Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Colossians 1:15-16 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
THE FIRSTBORN OVER ALL CREATION
Some have understood this to mean that: A) Christ is one of the many things God created, and B) Christ was created first. This *is not* what Paul is saying. When you dig into what "firstborn" meant in ancient times, Paul's meaning becomes clearer.
Turn to Genesis 49:3. Here Jacob, near death, is blessing his sons. He speaks to each of them in turn. First he addresses Reuben: "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power."
Not only was the firstborn considered the greatest showing of his father's strength, the firstborn son was also given a double inheritance. If there were three sons, that meant that the firstborn would get half the estate, and the other two sons only a quarter each. If the father died unexpectedly, the firstborn son was the one who became the head of the household.
When Paul says Christ is the firstborn of all creation, he means Christ is above all things in prestige, status and authority.
Now, here's why this matters to you right now. Hebrew 12:22 talks about the "church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven." Upon first glance we might think "church of the firstborn" simply means "Christ's church," but that's not exactly what it means. In the original language (Greek), the word "firstborn" in Hebrews 12:22 isn't singular, it's plural. This is the church made up of all THE FIRSTBORN ONES.
In other words, through Christ, we become "firstborn." We are given His prestige, His status, His authority. We are declared holy, without blemish, unable to be accused (Colossians 1:22). The inheritance of the eternal Son of God belongs to us.
