He Took Not On Him The Nature Of Angels
Hebrews
2:5-18
6 But one in a certain place
testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of
man, that thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him
over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in
subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he
left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put
under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom
are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy
name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust
in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the
same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is, the devil;
17 Wherefore in all things it
behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people.
Introduction:
The book of Hebrews is usually included in a list of the
General Epistles of the New Testament, but in many respects this book stands as
unique in the inspired Word of God.
This sermon was born in a meditation on verse 16a - For verily he took not on him the nature of
angels.
There is a translation issue here in the beginning of
verse 16 that involves literal versus dynamic equivalent approaches to translation,
and supplied words not in the original text may be indicated by italics or
brackets. The truth of the understanding
presented in the King James Version translation and obscured in some modern
translations (HCSB, RSV) is defended by John Owen in his treatment of verse 16. [1] Surprisingly, several modern translations
that are well over on the dynamic equivalent side of the translation spectrum (ESV,
NIV, NLT) do not expand on what is meant here as they do in many other places,
but render it quite literally.
NASB - For assuredly He does not give help to
angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. [2] Note: Lit take hold
of angels, but He takes
hold of
ESV - For surely it is not angels that
he helps,
but he helps the offspring of Abraham. [3]
HCSB - For it is clear that He does not
reach out to
help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring. [4]
NIV - For surely it is not angels he helps,
but Abraham’s descendants. [5]
NLT - We also know that the Son did
not come to help
angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. [6]
RSV - For surely it is not with
angels that he is
concerned but with the descendants of Abraham. [7]
ASV - For verily not to angels
doth he give
help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham. [8]
Darby - For he does not indeed take hold of
angels by the hand, but he takes hold
of the seed of Abraham. [9]
YLT - for, doubtless, of
messengers it doth
not lay hold, but of seed of Abraham it layeth hold, [10]
An important Old Testament passage from the Prophet
Isaiah that is directly related to this passage is found in Is. 41:8-10 -
8 But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed
of Abraham my friend. 9 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and
called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my
servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. 10 Fear thou not; for I am
with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I
will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my
righteousness.
The truth taught here in these verse involves several
serious doctrinal issues not often grappled with involving the following
subject areas:
1. Angelology (the study or theology of angels),
2. Christology (the study or theology of
Christ),
3. Anthropology (the study or theology of man),
and,
4. Soteriology (the study or theology of
salvation).
Very few books in the New Testament develop these
doctrines like the book of Hebrews does.
Outline:
I. Why the
Incarnation? The Purpose or Reason
for the Incarnation
II. What is the
Incarnation? The Essence or Nature
of the Incarnation
III. Who are the Focuses
(Foci) of the Incarnation? The Objects or Beneficiaries of the
Incarnation
Transition:
Let us consider these questions, and strive to understand
the implications of the answers the context supplies. Certainly we need look no further than the
immediate context in Hebrews 2:5-18 for enlightenment concerning the answers to
these questions.
I. Why
the Incarnation? (Cur Deus Homo [11]) The Purpose or Reason for the
Incarnation
1. 2:9 - for
the suffering of death
9 But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
2. 2:10 - to be
perfected through sufferings
10 For it became him, for whom
are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
3. 2:11 - to be
united to those he sanctifies
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of
one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
4. 2:14 - to
destroy through death the devil, who has the power of death
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
5. 2:15 - to deliver
those subject to bondage through fear of death
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.
6. 2:17 - that
he might be a merciful and faithful high priest and make reconciliation for the
sins of the people
17 Wherefore in all things it
behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people.
Thomas F. Torrance on Robert Bruce and “incarnational
redemption”:
“…he expounded another, and no less essential, main
aspect of Christ’s atoning reconciliation.
And this is what he had to say about it: -
“…He
delivered us from the disorder and rotten root from which we proceed….our nature
in Him was full sanctified by that same power.
And this perfect purity of our nature in His Person covers our impurity….His
purity covers our impurity.”
If Bruce
thought of the satisfaction of Christ as freeing us from our actual sins, it is
clear that he thought of His perfect purity in incarnation and birth as
covering our original sin, or as sanctifying our human nature. This stress upon incarnational redemption in
Christ Bruce sandwiched in between his accounts of Christ’s active and passive
obedience, for it belongs to the very heart of His saving work. And so he summed it up by saying that all
these, namely, perfect satisfaction, perfect purity and perfect righteousness
are to be found in Christ perfectly….We are given to share not only in the
benefits of His death on the Cross and in His righteous fulfilment of the Will
of God, but also in His sanctified human nature so that we are sanctified in
the purity of His Incarnation through union with Him in His humanity.” [12]
II. What
is the Incarnation? The Essence or
Nature of the Incarnation
1. 2:7, 9 -
made a little lower than the angels
7 Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him
over the works of thy hands:
9 But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
2. 2:11 -
united to those he sanctifies
11 For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren,
3. 2:14 -
partake of flesh and blood
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
4. 2:16 - take
on the seed of Abraham
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on
him the seed of Abraham.
5. 2:17 - made
like His brethren
17 Wherefore in all things it
behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for
the sins of the people.
Mankind and angelic beings have in common that they are
created beings, and they may fall due to sin.
However, the differences between men and angels appear to be
particularly significant in the light of Hebrews 2:16 -
1. Man was created in the image and likeness of
God. Angels were not.
2. Man can die.
Angels cannot. Man is
mortal. Angels are not mortal.
3. Man is redeemable. Angels are not redeemable. Redemption requires death, therefore it is
not possible for angels to be redeemed.
The incarnation has been referred to in theology as the assumptio carnis, Latin for “the
assumption of the flesh”.
Thomas F. Torrance:
“Thus his very act of becoming man is itself and act of
reconciliation.” [13]
“…the assumptio
carnis means also that God has joined himself to us in our estranged human
life in order to sanctify it, to gather it into union with his own holy life
and so lift it up above and beyond all downward drag of sin and decay, and that
he already does simply by being one with man in all things. Thus the act of becoming incarnate it itself
the sanctification of our human life in Jesus Christ, an elevating and
fulfilling of it that far surpasses creation; it is a raising up of men and
women to stand and have their being in the very life of God, but that raising
up of man is achieved through his unutterable atoning self-humiliation and
condescension.” [14]
III. Who
are the Focuses (Foci) of the Incarnation? The Objects or Beneficiaries
of the Incarnation
1. 2:10 - sons
10 For it became him, for whom
are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory,
to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
2. 2:11 - the
sanctified…brethren
11 For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren,
3. 2:12 - His
brethren…the Church
12 Saying, I will declare thy
name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
4. 2:13, 14 -
the children God gave Christ
13 And again, I will put my trust
in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the
same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is, the devil;
5. 2:15 - those
in bondage
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage.
6. 2:16 - the
seed of Abraham
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on
him the seed of Abraham.
7. 2:17 -
brethren…the people (sinners)
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
8. 2:18 - those
who are tempted
18 For in that he himself hath
suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Transition:
What lessons can we take away from these truths?
Conclusion:
The lessons of “incarnational redemption” are prominent
in Romans 7:18-8:14 -
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to
perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not:
but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it
is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law,
that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the
law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring
against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin
which is in my members. 24 O wretched
man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
1 There is
therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do, in that it
was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4 That the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit. 5 For they that are after the
flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit
the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot
please God. 9 But ye are not in the
flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ
be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead
dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
after the flesh. 13 For if ye live
after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God.
How do we know that this is true?
For verily he took
not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
God sent “…his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh,
and for sin…”
[Sermon preached 22
DEC 2013 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown,
PA.]
Resources:
Robert Bruce, The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper:
Sermons by Robert Bruce, ed. Thomas F. Torrance, 2nd ed., (Edinburgh:
Rutherford House, 1958), esp. pp. 23-27, s.v. “Introduction: Robert Bruce of
Kinnaird”.
“Robert Bruce preached these
sermons on the sacrament in 1589 at Giles Cathedral where he was a successor to
John Knox. He gives us a powerful conception through the Lord’s supper of the
saving work of Jesus Christ.”
Source: Ligonier
at http://www.ligonier.org/store/mystery-of-the-lords-supper-paperback/
[accessed 14 JAN 2010].
From the back cover:
“Robert Bruce was one of the most influential and spiritual ministers
of the Gospel that Scotland has ever known. Successor to James Lawson and John
Knox at St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, it was his leadership that gave the
Reformation in Scotland the stability and permanence it had previously lacked.
Modern Scotland, and to a great extent modern America, is the beneficiary of his labours.
His famous Sermons on the Sacraments were delivered in 1589. Behind the teaching of Bruce on the Lord's Supper lies a powerful conception of the person and saving work of Christ. In this work Robert Bruce has left us a legacy, which, in the words of the editor of the 1614 edition, is 'worthy to be written in letters of gold'.
This edition of Bruce's work has been translated and edited by Thomas F. Torrance, one of Scotland's most respected theologians of the modern era.”
Modern Scotland, and to a great extent modern America, is the beneficiary of his labours.
His famous Sermons on the Sacraments were delivered in 1589. Behind the teaching of Bruce on the Lord's Supper lies a powerful conception of the person and saving work of Christ. In this work Robert Bruce has left us a legacy, which, in the words of the editor of the 1614 edition, is 'worthy to be written in letters of gold'.
This edition of Bruce's work has been translated and edited by Thomas F. Torrance, one of Scotland's most respected theologians of the modern era.”
James A. Haldane, Notes Intended for an Exposition of
the Epistle to the Hebrews, Newport Commentary Series (Springfield, MO:
Particular Baptist Press, n.d.; 2010 reprint from 1860 original ed. owned by C.
H. Spurgeon), pp. 55-91, esp. pp. 85-87.
John Owen, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews,
ed. W. H. Goold, 7 vols. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1980 reprint of
1855 ed. by Johnstone & Hunter, London), Vol. III: Hebrews 1:1-3:6, pp.
319-486; esp. pp. 453-462.
Thomas F. Torrance, Incarnation: The Person and Life
of Christ, ed. Robert T. Walker (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008),
esp. pp. 58-67, s.v. “The Word made flesh”.
End Notes:
[1] John Owen, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, ed. W. H. Goold, 7 vols. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1980 reprint of 1855 ed. by Johnstone & Hunter, London), Vol. III: Hebrews 1:1-3:6, pp. 453-462.
[1] John Owen, An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, ed. W. H. Goold, 7 vols. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1980 reprint of 1855 ed. by Johnstone & Hunter, London), Vol. III: Hebrews 1:1-3:6, pp. 453-462.
[2] New American
Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Heb 2:16). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman
Foundation.
[3] The Holy Bible:
English Standard Version. 2001 (Heb 2:16). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
[4] The Holy Bible:
Holman Christian standard version. 2009 (Heb 2:16). Nashville: Holman Bible
Publishers.
[5] The New International Version. 2011 (Heb 2:16). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Heb 2:16). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[7] The Revised Standard Version. 1971 (Heb 2:16–17). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[8] American Standard Version. 1995 (Heb 2:16). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[9] Darby, J. N. (1996). The Holy Scriptures: A new translation from the original languages (Heb 2:16). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.
[10] Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Heb 2:16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[5] The New International Version. 2011 (Heb 2:16). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[6] Tyndale House Publishers. (2007). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (3rd ed.) (Heb 2:16). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
[7] The Revised Standard Version. 1971 (Heb 2:16–17). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[8] American Standard Version. 1995 (Heb 2:16). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[9] Darby, J. N. (1996). The Holy Scriptures: A new translation from the original languages (Heb 2:16). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.
[10] Young, R. (1997). Young’s Literal Translation (Heb 2:16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
[11] Anselm of Canterbury, “Cur Deus
Homo” trans. James Gardiner Vose, “Anselm’s Doctrine of the
Incarnation and Atonement: A Translation of the Cur Deus Homo”, Bibliotheca
Sacra 11:44 (OCT 1844), pp. 729-776; and 12:45 (JAN 1845), pp. 52-83; on Biblical Studies at http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bsac/1854_729_vose.pdf,
and http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/bsac/1855_052_vose.pdf
respectively [accessed 23 DEC 2013].
[12] Thomas F. Torrance, “Introduction: Robert Bruce of
Kinnaird”, in Robert Bruce, The Mystery of the Lord’s Supper: Sermons by
Robert Bruce, ed. Thomas F. Torrance 2nd ed., (Edinburgh: Rutherford House,
1958), pp. 25-26, citing Bruce’s sixth sermon on Isaiah 38 (1591).
[13] Thomas F. Torrance, Incarnation:
The Person and Life of Christ, ed. Robert T. Walker (Downers Grove, IL: IVP
Academic, 2008), pg. 65.
[14] Torrance, op. cit., pg.
66.
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