Food for Thought
Church of Christ, Brookfield, IL
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In What Sense was Christ Made Better Than the Angels?
Many cults and unorthodox religious organizations deny the deity of Christ on the basis
of Hebrews 1:4. They claim that Christ was not God but a created being. When verse 4
says, "Being made so much better than the angels," they say, "See, Christ was made."
but the Greek word used there for "made" is not poieo, which means "to make" or
"create"; it is ginomai, which means "to become." Jesus Christ has always existed, but
He became better than the angels in His exaltation, implying at one time that He had been
lower than the angels (Heb. 2:9). Specifically, in Hebrews 1:4 the writer is referring to
Christ as God's Son. Christ as a man became lower than angels. But as a result of His
faithful obedience and the wonderful work He accomplished as a Son, He was exalted
above the angels, which is where He had been before. But this time He was exalted as
the Son. Christ did not become the Son of God until His incarnation. He was not the
Son of God in eternity past; He was God as the second person of the Trinity. It was as
the Son that He was exalted above angels, and that's why He became better than angels.
For a while He was lower than the angels, faithfully accomplishing God's work; He
became better than the angels as the exalted Son.
Tony Capoccia,
Bible Bulletin Board