Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 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, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. --The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Heb 1:1–4). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
We have been reading through the book of Hebrews recently and I was struck with the first four verses. It is truly astounding how indoctrination into trinitarian thinking causes one not only to ignore good scholarship, but also to simply overlook context and, simultaneously, miss entirely the important points of Scripture. These four verses serve as a prologue to the letter, as the writer gets right to the heart of the matter, setting the theme which is, the supremacy of the Son of God. Several points should be acknowledged here regarding the nature of God's Son.
According to orthodoxy, the trinity is comprised of three co-equal, co-eternal persons, but the evidence here and elsewhere throughout the Bible is contrary to that premise. In the first place, verse 2 declares that God spoke in times past by the prophets but in "these last days" He spoke by a Son. This fact argues strongly that the Son was not present in the past, as many trinitarians assert - certainly, at least, not present in any tangible sense. Orthodoxy likes to think of "Son" in Hebrews as "God the Son". But in fact, there is no justification for the inversion of Son of God to God the Son. Not only is the title "God the Son" non-existent here, but neither does it appear anywhere else in the Bible.The writer makes it very simple... “in these last days” God spoke through a Son, because there was not a Son for Him to speak through prior to these last days!
Second, the Son was "appointed heir of all things'. It is common reason that one who has been appointed cannot in any sense be equal to the one who does the appointing! Even if one holds to the idea that the Son is Deity, it cannot be reasonably affirmed that he is in any way an equal member of the Godhead - definitely not from this verse. Any attempt to make the Father and Son equal requires a great amount of double talk. This text, like the rest of the New Testament, simply does not support the teaching that Jesus is co-equal to God the Father, and therefore does not support the trinity.
Third, in setting forth the supremacy of the Son, the writer declares that it was "through the Son” that the world was created, or made. Again, trinitarianism associates this making of the world to John 1:1 where Jesus is said to be a person called “the Word” who existed with God in the beginning and was His agent in creation. However, a study of a few key words will lead us to a different conclusion. World, in the NT, is "usually the Greek word kosmos" according to the Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. But in this text, the word is aion. The NASB has in it’s text notes "lit. ages", which is the basic meaning of aion. Further, the verb "made" is poieo in the Greek NT which has the meaning of creating something from something, as opposed to creation from nothing! Clearly, the writer is speaking of the world in the sense of “ages” of time.
Crucial to understanding this verse is the use of the word “through”. The word is dia in the NT Greek and can also be translated “for this reason”. Strong's Greek Concordance has
"2a the ground or reason by which something is or is not done. 2a1 by reason of. 2a2 on account of. 2a3 because of for this reason. 2a4 therefore. 2a5 on this account.” --Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.
This is significant in radically rethinking what the writer is saying here. What if the intention is that Jesus coming into existence is the "focal point" of time and creation? Perhaps the writer is saying that the entire world, especially the ages (past, present, and future) have Jesus as their glue, meaning, and purpose. This understanding would support the clear theme of Hebrews which is the superiority, or supremacy of the Son, without contradicting the teaching everywhere else in Scripture that God (the Father) alone, is the creator! The idea then would be that God ordered the ages of time (past, present, and future) with the Son in mind. .
Fourth, the Son is the "exact imprint" of His (God's) nature. No matter how exact, an imprint is still an imprint and not the original. An imprint is a charakter in the Greek NT which is an exact representation. NLT translates that he (the Son) expresses the “very character” of God. Certainly this is not too difficult to understand! The fact that the Son expresses perfectly God’s character does not make him God, 2nd Person of a trinity or otherwise. Again, even if one insists that he is Deity, God the Son, he is still not equal to the Father because he radiates God’s glory.
Fifth, after his sacrificial death he was raised and ascended into the heavens where "he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high". Again, how can we come away with a dogma that says the Son is equal with the Father from this picture? While the position of "right hand" is a high honor, indeed the highest honor, it is still a place of subordination to the one who has the throne. The "Majesty on HIgh" is a clear reference to Yahweh, the Supreme God.
Sixth, the writer clearly states in v4 that he (the Son) "became" (having become) superior to angels. The fact that he became superior to the angels is a clear indication that he was not previously superior. It is not insignificant that the writer chooses to use Psalm 8 here in reference to the Son.
Finally, the the Son's name was "inherited". Note that Philippians 2:10-11 establishes the fact that God exalted Jesus to his position as Lord and gave him the Name which is above all. All this is "to the glory of God the Father". There is no need to resort to double talk and mysteries to make sense of the Bible. And there is no requirement to accept a logical contradiction in order to have a saving relationship with God through Christ. Paul said in Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved!
I came to understand the error of the trinity a few years ago and now continue to be amazed at how totally blinded I was to the plain truth of Scripture. The message that God the Father alone is the only one who is truly God (John 17:3; 5:44-47), and that Jesus His Son, is the chosen human vessel in whom God’s fullness was pleased to dwell (Col 1:19; 2:9), jumps out of the pages of the Bible once one sees it!!
