Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?
1:14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?
December 19, 1943: Heb. 1:1-9
How does God “speak” to us? In every new understanding that we gain of life and its meaning. God's revelations of divine life come to our mind as the light of the sun comes to our eyes.
What is equivalent to the hearing of God's words? Every Christ-like motive or impulse in our heart is a “hearing” of the words of God. When we have “heard” them, we have still to obey them or act on them.
What is “the very image of his substance”? The Christ is divine substance made manifest in life.
What more do we understand by “the Christ”? The Christ is the divine-idea man, the one complete idea of perfect man in Divine Mind. As the perfect man He is the embodiment of all divine ideas.
Has the Christ idea any application to the individual? Yes, it is the time, spiritual, higher self of every individual. By looking within, recognizing and realizing our divine sonship in thought, word, and act, we become sons of God manifest.
What are “the angels”? They are our spiritual perceptions and ideas (thoughts or messengers of the Lord). The Christ is higher than the angels, inasmuch as it is the principle that moves us to action.
What “sceptre of uprightness” is the sceptre of the Christ kingdom? A scepter is an emblem of sovereignty or authority. Uprightness or right thinking and right conduct prove the sovereignty of the kingdom of the Christ, for rightness is disclosed by its effects.
What is the effect or end of the “law unto righteousness”? The law unto righteousness or law of right thinking, right speaking, and right acting, is wholly fulfilled in the Christ consciousness. As we believe in the power of true thought and persist in putting our faith into practice, we realize that “with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 10-26-2013
