Firstborn Doesn’t Mean First Created: Colossians 1:15

Col 1:15 (KJV)

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Some people use Colossians 1:15 to say Jesus was the first being God created, and because of that, He can’t be the Most High. But when we read the verse in context, that’s not what it’s teaching. The point of Paul’s words is to show Christ’s place above all creation not that He’s part of it. In this article we’ll break it down step by step and see how the passage actually proves His Diety.

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.

The Image of the Invisible God

• Christ is called the image (Greek: eikōn) of God. This doesn’t mean just a “copy,” but the full representation and manifestation of God Himself.
• Example: Hebrews 10:1 contrasts “image” with “shadow”—the image is the real thing. Christ is not a shadow of God but God made visible.
• Other verses: John 14:9 (“he who has seen Me has seen the Father”), Hebrews 1:3 (“the express image of His person”).
• Christ is equal with the Father in substance, power, and eternityeverything except that He is not the Father Himself.

→ Meaning: If God the Father is invisible (1 Timothy 1:17, John 1:18, Deut. 4:12), Christ is the one who reveals Him to creation. He is how we see and know God.

The Firstborn of All Creation

This does not mean Christ was the first creature created. Verse 16 proves this, because all things were created by Him.

Nor is Paul speaking here about the new creation (salvation). The context is the old creation — the universe itself.

• Firstborn means rank and authority, not origin.
• Psalm 89:27 – “I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.” David was not the literal first King.
• In the ancient Israelite thought, firstborn = heir, ruler, the one with inheritance rights.
• The Greek grammar allows two readings:
  1. Part of creation (first created).
  2. Over creation (before it and supreme).
• Verses 16–17 prove it’s the second one: Christ is before creation and the Creator Himself. We will read it soon.

Meaning: “Firstborn” points to Christ’s eternal existence and lordship over all things.

Colossians 1:16 – All Things Created by Christ

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

“For” = because

• Paul is proving why Jesus is firstborn over creation: He’s the Creator, so He’s before it and Lord of it.

Why This Matters

• Paul gives the reason Christ is called firstborn of creation: He is the Creator.
• This isn’t about the new creation (salvation), because the language here clearly points to the original creation—heaven, earth, visible, and invisible things.
• Therefore, Christ must exist before all creation, and He must also rule over it.

Meaning: If He created all things, He cannot be a creature Himself.

All Things in Heaven and Earth

• Things in heaven:
  • Birds of the air (Gen. 1:20–21).
  • Sun, moon, stars (Gen. 1:14–16).
  • Angels, the inhabitants of heaven (Hebrews 1:7).
• Things on earth:
  • Land, seas, minerals, plants, trees, animals, and people.
  • Everything visible in creation owes its existence to Him.

Meaning: Nothing in creation—whether above or below—is outside of Christ’s creative power.

Visible and Invisible

• Visible things: the material world—planets, animals, people, nature.
• Invisible things: spirits, souls, and especially angels (who are immaterial).
• Angels are singled out because false teachers were spreading the idea that angels created the world or should be worshipped. Paul crushes that teaching: angels themselves were created by Christ.

Thrones, dominions, principalities, powers

• Best taken here as angelic orders (cf. Eph 1:21; Rom 8:38; Col 2:15; Eph 3:10; 6:12; 1 Pet 3:22).
• Paul does affirm their reality and that Christ made them and rules them.

Meaning: Whatever ranks you name in the unseen world, they’re creatures. Christ alone is Creator and Head.

By Him and For Him

• All things were created by Him (He is the efficient cause, not just an instrument).
• All things were created for Him:
  • For His pleasure and glory.
  • Angels serve Him and minister to Him.
  • Believers live to glorify Him.
  • Even unbelievers and the wicked ultimately serve His purposes until the end.
• The whole world exists to fulfill His plan of redemption—and will end when that plan is complete (2 Peter 3:10–12).

Colossians 1:17 — Christ Before and Above All

Col 1:17 (KJV)

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

He Is Before All Things

• Not just in rank, but also in existence.
• He is greater in nature, name, offices, and works than angels or men.
• He existed before:
  • John the Baptist (John 1:15).
  • Abraham (John 8:58).
  • Adam, the first man.
  • Angels, heaven, earth—before any creature existed.
• Since He was before all creation, He must be God eternal—“from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2).

Meaning: Christ is not part of creation; He is the eternal God who existed before it all.

By Him All Things Consist

• He upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3).
• The heavens stay in place because of Him.
• The earth stands firm because He sustains it (Job 26:7). Without Him, everything would collapse.
• Angels are kept secure in their holy state by Him.
• Believers are in His hands, safe and cared for (John 10:28–29).
• All mankind “live and move and have their being in Him” (Acts 17:28).
• The whole universe would fall apart if Christ did not hold it together.
• Every detail of providence—the ordering of creation and human life—is governed and directed by Him, together with the Father and the Spirit.

Meaning: Christ is not only the Creator but the Sustainer. Everything continues to exist because of Him.

Colossians 1:18 — Christ the Head and Preeminent One

18 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 preeminence.

The Head of the Body, the Church

• The Church here isn’t one local group (like Colossae or Corinth), but the whole body of God’s elect—the universal church of those written in the Lamb’s book of life.
• Christ gave Himself for this body, purchased it with His blood, and builds it as His temple (Ephesians 5:25; Acts 20:28).
• The church is pictured as a body: one whole, many members, joined together in unity and order (1 Corinthians 12:12).
• Christ is the Head:
  • Representative Head from eternity—standing for His people before the Father.
  • Ruling Head—like a king to subjects, ruling by His Spirit and Word.
  • Caring Head—like a husband to a wife, protecting, nourishing, and loving His body (Ephesians 5:23).
  • Life-Giving Head—like a physical head to the body, guiding, sustaining, and holding everything together.
  • Meaning: The church has no life or direction apart from Christ its Head.

The Firstborn from the Dead

• He was not the first ever raised (others were raised earlier), but the first to rise by His own power (John 10:18) and to immortal life (Romans 6:9).
• He is the firstfruits of those who sleep (1 Corinthians 15:20). His resurrection guarantees ours.
• He is both the cause and the pattern of our resurrection. We will rise because He rose, and in the same likeness (Philippians 3:21).

That in All Things He Might Have the Preeminence

• Christ is first and chief in everything:
  • In His divine Sonship—no one is Son as He is.
  • In election—chosen before the foundation of the world, with His people chosen in Him.
  • In the covenant—its Mediator, Surety, and Messenger.
  • In His human nature—fairer than the children of men (Psalm 45:2).
  • In redemption—He alone accomplished it.
  • In His life—purest, wisest, greatest in works and miracles.
  • In His death—He conquered death itself.
  • In His resurrection—He rose first to eternal life.
• Because of this, He deserves first place in our hearts, minds, desires, and praise.

Meaning: Christ is supreme everywhere—in creation, in resurrection, in the church, and in our lives.

Back to the Title

Paul’s flow from verses 15–18 has been proving one point: Jesus is not a creature, but the eternal God who is before all things, who created all things, who sustains all things, who is Head of the Church, who is the Firstborn from the dead, and who in all things has the preeminence.

So Colossians 1 doesn’t demote Him to “first created.” It lifts Him high as the Creator, Sustainer, Ruler, and Redeemer—the One who must hold first place in all.

Col 1:19 (KJV)

19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

It Pleased the Father

• The phrase “the Father” isn’t in the Greek, but it fits the context.
• Paul has already been speaking of the Father in vv. 12–13 as the One who:
  • makes believers fit for glory,
  • delivers us from sin’s power,
  • and reconciles all things by Christ.
• So the meaning is: it was God the Father’s will and pleasure to put all fullness in Christ.

What Does “Fullness” Mean?

• Not just a piece of God’s nature, but the entire plenitude.
• Christ has all God’s perfections: eternity, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability, independence.
• If any attribute were missing, He wouldn’t be truly equal with the Father.
• But this isn’t something Christ gained by the Father’s choice—He has the divine essence by nature as the eternal Son.
• What Paul stresses here is the communicative fullness: the Father willed that Christ would hold all things in Himself to distribute them to His people

Different Kinds of Fullness in Christ

• Fullness of Nature: All life and blessings of creation come from Him—He is the giver of nature’s gifts.
• Fullness of Grace: In Him is all justifying righteousness, forgiveness, adoption, sanctification, wisdom, strength, peace, joy, comfort, and every promise (John 1:16).
• Fullness of Glory: Eternal life and glory for the saints are laid up in Him, safe and secure.

Everything we need—nature, grace, glory—is stored up in Christ.

This Fullness Dwells in Him

• Dwells = not temporary but permanent residence.
• It isn’t just an intention or a future plan—it is actually in Him now.
• This fullness:
  • is abiding, always enough for every believer from first to last,
  • is secure, hidden with Christ, untouchable by man or devil,
  • is everlasting, the same yesterday, today, and forever

Why Did the Father Do This?

• Not because of human merit, holiness, or works—all those are fruits of His fullness, not the cause.
• It was the Father’s eternal love and sovereign choice:
  • He didn’t entrust this fullness to Adam (who fell),
  • nor to angels (who cannot redeem),
  • but to His Son, who alone is worthy and fit.
• The Father willed that all grace and communion with Him should flow only through Christ—both now and in eternity.

Summary

In Colossians 1, Paul is not teaching that Christ was a created being. Instead, he is showing the greatness of Jesus in every way. Christ is the image of the invisible God—the full revelation of who God is. He is the firstborn over all creation—not because He was created, but because He is eternal, supreme, and the rightful heir over everything. He is the Creator of all things, the One who was before all things, and the One who holds everything together. He is also the Head of the church, the first to rise from the dead to eternal life, and the One who has the preeminence in all things.