Colossians 1:15-17

In his opening response to the Gnostics, Paul is working to establish that Jesus is not some distant “emanation” of an unseen God, but rather Jesus is God and is supreme over all things.

Once Paul establishes that Christ is supreme over all eternity as the exact image of the invisible God, he then presents Christ as supreme over all creation. He presents this in 4 different ways.

We will consider two of these ways today and the other two tomorrow.

First, Paul presents Jesus as the “firstborn of all creation” which at first glance may seem a little confusing. Here the idea of “firstborn” carries the idea of “first in rank or honor” rather than the idea of a firstborn child. The “firstborn” has an elevated position in the same way that the Israelites were called “firstborn” as the chosen people of God. In the Old Testament, firstborn was also a code word for the coming of the Messiah. Consider Psalm 89:27…

And I will appoint Him to be My firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

When Paul calls Jesus the “firstborn of creation”, he means that the highest rank and honor of creation belong to Him.

Secondly, for Paul it follows that Jesus is the “firstborn of all creation” because Jesus Himself is the Creator!!

For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities… Colossians 1:16 NIV

Jesus created the universe out of nothing, and His creation is beyond description!!! He created all things in the heavens and on the earth, both visible and invisible. The description “thrones or powers or rulers or authorities” refers to four classes of demonic powers, with the last two referring to the highest orders of the angelic realm. Wow! While the Gnostics taught that Jesus was simply one of many emanations from the true God, Paul is saying that Jesus is the true God who created everything, even the invisible world of demons and angels. Paul leaves no doubt about the identity of Christ as creator!

Questions to consider:
Why do you think it was so easy for false teachers to come into churches in the first century of the church?
How important was Paul’s letter to the Colossians in setting the record straight?
Ask God to help you have a correct belief about the true identity of Christ.