What does it mean that Jesus is the “Firstborn” of all creation?

Col 1:15 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”

There is a lot of confusion about this statement and I hope to clear up some of that confusion for you.

In our culture, the term “firstborn” often refers to birth order. Here’s the problem: millions of people were born before Jesus, so how can He be firstborn?

The way somebody answers this question tells you a lot about the accuracy of their overall theology and Biblical understanding. Some popular cults in my area believe this verse is saying that Jesus was the first thing God created. That can’t be true because it would be in conflict with what the rest of the Bible says about Jesus.

For instance, the Bible indicates that Jesus is self-existent and eternal just like God. He is not a created being.  In this context, firstborn is not, and cannot be, referring to birth order.  In Hebrew culture, firstborn pointed to a position, not a birth order.  Psalm 89:27

The firstborn was

• the heir
• the superior person
• the son with the right of inheritance
• a person with rights of privilege, prestige, and honor.

In our church’s study of the attributes of God, we looked at Psalm 89 several times. Speaking of the Messiah, the psalmist writes in Psalm 89:27 that God the Father will make the Messiah “… the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.”

When the psalmist spoke of the “firstborn” he was speaking of how the Messiah would rise up to be the King of Kings or the The Supreme Being. The psalmist was referring to a position, not a birth order.

It’s clear that this statement about Christ was never intended to mean that Jesus was the first of all beings to be created. On the contrary, Paul was trying to communicate that Jesus was the author of creation, not the first among many other created beings. He was the Source, the Cause, and the Author

“Firstborn” refers to the author of Creation and the rightful heir of all things– Hebrews 1:2, Colossians 1:16

Hebrews 1:2 states that Jesus is the, “appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he (God) created the world.” The writer of Hebrews agrees that “firstborn” is a position, not a birth order, and he adds that Jesus’ position comes with an inheritance.

According to this verse, the whole of creation came into being through Jesus. Then, as the firstborn, Jesus is the rightful heir of all things. Jesus is far from being described as the first created being. He is described in the exact opposite way. In the Bible, Jesus is described as the Author of creation. All creation was made by Him and for Him. Look at our text in Colossians 1:16:

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Jesus created the universe! The word translated as “through” in verse 16 is the word dia and it means “by the means of.” Paul is saying that God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1) by the means of Jesus. Certainly no mere man could do that… not even a super-man! The Apostle John agrees that the universe was created through Jesus in John 1:3: “All things were made through (by the means of) him (Jesus) and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

We just saw how three separate New Testament writers claimed that Jesus was the Creator. I hope it is becoming clear to you that we are not dealing with an ordinary man. He’s not even an extraordinary man or a superman. When we talk about Jesus, we are dealing with the great and powerful God through whom all creation came into being. I hope that you understand that when we look at Jesus we see the exact imprint of God and when Jesus speaks, God is speaking!

In Colossians 1, Paul is saying that:

• Jesus a perfect representation of who God is.
• Jesus is the creator and sustainer.
• Jesus is the heir of all things.
• Jesus is the highest in rank.
• Jesus is the most supreme being.

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Mark Stafford
Senior Pastor