Colossians 1:15-16

15. who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16. for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him;

Translation and Paraphrase

15. (Yea further, the Son) is the (very) likeness (the picture, the manifestation and representation) of the invisible God; (and he is) the firstborn of all (the) creation (having authority over all creation as the firstborn in a tribe rules the tribe).

16. (Now Christ occupies this rank of the firstborn, not because he was the first being created by God, but) because all things were created by him, (the things) in the heavens and (the things) upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether (they be) thrones, or lordships, or rulers, or authorities (these being titles and offices among the unseen hosts in our universe), all (these) things have been created through him, and for him.

Notes

1.

Christ is so close to God that he is God's very image (Gr. eikon), Image means likeness, or figure. The word has the added suggestion of representation and manifestation. (Thayer). 2 Corinthians 4:4.

2.

One ancient letter preserved for us tells how a man sent a artist's small sketch of himself to his family, saying that he was sending them an eikon of himself. This illustrates the meaning of the word image, Christ is the picture of God, his very likeness.

3.

Christ is the image of the invisible God. No one has ever seen God. John 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:15. Christ has declared and revealed unto us what God is like. (Because no one has ever seen God, no one can make an idol of Him.)

4.

The Gnostics regarded Christ as one of the intermediaries between God and men, and as inferior to God. Jesus was to them by no means unique. They further felt that if he was divine, he could not have had a material body, for divinity had no contact with material things. For the same reason Christ could not have had been involved in the creation of the universe. Note how emphatically Paul asserts that Christ was both the creator, and also the very image of God at the same time, (See the Introductory Study on Gnosticism.)

5.

Note Christ's relationships to creation: (Colossians 1:16)

a.

All things were created in (or by) him.

b.

All things were created through him.

c.

All things were created unto (or for) him.

6.

Christ is the firstborn of all creation. This title has little to do with time. It is more a title of rank and honor. See Psalms 89:27 and Exodus 4:22. The firstborn in a nomadic desert tribe is the ruler of the tribe. Romans 8:29.

Observe carefully that Paul says that Christ is the firstborn of all creation NOT because he was the first thing God created, but because he, Christ, created all things. (John 1:3; John 1:10; Hebrews 1:2). If Christ created ALL things, he is therefore not a created being himself. He was himself in the beginning with God (John 1:2), and he thought it not robbery to be equal with God (Philippians 2:6).

7.

Revelation 3:14 is sometimes set forth as proving that Christ is a created being. There he is called the beginning of the creation of God. The word beginning in Revelation 3:4 is a translation of the Gr. arche, which is the same word used in Luke 20:20, where it is translated power (KJV), rule (ASV), or authority (RSV). (Arche is also applied to Christ in Colossians 1:18, where it is translated beginning.) Thus it appears that both Colossians and Revelation teach that Christ has authority over creation, but that definitely neither indicates that he is a created being.

8.

As if to stress the completeness of Christ's part in creation, Paul itemizes the things that Christ created: things in heaven and things on earth; things visible and things invisible; thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers. (Compare Ephesians 1:10; 1 Timothy 1:17; 2 Corinthians 4:18). We suppose that the last four terms refer to ranks and offices within the unseen hosts of angels and spirits in the universe.

Observe that Christ's supremacy embraces the entire universe. When astronauts land on the moon and other heavenly bodies, Christ will still be the Lord and creator of those bodies.
Note that Christ's supremacy is particularly opposed to all heretical teachings that degrade him.

9.

Paul's remark that all things were created through Christ and for Him recalls the description of Wisdom in Proverbs 8:22-31. There Wisdom speaks as God's master workman in creating the world. Since Christ is God's wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30), the passage in Proverbs may well picture Christ's description of His part in the work of creation.

10.

Some scholars feel that Colossians 1:15-20 is a unit, and was either a hymn written by Paul himself, or one used in the early church. Certainly its thoughts are presented in concise lines (stichs) like poetry, and this contrasts with the more extended paragraph Colossians 1:19-23. It has been argued that Colossians 1:15-17 is one stanza, emphasizing Christ's preeminence in creation; and Colossians 1:18-20 is a second stanza, emphasizing Christ's preeminence in redemption and the church. The who is in Colossians 1:15 and Colossians 1:18 are alike. Both Colossians 1:15; Colossians 1:18 use the title firstborn. Colossians 1:16; Colossians 1:20 both mention the heaven and the earth, though in reverse order. These similarities point to a purposeful pattern of resemblance in the verses.

In spite of these arguments the words of Colossians 1:15-20 still must be considerably forced to be made to fit a song or chant. We really do not feel that anyone has proved that this is a song.

11.

As supreme creator of the universe and as firstborn of all creation, Christ can deliver us, though we face bombs, space invaders, communism, old age, financial hardship, or the day of judgment!

Study and Review

5.

What does the word image mean? (Colossians 1:15)

6.

Why is it impossible to make an idol of God?

7.

What rank does a firstborn have?

8.

According to Colossians 1:15-16, why is Christ the firstborn of all creation?

9.

Explain the phrase the firstborn of all creation.

10.

Where are the things which Christ created located? (Colossians 1:16)

11.

To what do thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers refer?

12.

What is the difference in meaning between the assertions that all things have been created through Christ, and created unto him?