HEBREWS 1:4

“having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they.”

Names are important. What you decide to name your children will be with them the rest of their lives unless they decide to change it. When my wife and I named our children, we had a list of a few we liked but eventually settled on Christopher Carl and Casey Christine. They both carry our names. I was named for my two grandfathers whom I never met. They both died before I was born. But I am proud to carry their names.

In verse 4 we are told that Jesus had a more excellent name than the angels in that He was the Son of God. No angel could claim that name. There was only one Son – Jesus. Albert Barnes says the name Son “is a more honorable and exalted name than has ever been bestowed on them. It involves more exalted privileges and entitles Him on whom it is bestowed to higher respect and honor than any name ever bestowed on them.”

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

The only Ask Question I see in today’s verse in Something new about God. I realized that the name given to Jesus (Son of God) is so much more than just a name. It carries with it power and authority that no created being (angels or mankind) could ever hope to attain. Don’t forget what happened to the angel who dared to try to make himself equal to God. Lucifer will forever burn one day in the lake of fire.

The Topical Lexicon says this about the term “more excellent,” “The adjective underscores an infinite gap between created spirits and the incarnate Lord. His ‘more excellent’ name embodies His eternal deity (Psalm 2:7), messianic kingship (2 Samuel 7:14), and saving authority (Matthew 28:18). By employing the term, the author affirms that no celestial being shares Christ’s redemptive prerogatives, thereby closing the door on any form of angel-veneration.”

What is the name you use to call on Jesus? He is God’s only begotten Son, the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Light of the world, our High Priest, our Advocate, our Savior and Redeemer and our soon and coming King. Let me encourage you today to do a deep dive into the names of Jesus throughout Scripture. One of my favorites is not even in Scripture. He was Mary’s baby! And now we are His children. Hallelujah to the One with the most excellent name.

Lord, Your Son has so many names and titles, but You call Him Son.