Colossians 1v15
Colossians 1:15 prōtŏtŏkŏs
ESV, NASB, NKJV, KJV – “firstborn”
NLT – “He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.”
This verse, at first glance, seems to say that Christ was born, or created from God, however I know this interpretation is directly refuted in multiple places throughout Scripture, even in the very next verse [John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:16]. What, then, does firstborn mean? In the 9 times it is used in the NT and the 117 times the Hebrew word, bekôwr, is used in the OT, it is used to describe someone as being the chronologically first-born of someone; it is alternatively used to refer to the preeminence of one within a family. This firstborn enjoyed the greatest of the family’s blessings, and the bloodline was traced through this firstborn. When compared with what Scripture clearly teaches about the eternal, uncreated nature of Christ, it seems the NLT more directly states this in a way easily understood. What a danger it would be to think of Christ as a created being, no different, essentially from any of the angels!
It's amazing how the Lord directs my time spent in His Word. When I started to read this evening, I actually intended to study and reflect more on Colossians 2:14 because it is such a powerful verse. However, I never made it that far because of this verse. The Lord taught me how wonderful it is that Christ is the firstborn of all creation. He was present in the beginning (not created); He was with God; He was and is God; for Him, from Him, and through Him are all things; He rules creation at the right hand of God. There truly is none like Him.
If Christ were a created being (as some errantly advocate, in direct opposition to Scripture), born just like the rest of us, but living a perfect life, capable of atoning for the sins of His elect, why would there not have been anyone else in history to live amongst the wicked, yet be without sin? It would seem logical that if one created being did it, maybe another should have been able to. Not really a part of the rest of my study, but just a thought I was entertaining.
God Honored
Praise waiteth for thee, and to render it is my noblest exercise;
This is thy due from all thy creatures, for all thy works display thy
attributes and fulfill thy designs;
The sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat, morning light, evening shade
are full of thee, and thou givest me them richly to enjoy.
Thou art King of kings and Lord of lords;
At thy pleasure empires rise and fall;
All thy works praise thee and thy saints bless thee;
Let me be numbered with thy holy ones, resemble them in character and
condition, sit with them at Jesus' feet.
May my religion be always firmly rooted in thy Word,
my understanding divinely informed
my affections holy and heavenly,
my motives simple and pure,
and my heart never wrong with thee.
Deliver me from the natural darkness of my own mind,
from the corruptions of my heart,
from the temptations to which I am exposed,
from the daily snares that attend me.
I am in constant danger while I am in this life;
Let thy watchful eye ever be upon me for my defense,
Save me from the power of my worldly and spiritual enemies and from all
painful evils to which I have exposed myself.
Until the day of life dawns above let there be unrestrained fellowship with
Jesus;
Until fruition comes, may I enjoy the earnest of my inheritance and the
firstfruits of the Spirit;
Until I finish my course with joy may I pursue it with diligence, in every
part display the resources of the Christian, and adorn the doctrine of thee
my God in all things.
ESV, NASB, NKJV, KJV – “firstborn”
NLT – “He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation.”
This verse, at first glance, seems to say that Christ was born, or created from God, however I know this interpretation is directly refuted in multiple places throughout Scripture, even in the very next verse [John 1:1-4, Colossians 1:16]. What, then, does firstborn mean? In the 9 times it is used in the NT and the 117 times the Hebrew word, bekôwr, is used in the OT, it is used to describe someone as being the chronologically first-born of someone; it is alternatively used to refer to the preeminence of one within a family. This firstborn enjoyed the greatest of the family’s blessings, and the bloodline was traced through this firstborn. When compared with what Scripture clearly teaches about the eternal, uncreated nature of Christ, it seems the NLT more directly states this in a way easily understood. What a danger it would be to think of Christ as a created being, no different, essentially from any of the angels!
It's amazing how the Lord directs my time spent in His Word. When I started to read this evening, I actually intended to study and reflect more on Colossians 2:14 because it is such a powerful verse. However, I never made it that far because of this verse. The Lord taught me how wonderful it is that Christ is the firstborn of all creation. He was present in the beginning (not created); He was with God; He was and is God; for Him, from Him, and through Him are all things; He rules creation at the right hand of God. There truly is none like Him.
If Christ were a created being (as some errantly advocate, in direct opposition to Scripture), born just like the rest of us, but living a perfect life, capable of atoning for the sins of His elect, why would there not have been anyone else in history to live amongst the wicked, yet be without sin? It would seem logical that if one created being did it, maybe another should have been able to. Not really a part of the rest of my study, but just a thought I was entertaining.
God Honored
Praise waiteth for thee, and to render it is my noblest exercise;
This is thy due from all thy creatures, for all thy works display thy
attributes and fulfill thy designs;
The sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat, morning light, evening shade
are full of thee, and thou givest me them richly to enjoy.
Thou art King of kings and Lord of lords;
At thy pleasure empires rise and fall;
All thy works praise thee and thy saints bless thee;
Let me be numbered with thy holy ones, resemble them in character and
condition, sit with them at Jesus' feet.
May my religion be always firmly rooted in thy Word,
my understanding divinely informed
my affections holy and heavenly,
my motives simple and pure,
and my heart never wrong with thee.
Deliver me from the natural darkness of my own mind,
from the corruptions of my heart,
from the temptations to which I am exposed,
from the daily snares that attend me.
I am in constant danger while I am in this life;
Let thy watchful eye ever be upon me for my defense,
Save me from the power of my worldly and spiritual enemies and from all
painful evils to which I have exposed myself.
Until the day of life dawns above let there be unrestrained fellowship with
Jesus;
Until fruition comes, may I enjoy the earnest of my inheritance and the
firstfruits of the Spirit;
Until I finish my course with joy may I pursue it with diligence, in every
part display the resources of the Christian, and adorn the doctrine of thee
my God in all things.
posted by Frank Bob at 7:30 PM
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