JESUS MADE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS.
By J. H. D.
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons into glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” Heb. 2: 9, 10. Who is this Jesus? From whence came he? These are important questions. Human wisdom can not answer them, for to the wisest mind the work of Jesus Christ, without the light of inspiration, is a hidden mystery. When he asked his disciples, “Whom say ye that I am?” and Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus replied, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” Matt. 16: 17. No man can accept of him as divine without the power of God. He came from heaven. “No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” John 3: 13. Again he says, “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world.” John 16: 28. He was from heaven, and to be recognized as such the human mind must be enlightened by the Spirit of God. He not only came from heaven, but he occupied a high position with his Father. “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17: 5. He had the glory of God, and was the creative agency through which all things, visible and invisible, were made. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1: 3. He was higher than all the angels, being himself the Creator of the angels. After his ascension he said of himself, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Rev. 1: 8. When he spake, the worlds came into existence. See Ps. 33: 6, 9. At his command all the angels in heaven bow before the throne and worship him who gave his life for man. Yet he is full of mercy and truth. His exalted position did not lift him up so that he would neglect poor fallen man. He saw man when he was without hope, and his heart of pity was turned towards him. He knew that man could not save himself. He knew that the angels were unable to undertake his case, for they, too, were on probation. There was only one remedy. If man could be redeemed, it must take the life of his Creator to do it. This would mean sorrow to all the heavenly intelligences, and many perplexities and trials to the Son of God. But Jesus loved the world. God the Father was moved in tender compassion to give up the association of the Archangel that he might save man from the penalty of sin. Jesus Made Lower Than the Angels.
“We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels.” But we have already learned that that was man’s position when he was created. Then Jesus must have come down on the level with man. This is the only way he could save him. Man was weak, too weak to wrestle with the enemy. No foreign power could help him to conquer. Satan had wrested the dominion that was given to man, away from him, and he had made man his prisoner by gaining possession of the fleshly desires. To meet Satan it was necessary to meet him in the flesh of fallen man. So when Jesus took up his abode in the flesh, it was not the flesh that man had before he fell, but it was the sinful flesh that man had after he fell. Had he only taken man’s place before he fell, he could not have helped any that were fallen into sin. He might have kept those who had not fallen from going into sin. But there were none of this class, for “all have sinned.” But he came to save sinners, therefore he must take the flesh of sinners. “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.” Rom. 8: 3. Then again, “We have not an high priest which can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb. 4: 15. He had all the weakness of the flesh that we have. The flesh which he took had the same desires that our own flesh has. He had no more natural power to withstand these desires than we have. His desires drew toward sin, just as our lusts draw us. His desires were just as susceptible of conceiving sin as are ours. Yet he “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.” Why was this?—It was the triumph of the divine over the human. He had emptied himself of the glory he had before the creation, and was now dependent upon his Father for power to meet the strong desires of sin in the flesh. He listened not one moment to the temptations, but met them with the all-powerful word of God. He kept that flesh from yielding to temptation, and thus condemned sin in the flesh. He took the flesh which he had through thirty years of life without once submitting to sin. Even death, the penalty of Adam’s transgression, was not able to hold this flesh more than three days, when it was brought forth from the prison house and taken to heaven. “If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14: 23. When sinful man is left alone, he is in darkness and has not the power to keep from sinning. He may try by pledges and all other modern inventions to live a godly life, but he will fail. There must be in our mortal flesh a divine nature if we would be kept from sin. But the admonition is, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.” Rom. 6: 12. But the strong man has possession of every unregenerate heart, and human strength is not sufficient to overthrow him. But there is help in One who is mighty, “to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Col. 1: 27. It is Christ in you. “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Cor. 1: 30. This redemption work is what he wishes to do for us. This is why he consented to be made lower than the angels. This is why he took sinful flesh for thirty years. This is why he wants to take up his6abode in us, that he may condemn sin in our flesh, and every day redeem us from the power of sin. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Reader, will you let this Jesus into your flesh, and give it all over to him for his keeping? If you will, he will keep it as securely as he did the flesh he took when he came into the world. He will keep it till he brings it into the city of God.