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invisible God, originally the Form of God and called in John's gospel the Logos. As such
He must set aside all types and shadows. They were not "the very image" (Heb. 10: 1),
even as John 1: 17 tells us that the law, with its types was given by Moses, but REAL
GRACE, the true antitypical reality, came by Jesus Christ.
Writing to the Corinthians, Paul had spoken of the passing glory that shone in the face
of Moses, as contrasted with the abiding glory seen in the face of Jesus Christ, and in the
epistle to the Hebrews in which the writer seeks to wean these believers from the "Word
of the BEGINNING of Christ" and to lead them on to "Perfection", he brings them, in the
opening verses of his exhortation, into the presence of Him in Whom dwells "all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily".
The final attribute given to the Son, before His mediatorial work is introduced, is that
He upholds all things by the word of His power, and this wondrous theme must occupy
our attention in the next article of this series.
No.7.
The Word of His Power.
pp. 194 - 197
God has spoken to us "in Son". We reiterate this unique expression that the
marvellous truth contained therein may enable us to realize the glory of the One we call
Saviour and Lord. He is the appointed Heir of all things; by Him the ages were made.
He is the Effulgence of the glory of God; He, the Express Image of His substance.
The glories of the Son are not yet exhausted, for the passage proceeds, "and upholding
all things by the word of His power". While the Greek word phero occurs over sixty
times in the New Testament, it is only translated "uphold" once. It is rendered "bring"
over thirty times, but the primary meaning of the word ("to bear") seems to be the one
intended in the passage before us. Outside the epistle to the Hebrews the word occurs but
twice in Paul's epistles:
"Endured with much long-suffering" (Rom. 9: 22).
"The cloak that I left at Troas . . . . . bring with thee" (II Tim. 4: 13).
The word is used five times in Hebrews:
"Upholding all things" (Heb. 1: 3).
"Let us go on unto perfection" (6: 1).
"There must . . . . . be (brought in, marg.) the death of the testator (or covenant
victim)" (9: 16).
"They could not endure that which was commanded" (12: 20).
"Bearing His reproach" (13: 13).
It will be seen that the word is one which has many usages. The primary idea of
bearing as a burden, supporting and sustaining, seems to be the meaning in Heb. 1: