“The Preeminent Christ”
There are two occurrences of the word “firstborn” in our passage (vv. 15, 18). Both occurrences are in reference to Jesus Christ. This is no careless repetition; it is intentional on Paul’s part to show Christ’s “firstborn-ness” in two realms or facets: in creation (vv. 15-17) and in redemption (vv. 18-20). The word provides the organizing frame for the whole passage.
Why did Paul choose this particular term to make his point? Especially now, after the rise of so many heresies rejecting the deity of Christ, Paul’s choice of the term does not seem very wise. After all, the word “firstborn” is normally used of humans and animals, whose being has a definite point of beginning. The term seems uniquely appropriate for creatures, not for God. And it is more than conceivable that, even in Paul’s own time there was no shortage of those who rejected Christ’s deity.
One particular brand of heresy we want to address is Arianism, originally set forth by Arius at the beginning of 4th century A.D. This is not just an ancient, irrelevant heresy because there are modern proponents. Included are the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Arius’ Christological view was summarized in a simple slogan: “There was when Christ was not.” They do not deny Christ’s divinity. They certainly uphold Him as the agent of divine creation. However, according to them, the Son’s divinity is not the same as the Father’s: it is definitely of an inferior kind. The Son does not share the same (divine) substance with the Father. The Son is not co-eternal with the Father. He was created by God: there was a time when Christ did not exist. After all, Jesus is presented in our passage as “the firstborn of all creation”! If Jesus was born, He certainly could not have existed before His birth! To the Arians being begotten and being created are the same thing.
From the very beginning Arianism has been rejected and condemned by the Church as a heresy. At the First Council of Nicea, which was convened in 325 A.D., Arianism was condemned and its proponents were banished. The council also produced the Nicene Creed, which clearly expresses the church’s doctrine of Christ’s full deity. It affirms the Son’s equality with the Father by referring to Christ as “God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God”. It also affirms that the Son is “of the same substance with the Father”. It rejects any suggestion that God the Son might have been created: the only begotten Son of God was “begotten, not made”.
It is easy to see that the council’s decision was in complete accordance with Paul’s own thoughts on the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Take a look at how the term in question is used in v. 15: “the firstborn of all creation”. The juxtaposition of the two words--“firstborn” and “creation”--is quite dramatic. Christ the firstborn is radically distinguished from all that is created: He is the firstborn, not the first-created. This distinction that Paul is making is more radical than what the Arianism acknowledges.
And if we forget about the term “firstborn” for a moment, the full deity of Christ in Paul’s description becomes undeniably clear. To see this, let us translate v. 16 literally, preserving the word order in Greek: “For in him were created all things, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things through him and for him were created.” This verse is chiastically arranged:
A For in him were created
B all things,
C in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--
B’ all things
A’ through him and for him were created
This structure, first of all, gives a double-emphasis--both at the beginning and at the end--that Jesus Christ created all things. It also gives a structural presentation of how all things were created in Christ: the two occurrences of “all things” in the middle and the list of all things at the center are all surrounded and enclosed by the two statements that they were created in Christ, through Christ and for Christ.
All this, even Arianism agrees with completely. But it goes on to argue that, while Christ created everything, He Himself was created as a special, divine agent of creation. The problem is that such thought is foreign to the theology of the Bible. The Bible recognizes no such thing as a created divine being. A being that is created is a creature, not a divine being in the Biblical sense of the word. Yes, there are so called “gods” in the world but they are not real; they are merely creatures of man’s imagination. There is only one true God, who is set apart from all others by His eternal, self-existence, His uncreatedness.
Take a look at the three prepositions used in conjunction with Christ and His creation: “in Him”, “through Him” and “for Him”. “In Him” shows the all-inclusiveness of His creation: all things are created in Him--that is, all things are included in His creation--all things, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. “Through Him” shows the origin of creation: all things were created by Him. “For Him” shows the ultimate purpose of creation: all things were created for Him--for His glory and delight.
According to the theology and vocabulary of the Old Testament, these are the very things that uniquely describe God’s creation. Just turn to Gen. 1 and what do you find there at the very beginning? “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (1:1). Here we find the idea of “through Him”: it is God who created the heavens and the earth. We also find the idea of “in Him”: all things were created by God. (The phrase, “the heavens and the earth” is a merismus, which combines two contrasting or complementary things to represent the whole.) The idea of “for Him” is also found throughout the Gen. 1 account: it is repeatedly said throughout, “it was good”--that is, God created all things for His delight and pleasure. When Paul declares that all things were created in Christ, through Christ and for Christ, he is ascribing to Him the same qualities of the God, who created the heavens and the earth in Gen. 1.
Add to this what Paul says in v. 19: “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell….” You must recognize, however, that the Greek version does not say “the fullness of God”; it simply says, “the fullness”. But the ESV is justified in translating it the way it did in view of what Paul says in 2:9: “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
But our purpose today is not simply to refute Arianism as a heresy, to find out what “firstborn” does not mean. We must go further and see what Paul was actually trying to say when he used the term “firstborn” in reference to Christ.
Paul does tell us quite explicitly what he meant by the term. We read in v. 18, “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” As you can see, Paul uses the term “firstborn” to signify preeminence more so than temporal precedence. In the Ancient Near East, as well as in many other ancient cultures, where the practice of primogeniture was prevalent, it was often the case that the right of inheritance belonged entirely to the eldest son. So the word “firstborn” carried with it the idea of honor, privilege and, yes, preeminence. This is the standard orthodox explanation of this now controversial verse. But more can and must be said about Paul’s reason for using the term.
When applied to men, the preeminence of the firstborn is among his peers. While the firstborn is given an honor above his peers, essentially they all belong to the same kind. But that is not true of Christ’s preeminence. His is a transcendental preeminence. Despite how the Arians throughout history have interpreted the term “firstborn”, we need not be apologetic about applying it to Christ: the term does nothing to demean the full deity of Christ. In fact, it highlights the unique inner-Trinitarian relationship between God the Father and God the Son. We can see that Paul’s designation of Christ as the firstborn has close ties to the Scriptures’ testimony that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God. That Jesus is begotten of the Father doesn’t mean that He came into being at some point in time as human beings are when they are begotten. Rather it refers to the Son’s eternal begetting from the Father: God the Son is eternally begotten from the Father--that is, God the Son is eternally being begotten from the Father at every moment, from all eternity to eternity; He is being begotten even now. There was no beginning of His begetting as there will be no end to it. As there never was when the Son was not, there never was when the Son was not being begotten of the Father--there never was and there never will be. So then, Jesus’ begottenness does not refer to the beginning of His existence but to the nature of His relationship with the Father. His begottenness is what distinguished Him from the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son: He is begotten while the Holy Spirit proceeds; He is begotten of the Father and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
While we with our finite mind will never fully understand the Son’s eternal generation from the Father, it does provide us with a wonderful explanation for Paul’s use of the term “firstborn” here. Again, we affirm: there never was when the Son was not begotten of the Father. But--pay attention here!--there was when the Son was not begotten of the Father as the Creator of the heavens and the earth. If He was, He was only potentially. Only when the heavens and the earth were actually created in time and space can we say that the Son was actually begotten as the Creator Son. Should this surprise us? There was when God did not exist as the Creator of heaven and earth. So there was when the Son was not begotten as the Creator Son. In other words, while the Son has always been the divine Son of God, He was not always the Creator Son of God, not until He created the heavens and the earth.
You can see how this applies also to Christ’s role as the Redeemer Son. As we read in v. 18, “He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” Paul applies the term “firstborn” to Christ again on account of His resurrection. His resurrection is particularly a redemptive event. It is the capstone to His death on the cross, which was to make peace by His blood (v. 20). And it is to reconcile all things to God (v. 20), making Him the true Redeemer of His people.
It is true that Christ is “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8, NIV). But God had been in existence even before the creation of the world. Yes, it is possible that, in the mind of the eternal God, the Son has always been designated as the Redeemer of His people, even before they were created. And it is true that what God has decreed in His mind cannot fail and is as good as done. Nevertheless, we cannot ignore the difference between God’s eternal decree and the actual, historical fulfillment of that decree. So we read in Rom. 1:4 that Jesus “was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord….” In view of all that we have said and seen in the Bible, it is ridiculous to think that Jesus became the Son of God for the first time after His resurrection. No! Paul says that it was Jesus the Son of God (Rom. 1:3) that was declared the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead (Rom. 1:4). It may be said that the resurrection demonstrated that Christ was indeed the Son of God. But we can say even more specifically what it means for Jesus to be declared the Son of God: the eternal Son of God was begotten as the Redeemer Son of God by His resurrection, after He accomplished our redemption in history through His death and resurrection.
You can see now why Paul used the term “firstborn” here in this passage. As the firstborn of all creation, Jesus was declared the Creator Son of God. As the firstborn from the dead, Jesus was declared the Redeemer Son of God. By attributing the title “the firstborn” to Christ, Paul is showing different aspects of Christ’s eternal sonship to the Father--as the Creator Son in v. 15 and as the Redeemer Son in v. 18.
But there is another side to Paul’s usage of the term. Notice how Paul does not say “the firstborn of God” but rather “the firstborn of all creation” and “the firstborn from the dead”. Thus Paul also emphasizes Christ’s intimate and particular relationship to creation and redemption (alongside Christ’s transcendental preeminence).
Paul’s description of Christ in v. 15 abounds with allusions to the creation account. Christ is said to be the image of the invisible God. This description obviously points us back to the creation of man in the image of God. Is Paul presenting Christ as the Second Adam? Perhaps. But Christ here is much more than the Second Adam: He is presented as the Creator. And Paul presents this Creator as the image of the invisible God. In doing so, Paul seems to suggest Christ’s special relationship to man, who was made in the image of God. Yes, God did say, “Let Us make man in Our image…” (Gen. 1:26). But could it be that man was made first and foremost particularly in the image of God the Son? And could it be that that is the reason that the Son had to come to be the Savior of man, not the Father or the Holy Spirit?
Similarly, the phrase, “the firstborn of all creation”, sets forth a special relationship that exists between Christ and all creation. Christ is the preeminent One over all creation because all things were created particularly in Him, through Him and for Him.
The same is true of Christ being “the firstborn from the dead”. As “the firstborn from the dead” Christ has a special relationship to all those who will be raised from the dead in His likeness. For it was He, who was raised from the dead, not the Father or the Holy Spirit. This is not to deny the intimate involvement of the other two Persons of the Trinity in our redemption: our redemption is not the work of the Son only but of the triune God as a whole. Simply put, we can say that God decreed our salvation and the Son accomplished our salvation in history and the Spirit applies that salvation to the elect. But while there is but one true God, the three Persons of the Trinity are distinguished from one another: the Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. While our salvation is the concerted effort of all three Persons of the Trinity, it was particularly the Son, who came into this world to suffer and die for our sin, not the Father or the Holy Spirit. And it is He, who was raised from the dead for us. He is uniquely “the firstborn of the dead” and as such, He is the preeminent One over all those, who are to be raised unto eternal life in His likeness.
As we conclude our reflection on the Christological title,
“firstborn”, it is useful to recall the ancient institution of primogeniture
again. This ancient practice reserved the entire inheritance for the eldest
son. If we apply the concept of primogeniture here, what do we get? Christ the
firstborn of all creation is the exclusive Heir to all creation. Christ the
firstborn from the dead is the exclusive Heir to all those to be raised from
the dead unto eternal life in His likeness. This idea of inheritance is nothing
strange to the context of our passage. Christ is presented as God’s beloved Son
(v. 13). If Christ is God’s beloved Son--the only begotten Son, in fact--He is the
Heir. And it is in the
Oh, dear saints, behold your glorious Redeemer, Jesus Christ! He is the firstborn of all creation and the firstborn from the dead! Your Redeemer is not some kind of local deity, who is good enough for you and maybe for some others but not for everyone. Your Redeemer is not some idol, who is only too happy to have a small territory of his own carved out for him, too happy to rule over the spiritual realm and let others rule over nature. No! He is the preeminent One over all creation and our redemption! Because He is the supreme Lord over all, He is the only Redeemer for all men and there is no other!
And His redemption is comprehensive and complete. He does not just save our souls; He saves our bodies as well. Not only that, He redeems the whole creation as well as His people--not just men but also their environment! Because both realms--the realms of creation and redemption--are united under the same Christ, they inform each other. The whole creation is in need of redemption. Our redemption takes on the character of new creation, not only of individuals but also of the whole creation. (Our total depravity requires our redemption to be nothing short of new creation.)
And our redemption is secure in Christ. For our Redeemer is the sovereign Lord of all creation. He created all things. Therefore He owns the whole creation. And as its rightful Owner, He sustains and rules over it with His sovereign authority. He, who promised to preserve you till the end, is He, who holds in His sovereign hand the life and death and the weal and woe of every individual as well as every nation and every creature and every event. He alone can give a 100% guarantee and He has given it to you, His people. He alone is able to fulfill that 100%, fail-proof, guarantee because He is the sovereign Lord of all. Nothing in this world, whether life or death, sword or famine, danger or distress, can thwart the sovereign will of God, especially His good and sovereign will toward you!
So then, all we need to do in the security of His sovereign grace is to acknowledge Christ’s supremacy in all areas of our life and live for His glory in all that we do. This is so since the preeminence of Christ extends into all areas of life. Yes, our Lord’s Day worship is the supreme expression of our life as worship. But our worship cannot be limited to church, to one day a week. Whether we eat or drink, whatever we do, we ought to do as our worship to our Lord. We must take heed so that every decision we make, every act we perform and every word we utter is in acknowledge of Christ’s sovereign lordship every area and aspect, every minute and second of our life. This is so all the more because you are destined and predestined for that day when the preeminence of Christ shall be acknowledged by all, when 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 (Phil. 2:10, 11). Let the reality of that glorious day manifest itself in our lives as we acknowledge Christ’s preeminence over our lives in every area and moment of our lives. Amen.
© Copyright 2007 by Jeong Woo "James" Lee
All Rights Reserved.