O, Lord Jesus, how good You are to me. Thank You for equipping me to write this study, and for allowing me to present it to Your church, not only in my hometown, but all over the world. I ask that You will open the hearts and minds of those who love You, and bring all of us into a deeper knowledge of Your glory and majesty. Tear off the veil and let us see You in Your beauty! Yes, Lord! This is my prayer to the King of Creation. Praise Your name forever. Amen.
The Preeminence of Christ - Week Two
The Preeminence of Christ - Week Three
The Preeminence of Christ - Week Four
THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST – Week One – Colossians 1:15
By: Becka Goings
Colossians 1:15-20:
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
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“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
~Colossians 1:15
I want to take a moment and meditate on this verse. Meditation on Scripture is a good thing. It prevents us from reading things too quickly, and allows time for the Holy Spirit to expound on truths He wishes to teach us. Think of it as savoring the verse rather than scarfing it. Roll it around in your head. Say it to yourself a few times and stop to consider the weight of every word. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
One thing that stands out to me in this passage is the phrase, “He is the image”. What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word “image” in relation to God? Most of us would think of idolatry, right? “Thou shalt not make thee any graven image…” (Ex. 20:4, Deut. 5:8). The Apostle Paul gives us some insight into why creating an image for God is an abomination to Him in Romans 8:20-22 – “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”
For one thing, an idol puts the image of a created being in the place of our uncreated God, yet God is Spirit; He has no physical form. Furthermore, creation itself has been corrupted. Since the Fall in the Garden, every created creature has paid the wage of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). We are told in Romans 8:22 that creation itself is groaning for its future redemption. Not only does idolatry falsely give a tangible image to an invisible Spirit (which is not an accurate representation of truth) it does so with a perishing image, one that is corrupted and temporal, thus woefully diluting the magnificent glory of the all-holy, all-righteous, ever-eternal God.
However, of Christ, Scripture gives this witness: “HE is the image of the invisible God.”
In this little 8-word phrase, we are told a marvelous truth about Jesus of Nazareth. He is not merely a good teacher. He is not simply a holy man. He is not just a rabbi, teaching in the synagogues. No, He is the image of the invisible God. God the Father, the Lord of Hosts, the Father of Glory, has given Himself an image in the flesh, and that very image is the Lord Jesus Christ. He embodies everything about God, every attribute, every truth, every promise God ever made. The entire essence of God is present in Christ. In Him, we can now both see and know God. He has become the means by which we can comprehend and understand God’s glory.
The Apostle Paul expounds on this concept a little more in 2 Corinthians 4:6 when he writes, “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” What is fascinating here is that he goes all the way back to Genesis 1:3 and ties the two theological points together. The same God who said, “Let there be light” at the dawn of creation also says “Let there be light” in the hearts of those who love Him with a new kind of light – the light of the knowledge of the glory of God! Amazingly, both of these accounts are creation accounts. The first, the creation of the universe, and the second, our rebirth as new creations in Christ.
If the knowledge of the glory of God is in the face of Jesus Christ, then whenever we seek God’s face or ask for His face to shine upon us, as in the famous benediction of Numbers 6:24-26, it is the face of Christ that we shall see. To know God, we must know Jesus. When we seek God’s face, we must seek Christ’s face.
The writer of Hebrews gives us an even higher view of Christ in Hebrews 1:3: “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” If I may, I’d like to interject here to share something from the Psalms. Hebrews 1:3 says of Christ, “He is the radiance of the glory of God.” In Psalm 34:5, we are told, “Those who look to Him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” I love that. In looking to Christ, we are given something of His substance, and thus our faces likewise radiate His glory to a degree, to the point people will be able to tell we’ve been with Jesus. Remember Moses? When he saw the backside of the glory of God, his face shone – literally! However the people were frightened of his shining face, and Moses had to wear a veil (Exodus 34:29-33).
But Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” Let’s pause once more and meditate on this verse for a moment.
Christ is the image of the invisible God, and we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. The veil is off. We can look Him full in the face! And His radiance is our radiance, from glory to glory. That simply means from one varying degree to another. Not every Christian is at the same level of maturity. One Christian might reflect Christ more than another, simply due to the fact they’ve had a few more years of walking with Him, a few more years of gazing at His face. But Christ is faithful, and He shall complete His work in each and every one of us.
Elsewhere in Scripture, Romans 8:29, this “glory to glory” is called being conformed into the image of Christ. We are conformed into His image through our life-long sanctification. Those whom He justifies, He also sanctifies (1 Thessalonians 4:3a, 1 Thessalonians 5:23). We grow in holiness and Christlikeness throughout the course of our Christian lives. In this way, every believer is a work of the Holy Spirit in order to have the imprint of His nature upon them. Christ is sanctifying for Himself an entire people who not only love and honor Him, but resemble Him as well (Titus 2:14). We are created in His image in our body, and conformed to His image in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Speaking of His imprint upon us, I’m reminded of the short teaching our Lord gave in Matthew 22:15-22. The Pharisees were trying to think of ways to trip Him up, to stump Him, and make Him trapped by His own words. Let’s read it:
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar's.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.
Notice the subtlety of His words. The coin had the imprint of Caesar on its face. Clearly, the coin belonged to Caesar, and therefore should be given back to him. But Christ didn’t stop there. He then went on to say, give to God the things that are God’s. He’s speaking in the same context as the imprinted coin. Whose image do we have imprinted on us? God’s image. Therefore, He is saying give Caesar his taxes, and give God yourselves. Give to the world those things that belong to the world, but because you are made in the image of God, give Him yourselves, your hearts, your souls, your minds, your strength. We are in the world and should obey the laws of the world, but we are to live for God, because we are God’s.
Again, we can see the two creation accounts of being made in His image. We have been made in His image physically. All of humanity has the imprint of God upon them simply by the fact He has created them to be so. Yet it is in the new birth, whereby we become a new creation, that the Christian is conformed into Christ’s image in our heart. As 2 Corinthians 4:16 puts it, “Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”
Eventually, Christ will finish this work He began in us (Philippians 1:6), and we shall one day perfectly reflect Him in Glory (1 John 3:2). There is coming a day when Christ returns, when He shall raise the dead, and those who are alive and remain shall all be glorified in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:17). This is the completion of our salvation, where we shall not only perfectly resemble Christ in our hearts, but also outwardly in our body. We shall be given a body like His (Philippians 3:21), and we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).
These are precious, astonishing truths. Not only is Christ the image of the invisible God, He is at work in us as well so that one day, we too shall be images of the invisible God to the glory of God the Father. Praise the Lord!
Now that we know the truth of God’s perfect image in Christ, we can better understand why idolatry is so heinous to God. Nothing can compare to the perfect image of Christ. Nothing created can ever come close to His majesty, His glory, His beauty, or His magnificence. He is very God of very God, the Most High, the Lord of Hosts, the King of kings. In Christ, we see God’s mercy. In Christ, we know God’s wisdom. In Christ, we comprehend God’s omnipotence. Everything in God is in Christ. There is no greater joy than the joy of the Lord. There is no greater honor than to be exalted by Him. There is no greater purpose to one’s life than living to glorify Him. God forbade images of Himself in the Ten Commandments and fought idolatry all throughout the Old Testament because the invisible God already had an image, veiled in the past, yet revealed to us now, in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15 goes on to say that Christ is the firstborn of all creation. If we’re not careful with the translation here, some might be led to believe that Jesus is a created Being. But the testimony of Scripture is that Jesus Christ is God in John 1:1, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, and Jude 1:25 to name a few verses. Only God can perform miracles, only God can live a sinless life, only God can be the propitiation for our sin, and only God can raise Himself from the grave. Only God can accept prayer, only God can accept worship, and only God can send His Holy Spirit. According to Scripture, Christ is the Creator of the universe in John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, and Hebrews 1:2; only God Almighty has the power to breathe stars and planets into existence.
Then what is the Apostle Paul trying to convey by saying Christ is the firstborn of all creation? The word for “firstborn” in the Greek is prōtotokos (pro-TAHT-oh-koss). It is Strong’s number G4416, and we see the same word in Matthew 1:25 and Luke 2:7 with regards to Christ as the firstborn son of Mary, as well as being the firstborn of all creation in Colossians 1:15, and the first begotten of the dead in Revelation 1:5. This word, then, must have two shades of meaning. The first being a literal first born child of a woman, the second being simply “the first”, or “preeminent”. Context of the verse gives us the key. We cannot interpret “prōtotokos” as the first born of a woman in this magnificent portion of Scripture that outlines the Godhead of Christ. The witness of the entire canon of Scripture is that Jesus Christ is God. Therefore, this word must mean the second interpretation, that Jesus is first and preeminent of all creation.
Always remember in your Bible study that context is key to interpretation. Even in English, we have words with different shades of meaning depending on how we use them. Take the word “run”, for example. We can enjoy a vigorous run, although, I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys running. We can run for political office. We can run a business. We can leave our car running. Our car can run over the curb. We can run to the store. So you see, context is the key as to what type of “running” we mean when we say the word. In the same way, prōtotokos must be taken in context within the verse and also in light of the rest of Scripture.
Christ is not a created “firstborn” Being, He is firstborn of all creation. In other words, He preceded creation. He existed beforehand. He is the eternal God. Christ’s own words confirm this in John 17:5 when He says, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” In the same chapter, He says in John 17:24, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”
Not only does Christ confirm that He existed with God the Father well before the world existed, He even claims that He wishes His people to see His glory that the Father had given Him before the foundation of the world. And yet Isaiah 48:11 says that God does not give His glory to another. Therefore Christ is not another heavenly Being or a created Being, He is God in the flesh. Only God possesses God’s glory.
Another way of thinking about the firstborn of all creation is that creation is Christ’s inheritance. As the Preeminent One, the Son of God, the Creator of the universe, He owns it by right. It’s all His. The Father has given Him authority over all things in Matthew 28:18 and He owns it, not only by creation, but also by redemption. Christ both created and purchased His universe. It is doubly His by the testimony of these two witnesses.
Now, let’s think about this for a moment. Colossians 1:15 on the surface seems like an unassuming little verse. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” But there’s a key principle we must understand in hermeneutics. Have you heard of hermeneutics or knows what it means? Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation of texts, and more specifically, of biblical interpretation. This key principle is that Scripture interprets Scripture. Remember this for your own Bible study. Write it down and think about this when you are reading the Word. Scripture interprets Scripture. What does that mean? Well, your Bible isn’t one single book. It is a library of sixty-six books written by about forty authors over the course of fifteen hundred years. We know that all Scripture is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), therefore, all these books have the same Author, namely the Holy Spirit.
Within the pages of these books are references and rabbit trails that interpret and bring illumination to other passages. This is how we know the Bible is an inspired book, because it references and proves itself. This is also why I don’t personally favor the loosely translated paraphrases of today, because in watering down Scripture into easy-to-understand verbiage, this glory of the Word of God is, for all intents and purposes, erased. For that reason, I do not believe paraphrases of Scripture can be called inspired, because by choosing different words and different turns of phrase, they erase that inspiration, that principle of hermeneutics that Scripture interprets Scripture.
Now, to get back to my point of Scripture interpreting Scripture, in Colossians 1:15, when it says Christ is the image of the invisible God, we can take the truth of this text and go back to the Old Testament and know that whenever God showed up in any display of His Person, it was the pre-incarnate Christ. The Father has no form, and no one has ever seen Him. John 1:18 confirms Colossians 1:15 when the Apostle writes, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side (that’s Jesus), he has made him known.”
Christ, therefore, has His fingerprints all over the Bible, in both Testaments, since before the foundation of the world. Christ is the One who walked in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:8, He is the man who sat with Abraham in Genesis 18, His was the voice from the burning bush in Exodus 3:1-6, the voice that thundered on Mt. Sinai in Exodus 19:18-20, His was the glory of the Lord which Moses witnessed in Exodus 33:18-23, He is the Captain of the Host that appeared in Joshua 5:13-15, the Angel of the Lord that appeared to Manoah and his wife, Samson’s parents, in Judges 13:9-23, His was the voice in the whirlwind that spoke in Job 38-42, His was glory that filled the temple in Isaiah 6:1, and He is the Word of God that came to various prophets throughout the Old Testament. All of these witnesses of God are of the pre-incarnate Christ. Many of these texts claim it’s the Lord outright, but some of them say He is the “Captain of the Host” or the “Angel of the Lord”. We know these appearances are of Christ because He accepts worship in both the Joshua and Judges account. No angel of God ever accepts worship unless He is God Himself. And since the Lord Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, we know these ancient appearances were of Him.
Christ even spoke of Abraham as if He had first hand knowledge in John 8:56-58 when He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” 57 So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Many Christians assume the Old Testament was about God the Father and the New Testament is about Christ the Son. This is simply not true. The entire Bible is about Christ, who represents the Father, for He is the image of the invisible God! No one has ever seen the Father, nor do they know Him except the Son, according to Christ in Matthew 11:27. Jesus also said in John 14:6 that no one comes to the Father except through Him. What is true in the New Testament is true in the Old. The only way to get to the Father is through Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; He always has been, He always will be. Only those who have the Son have the Father according to the Apostle in 1 John 2:23. This is not a new way to God, this is the only way to God.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
It is Christ seated on the Throne of God and it is Christ we shall worship forever and ever. Even in Glory, the way to the Father is through the Son. If we have seen the Son, we have seen the Father by the witness of John 14:8-9. To know Christ is to know God. To have Christ is to have God. To understand the God of the Bible, we must understand Christ and see His majesty throughout the entirety of the Scriptures.
This is His Word, and the entire canon testifies of Him. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for revealing Yourself to us today. Amen.
STUDY QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Why is God so adamantly against idolatry and graven images that depict Him?
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When we seek God’s face, we must seek _________________________.
To know God, we must know ____________________________________.
According to Romans 8:29, we are conformed into the
________________________________________________________________.
Christ Himself is the image of ___________________________________.
What does it mean that Christ is the “firstborn of all creation”?
________________________________________________________________
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The way to the Father is through ________________________________.
This is not a new way to God, this is the _________________________.
In what way does my life bring honor to Christ?
Am I willing to ask God to open my eyes to the majesty of Christ?
Christ is on the Throne of Heaven, but is He on the throne of my heart?
If I’m honest, do I love Christ with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength?
Am I willing to do the hard work of seeking Him in both prayer and study of His Word?
Christ Himself is the image of ___________________________________.
What does it mean that Christ is the “firstborn of all creation”?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
The way to the Father is through ________________________________.
This is not a new way to God, this is the _________________________.
Questions for Personal Reflection
In what way does my life bring honor to Christ?
Am I willing to ask God to open my eyes to the majesty of Christ?
Christ is on the Throne of Heaven, but is He on the throne of my heart?
If I’m honest, do I love Christ with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength?
Am I willing to do the hard work of seeking Him in both prayer and study of His Word?
Colossians 1:15 – Session One – Song Playlist:
- When We See Your Face – Sovereign Grace Music – Prayers of the Saints Live Album
- Psalm 34 (Taste and See) – Shane & Shane – Psalms Live Album
- Scandal of Grace – Shane & Shane – The Worship Initiative Album
- Be Thou My Vision – Selah – Greatest Hymns Album
- Christ in Us – Twila Paris – House of Worship Album
- Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery – Matt Boswell – Single Release
- Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful – Keith Green – The Greatest Hits Album
Scripture References for Further Study:
1. Colossians 1:15
2. Exodus 20:4
3. Deuteronomy 5:8
4. Romans 8:20-22
5. Romans 6:23
6. Romans 8:22
7. 2 Corinthians 4:6
8. Genesis 1:3
9. Numbers 6:24-26
10. Hebrews 1:3
11. Psalm 34:5
12. Exodus 34:29-33
13. 2 Corinthians 3:18
14. Romans 8:29
15. 1 Thessalonians 4:3a
16. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
17. Titus 2:14
18. Matthew 22:15-22
19. 2 Corinthians 4:16
20. Philippians 1:6
21. 1 Corinthians 15:52
22. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
23. Philippians 3:21
24. 1 John 3:2
25. John 1:1
26. Titus 2:13
27. 2 Peter 1:1
28. Jude 1:25
29. John 1:3
30. Colossians 1:16
31. Hebrews 1:2
32. Matthew 1:25
33. Luke 2:7
34. Colossians 1:15
35. Revelation 1:5
36. John 17:5
37. John 17:24
38. Isaiah 48:11
39. Matthew 28:18
40. 2 Timothy 3:16
41. John 1:18
42. Genesis 3:8
43. Genesis 18
44. Exodus 3:1-6
45. Exodus 19:18-20
46. Exodus 33:18-23
47. Joshua 5:13-15
48. Judges 13:9-23
49. Job 38-42
50. Isaiah 6:1
51. John 8:56-58
52. Matthew 11:27
53. John 14:6
54. 1 John 2:23
55. John 14:8-9
