COLOSSIANS 1 : 16-27
by Lloyd T. Anderson
B ut H e is the Firstborn in the sense of being the pre-eminent One, the One before Whom all others must fall. In His Incarnation our Lord was the Firstborn, although many had been born before Him, in the physi cal sense. But He was the Firstborn in its signification that by Him, all others, from Adam down, were su perseded. He is the Head, the Heir, He always was “the Firstborn of all creation”—again in the titular sig nificance: He was not the first cre ated, not created at all, for He was the Creator, the Uncreated One. But He is the Head, the Heir, the Begin ning and the Ending, the First and the Last, the Lord from Heaven. Even if the clause, “the Firstborn of all creation,” is taken out of its context, if it is compared with other Scriptures, we must come to the con clusion that we have already reached. This is confirmed fully, when we put the words back where they belong in Colossians. For following them, in verses sixteen and seventeen, we read: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or princi palities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” We need not analyze every word in this passage. It states, in the most comprehensive way, the eternity and headship of the Lord Jesus Christ — “by him were all things created” : the things in Heav en and on earth, whether they be visi ble to the eye or not, whether they be material or spiritual. Everything was created by Him and for Him. Not only was He the Agent of crea tion, but creation was accomplished for Him, for His pleasure; “He is
before all things, and by him all things consist.” He is the well, the spring, the river, and the basin of life and all creation. He created, He holds together, and He will bring to consummation. He is the Creator and the Sovereign. A third relationship of Christ to others is set forth in verse eighteen. First, in verse 15, we have His re lationship to God: He “is the image of the invisible God” ; second, we see His relationship to all creation: He is “the Firstborn of all creation” ; and third, here (vs. 18), His rela tionship to the Church is declared: “And He is the Head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the pre eminence.” English states: “He was the First born of all creation by His very exis tence with the Father as the only be gotten Son and Heir; and again, in His Incarnation, as the God-Man, the first place belonged to Him, the per fect, sinless Son. But He was reject ed; He was slain; He was nailed to the Cross. He died, the Just for the
Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (center), president of Blola Schools and Colleges, Inc., has the opportunity of fellowship with two of the school's graduates, pastor and assistant pastor of Magnolia Baptist Church in Anaheim. At. the right is the Rev. Kenneth Fischer, pastor, and his brother the Rev. Loren Fischer (left) assistant.
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