Colossians 1:15
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Paul has transitioned from expressing his prayer for the Christians in Colossae to explaining what Christ has done for them (and us – vv. 13-14) to now pressing into who Jesus is. So it is here that we proceed with a slow reverence and careful examination, for getting this right is of utmost importance.
Philip and Jesus had a conversation in John 14 that sheds light on our first clause. Philip asked Jesus to show them (the apostles) the Father. And of course, Jesus responds with a question and then follows the question up with an explanation. Jesus responded, “Have I been among you all this time and you do not know me, Philip? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’” (John 14:9)? Jesus is the invisible God made visible. Later, in Colossians 2:9, Paul says, “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ.”
Jesus is the invisible God made visible. But the word image is somewhat limiting when it comes to the Greek word, eikon. It doesn’t just carry the idea of visibility, but it carries the ideas of representation and manifestation. This is why the author of Hebrews declares, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3).
Jesus is the God-man. Fully God. Fully human. Not 50/50, but 100/100.
And Paul goes on saying, [Jesus is] the firstborn over all creation. There are a number of pathways this could take us down if we didn’t consider the context of the rest of the chapter. The risk we run in only looking at a couple of verses (or one) at a time is we can ignore the broader picture. Is Paul saying that Jesus is the firstborn of all resurrected people? Is he saying that Jesus is the oldest of all creation? Or is he using an expression to thrust us toward the place of prominence Jesus has in relation to all of creation? The third option, I believe, is where we should explore.
As we’ll see moving forward, Paul is very much interested in showing how Jesus is pre-eminent and sovereign over all. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges gives a helpful note on this verse: Firstborn is expressing the “relation of priority of existence and supremacy of inherited right.” The firstborn son, back in the day, was given a double portion of the inheritance. The firstborn son was unapologetically the son who sat in the place of privilege.
And so it is with Jesus. He is the invisible God made visible. He is pre-eminent over all. He sits at the right hand of the throne of the Father, a place of honor and privilege. And at the same time, before all time and for all time, He exists as the eternal Word, the second member of the Trinity, fully God. He is glorious. He is mighty. And yet, He left that place of prominence to become flesh and blood. Why? To go on a rescue mission.
Wow!
Let’s spend some time in prayer today thanking God for His wisdom, His grace, His love, for Him being Him.
Onward, saints.
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