THE PRE-EMINENCE OF CHRIST

Friday 7 February

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:15-18 (NKJV)

There is so much revelation jam-packed into these 3 verses it’s mind blowing! Our subject is the pre-eminence of Christ, but we will have to break this passage down systematically if we want to fully comprehend the import and scope of this revelation.

It’s important that we have a working definition for ‘pre-eminence.’ It is the Greek word ‘proteuo’ and it means to hold first place, to be first in rank and influence. When Apostle Paul wrote these inspired words, there were certain truths that he was drawing from in Genesis. Let’s see if we can identify a few of them in this devotional.

Let’s start with the statement ‘He is the image of the invisible God’. This is made in direct reference to Jesus Christ. Did you know that Adam was not the first image of God, Jesus was Can we prove this biblically? Emphatically yes. Romans 5:14 says

‘Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a TYPE of HIM who was to come.’

Now we have established this fact, it confirms that Jesus must have pre-existed Adam to be ‘first place’. Jesus says in Revelation 22:13 that He is the ‘first and the last’. This is literal and not figuratively speaking. This takes us back to the beginning. Genesis 1:1 says ‘In the beginning, God’…

The question to ask would be what beginning or better yet whose beginning? The answer is the beginning of creation and man. John took his lead from Genesis when he penned ‘in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.’

These two verses are talking about the same beginning. What does this tell us? That Jesus as the Word was there before the beginning began. It’s important to note that there was no Father, Son and Holy Spirit at this point, only God. It was only after the fall of Adam that this occurred. God’s words ‘became flesh and dwelt among us’ who later became Jesus.

The next phrase is ‘the firstborn over all creation’. So Jesus who was the image of God before Adam was the original image from which Adam was created. ‘Firstborn’ here is the Greek word ‘prototokos’ which means ‘prototype’ in English. For something to be the prototype it must be the first of its kind that was ever produced. This is who Jesus was in the ‘bosom of the Father’ from the beginning of creation and also from the beginning of the new creation.

‘For by Him were all things created’ is almost a mirror image of what was said in John 1:3.

‘All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.’

Again, this puts Jesus before time and before the world began showing that He is ‘first in rank and influence’. It also tells us that He is the only God that mankind has ever related with. The Father on the other hand, ‘lives in unapproachable light that no man has seen or can see.’ This means even in the life to come, we will never see the Father; only Jesus.

In the few points we looked at, notice they all point back to the same thing. Jesus is pre-eminent by His very character and nature.

A time is coming when every knee will bow and tongue confess of His Lordship and pre-eminence over all things, but in the meantime everyone has a choice to willingly give Him first place in influence and ranking in their lives. Let’s continue to allow Him to express His influence and authority through us.

He wants the pre-eminence in all things. For now the choice is up to us.

APPLICATION

Make a fresh commitment to give the Lord Jesus first place in influence and ranking in your life as your are guided by His Spirit always.