“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory…”

Have you ever been so excited about something that you ran out of words to describe it?  Or find yourself being redundant in your use of synonyms?  For example, when a child comes home from the circus and tries to describe the experience to her friend.  “It was so cool, awesome, unbelievable, exciting, thrilling, wonderful,” etc.  Or a high school student telling his parents about the speed in the final race of the swim meet that won the state championship for their high school: “He swam so fast, accelerating with each movement, gaining speed, slicing through the water, racing the whole way!”  We begin to get the picture.  Some things are just so great that we run out of words to adequately describe not only the topic, but also our enthusiasm.

Our focus this time is a little like that — “radiance of God’s glory” in Hebrews 1:3.  The original Greek manuscripts of the New Testament didn’t contain punctuation, so that does not help us understand whether the author was excited about the subject at the opening of the book.  But given the descriptions of Jesus in chapter one and following, we could make a good case that he was indeed excited.  Christ is the only focus of the whole book from beginning to end.  The comparisons between him and other people and things start in chapter 1 with angels.  But before that, the writer lays the foundation in clear and unmistakable terms:  “heir of all things…[maker of] the universe…radiance of God’s glory…exact representation of [God’s] being…sustain[er of] all things by his powerful word…[purifier of] sins…seated at the Majesty in heaven.”  Wow!  And that’s just for starters!  Can you see why Hebrews chapter 1 is one of the great chapters in the New Testament, along with John 1 and Colossians 1, which clearly teach the deity of Jesus?

So what about “radiance of God’s glory”?  The Greek word for radiance is used only here in all the New Testament.  Its uniqueness should give us a clue that it sends a special signal.  It means “radiant splendor, bright shining, brilliance.”  See what I mean about running out of words trying to describe something?  This is not a reflected light.  It is not a restricted light. The source of this radiance is directly from the Son (v. 2).  It makes the brightest sunlight in the clearest of skies pale in comparison. It knocked the Apostle Paul off his horse and blinded him enroute to Damascus. He was fortunate to even survive!

The word glory in Greek means, “opinion, estimate, thus the honor resulting from a good opinion.”  While that is true, it somehow doesn’t quite grasp the idea of the glory of God.  God’s glory is such an important theme that all but one New Testament book — Philemon — speak about it.  God’s glory is his very essence and character.  It includes his self-revelation and actions, along with the eternal state of believers.  It manifests itself in many ways, in heaven and in earth.  It included the column of fire that led Israel through the wilderness (Ex. 16:10), and the physical phenomenon of brilliant, and sometimes blinding, light (Luke 2:9, Acts 22:11).  It is stunning, awesome, incredible and indescribable.  Again, we run out of adequate words to express the idea!

Now to bring the two words, radiance and glory, together, further intensifies the point.  God has glory; that ought to be clearly evident to all.  But Jesus is the “radiant splendor,” the “brilliance” of that glory that shines out directly from him.  After reading and contemplating that, what conclusion comes to your mind?  I can only come up with one:  He is Lord!  He is God!  Jesus is Ruler of the universe!  There is no one else like him.  What other conclusion can there be?  What the cults say about Jesus would be laughable if it weren’t so pitiable, foolish, detestable and heretical.  Are you beginning to get the point?

To think that God has planned for us to enter his glory (1 Thessalonians 2:12, 1 Peter 5:10) and to be brothers with him (Hebrews 2:11-12) who is God’s radiance should drive us to our knees in extended joy, gratefulness and praise of our Heavenly Father and his radiant Son.  It should drive us to live for no other purpose than that very same glory that will one day be shared with us.  Words are simply not enough.  It requires lives that are lived out, where the glory is reflected in us (2 Cor. 3:18).

With excited anticipation and in awe of God’s glory, will you reflect his glory today?