THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS CHRIST

Dearly Beloved, THE SUPREMACY OF JESUS CHRIST “[Jesus Christ] is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (Hebrews 1:3-4 NIV). Some churches and many other uninformed Christians believe in praying to the angels. It is a common thing seeing them praying to Angel Michael, Angel Gabriel, Angel Raphael, and other heavenly hosts. It is also a common practice among these churches to burn incenses and candles to invoke the spirits of these angels. At times, they even go to the extent of making sacrifices to the angels. In the theology of some of these churches, Angel Michael is regarded as the third person of the Godhead! This belief in angel as mediators is a carry-over of African belief in the fact that God, the Supreme Being, cannot be approached directly, so one has to go through deities who in turn take human pleas to God. Interestingly, some Jews also had a similar belief in angels that made the writer to the Hebrews to address the issue when he was addressing the issue of supremacy of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ represents the exact Being of God. As the Heir of all things, He sustains all things by His power. He provided purification for sins of mankind by His death on the cross. Having done this, He sits at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven interceding for us. Although, in the past, God dealt with His people through the prophets (and sometimes angels), now, He is dealing with the world through Jesus Christ because of the supremacy of Jesus over any other prophet and angel. A Bible scholar highlighted the supremacy of Jesus to other prophets who declares God's Word this way: while Jesus Christ is God the Son, the prophets were mere men called by God; Jesus Christ is one and only Son of God, there were many prophets of God; and Jesus Christ brought the final and complete message of salvation, the prophets only brought fragment and incomplete messages. Jesus Christ is not only superior to the prophets. He is also superior to the angels. This is so because of His “inheritance” as a result of His being the Son of God. No angel could be heir to God’s sovereignty, authority, and power because no angel was a son. Jesus’ superiority also has to do with His redemptive work as the Saviour of the world. No angel has done the work of a Saviour. So, angels (and all other prophets) are not to be worshipped and should not be objects of our prayers. How do you see Jesus Christ in the light of other prophets and angels? Do you see Him as Someone that is superior to other prophets and angels, or you see Him as just one of the prophets? Acknowledge the supremacy of Jesus Christ over any other person or being, and you will never regret doing so. In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). Prayer Point: Jesus, help me to always acknowledge Your supremacy and worship You only.