If the human Jesus were fully God, why does Heb. 2:7, 9 say he was "made a little lower than angels"?

Question

Since Satan is a demon angel, wouldn't that make God lower than Satan? And if the human Jesus were lower than the angels, how could he be equal to the Father? Did the eternal trinity disappear for awhile?

Dusty Scribe, you are confused. Your qupte from Heb. 1:4 was applied to Jesus AFTER his resurrecton, NOT while he was a man on earth. Do you honestly believe the human Jesus could be superior to the angels and at the same time be lower than they were?

Dusty Scribe, you are confused. Your quote from Heb. 1:4 was applied to Jesus AFTER his resurrecton, NOT while he was a man on earth. Do you honestly believe the human Jesus could be superior to the angels and at the same time be lower than they were?

Answer 1

(Hebrews 2:7-9) “. . .You made him a little lower than angels; with glory and honor you crowned him, and appointed him over the works of your hands. 8 All things you subjected under his feet.” For in that he subjected all things to him [God] left nothing that is not subject to him. Now, though, we do not yet see all things in subjection to him; 9 but we behold Jesus, who has been made a little lower than angels, crowned with glory and honor for having suffered death, that he by God’s undeserved kindness might taste death for every [man].”

Well, obviously these very verses are talking You made him" So the only logical and reasonable assumption would be that God, who is higher than anyone, made his Son, Jesus to become human, a little lower than the angels, but both of God's creation, even though we know that after Jesus was created, he was used by Jehovah to create all other things. He (Jesus) was still in subjection to his Father, Jehovah.

(John 5:19-20) “. . .Therefore, in answer, Jesus went on to say to them: “Most truly I say to YOU, The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he beholds the Father doing. For whatever things that One does, these things the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father has affection for the Son and shows him all the things he himself does, and he will show him works greater than these, in order that YOU may marvel.”

(John 7:28-29) “28 Therefore Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple and said: “YOU both know me and know where I am from. Also, I have not come of my own initiative, but he that sent me is real, and YOU do not know him. 29 I know him, because I am a representative from him, and that One sent me forth.””

(John 8:27-30) “. . .They did not grasp that he was talking to them about the Father. 28 Therefore Jesus said: “When once YOU have lifted up the Son of man, then YOU will know that I am [he], and that I do nothing of my own initiative; but just as the Father taught me I speak these things. 29 And he that sent me is with me; he did not abandon me to myself, because I always do the things pleasing to him.” 30 As he was speaking these things, many put faith in him.”

I don't know how much plainer it can get. Jesus the Son, loves and obeys his Father, Jehovah completely. He is not God, he is the Son of God, therefore he cannot be equal to God. He never wanted God's glory, that is what Satan wanted, rather he wanted to do all things for God's glory...he did all that his Father willed him to do. No one has ever brought greater honor to God, than his son, Jesus Christ. Jesus taught his true followers to love and honor his Father, just as he does...

(Matthew 6:9) “. . .“YOU must pray, then, this way: “‘Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.. . .”

(John 17:25-26) “25 Righteous Father, the world has, indeed, not come to know you; but I have come to know you, and these have come to know that you sent me forth. 26 And I have made your name known to them and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in union with them.””

Answer 2

Heb 1:
4 ¶ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"?
6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God’s angels worship him."
7 In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire."
8 But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."
10 He also says(of Jesus), "In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

Answer 3

*Man* was made "a little lower than the angels." Mankind in general. So when Jesus took human form he took on our weakness, physical needs etc. and occupied the same sphere we do.

Nice piece of sophistry in the details, but it doesn't hold water. Look at Phillipians 2: 5-9:

Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.

So you see Jesus *chose* to be born as a human being, with our limitations, and *chose* to die for us. That which is eternal never ceases to be (by definition)--ergo the Trinity has always been and will always be. The fact that you cannot percieve something with your limited senses and understanding does not mean it isn't real--or even that it isn't present.

Answer 4

Actually there is more credence to the God head: When Jesus came to earth he laid aside his position to take the form of a human. "Being in the form of a human." Humans were a little less than the angels. Jesus therefore being in the form of a human became his destiny.
7 Having asked the rhetorical questions that pinpoint human insignificance, the psalmist goes on to the greatness of human beings. God has given them an outstanding position, one but a little lower than that of the angels. The author follows the LXX here again (the Hebrew can mean "lower than God"). Human dignity, then, is such that human beings are placed in God's order of creation only a short way below the angels, and this seems to set them above all else in creation, an impression that the rest of the passage confirms. God "crowned him with glory and honor." "Glory" denotes brightness or splendor and is used of the splendor of God as well as of the glory of earthly potentates. "Honor" is frequently linked with "glory," and the combination stresses the supreme place of humankind in creation.

Answer 5

The Apostles watched and saw Jesus ascend into heaven. The angel said He would come back in like manner. Yes, Jesus went up as a Man, because we can only obtain salvation through a perfect Man. Only a Man could save imperfect man. If God tried to save man through His deity, He would have violated His own law.

Answer 6

Your reading is innacurate, Heb,. 2: 7 is actually a quote from the Psalms in which the word elohim is used where we translate "angels", meaning "Thou hast made him (as) a god." and it goes on to state further "to crown him with glory and honour", i.e. Jesus in his manhood was for a time less than an angel, but as our humanity was raised to the Godhead at the Ascension (Which John equates with the crucifixion and resurrection) Jesus is fully God as well as fully man. Jesus was subject to temptation by Satan, but Satan never had the upper hand, The uniting of Jesus' will to that of the Father assured that. Since all remained in the eternal purpose of God, the redemption and atonement, the Trinity never disappeared. True Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, humbling himself to death on the cross, but in so doing God was not degraded, rather our humanity was elevated.

Answer 7

You've had lots of good answers to your question so I won't go over the same ground. But I do wonder if dwelling on those two verses is preventing you from understanding the overwhelming impact of verse 6 in chapter 1? "And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, 'Let all God's angels worship him'." Think about that. Even when Christ emptied himself of God's form and became human, STILL the angels worshipped him!!! Yet there are some sad people going around who insist Christ was and now is an arch-ANGEL. Oh dearie me! Where's the logic in that? Since when did God command his angels to worship another angel (which would have to be a creature - a created being)?

Answer 8

He humbled Himself, laying aside His divine power so He could redeem man as a man.

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. "
Philippians 2:5-11

I for one am eternally grateful He did.

Answer 9

You are confused my friend. The Bible says we were made a little lower than the angels, not Jesus.

Jesus was the Branch of God. Christ emptied Himself to become a human being so He could dwell among us and so He could be tempted in all aspects as we are tempted. Yet He did not sin. At any moment of His earthly ministry He could have become God the Spirit and consuming fire, but He chose to go to the Cross. God chose to wash His disciples feet, because He loved them. Christ showed us who God really is and how much God really loves us. The eternal Trinity has always been. They were in the beginning at creation. Jesus said that He was slain from the foundation of the world. The Holy Spirit moved over the waters when God was In The Beginning. Trinity has never disappeared.

Answer 10

That's not what it says. Please reread it. It says made a little lower than the angels for a while. During his life as man, Jesus was lower than the angels.

Hebrews 2:9 "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."

Hebrews 2:7-8 "You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,putting everything in subjection under his feet."

Answer 11

Dear LineDancer,

I do not understand what this has to do with be a "footstep follower of Jesus" which is something most of the JWs I've talked to have boasted about being.

Dusty Scribe and others gave you excellent answers and I pray that you will take them to heart. There are just so many things that the finite human mind will not be able to understand UNTIL we reside eternally with our heavenly Father. Those who reside anywhere outside of heaven will NEVER know the answer to you question.

For His glory,
JOYfilled