What Does It Mean That Jesus Is the "firstborn of All Creation"?
1) Direct answer
“Firstborn of all creation” means Jesus holds the place of preeminence and heirship over everything God made. It does not mean He is a created being. He is the visible image of the invisible God, and all things were made by Him, through Him, and for Him.
2) Scriptural explanation
- The Bible says, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by Him were all things created… and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15–17). If all things were created by Him and He is before all things, He cannot be one of the created things.
- It also says He is “the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18). So “firstborn” speaks of rank and preeminence—He is Head over creation and Head of the new creation by resurrection.
- God calls the king “My firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:27). “Firstborn” there clearly means highest place, not first one to exist.
- “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). The body is the Son; the Life in Him is God. As to the flesh, Sonship began in time (Luke 1:35). As to the Life, He is the Word by whom all things were made (John 1:1–3,14).
- He is also called “the beginning of the creation of God” (Revelation 3:14)—the One in whom creation has its start and the One who begins the new creation by rising from the dead.
3) Simple clarifying logic
- If He created all things, He is not a creature. Creator and creation are not the same.
- “Firstborn” in Scripture often means the heir with preeminence. Israel was called God’s “firstborn” (Exodus 4:22) as a position, not because it was the first nation.
- So “firstborn of all creation” means He is the supreme Heir over it, and “firstborn from the dead” means He is the first to rise in immortality, bringing in the new creation and taking the Headship.
4) Reinforcing statement
Now notice… it’s not three persons. One God was manifested in flesh. The Son is the body God used, and in that body He took the rights of the Firstborn over all creation and, by resurrection, became the Firstborn of the new creation. That’s the mystery—preeminence, not creaturehood.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Christ is the mystery of God revealed
63-0728 §85
Oh, if God can get Him prisoners like that! Now, that's when He can express the preeminence. You see? He's got the man or the person so that he knows nothing but Christ. You get what I mean? All right. That's secondly. First, to express Himself completely---God in Christ. Second, to have the preeminences by this in His church (which is His body, the bride) He could have the preeminence to express Himself through them. All right. And thirdly, to restore the kingdom to its rightly position that fell by sin by the fir...
Christ
55-0221 §22
Yes. But what I was meaning there, that the type of the bird in the nest, no matter... You can treat them right, you can visit them every day, and you can make them deacons of the church or anything, if there's no life in here, he'll still be a sinner. I don't care if he's a preacher, he's still a sinner. That's right. Man cannot see Christ until he's born again. And he's born through the water and the blood. Just as you see in the natural birth... What constitutes a natural birth, in the natural birth of a baby? F...
Living, dying, buried, rising, coming
59-0403 §10
And when He lived, He loved, because He was God; and God is love. And there can never be anyone who could love like Jesus loved. From the very first time His little baby hands stroked those pretty cheeks of His beautiful mother, He was love from that till He forgive His last enemy on the cross. He was God's expression of love. No one could love like Jesus. God, being manifested in a little tiny baby, come in order to take away the sins of the world. And when you just speak of the word "Jesus," there's something abo...
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever
55-1113 §38
Now, the first thing... John the Baptist was the first of... He stood between law and grace. He really done no miracles; he just come in and introduced---being the greatest of the prophets---introduced the Lord Jesus Christ to the world. All the rest of the prophets spoke of Him coming, but John introduced Him: "Behold, the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world." His ministry was short, six months, no doctrine, just speaking of the coming of the Lord Jesus, and telling them, "Prepare to meet Him." But w...
Daniel 9: Gabriel's instructions to Daniel
61-0730M §107
I love Him, don't you? All my heart. Don't you? Isn't He wonderful? Oh, wonderful, wonderful, Jesus is to me. (What is He?) Counselor, the Prince of Peace, the mighty God is He. Oh, saving me, keeping me from all sin and shame. Wonderful is my Redeemer, praise His name. Let's just bow our heads now and think of it. I once was lost, but now I'm found, I'm free from condemnation. (Nations are breaking, don't matter.) Jesus gives liberty and a full salvation. He's saving me, He's keeping me from all sin and shame. Won...