Colossians 1.18b-Jesus Christ is the Founder of the New Creation, the Firstborn From the Dead and Preeminent in the Church
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday May 17, 2015
Colossians: Colossians 1:18b-Jesus Christ is the Founder of the New Creation, the Firstborn From the Dead and Preeminent in the Church
Lesson # 24
Colossians 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. (NASB95)
“He is the beginning” is composed of the following: (1) relative pronoun hos (ὅς), “who” (2) verb eimi (εἰμί), “is” (3) noun archē (ἀρχή), “the beginning.”
The relative pronoun hos means “who” and refers once again to Jesus Christ.
The verb eimi means “to exist a particular state or condition,” which is identified by the noun archē, “the beginning” which indicates that the Son, Jesus Christ exists in the state or condition of being the beginning.
The present tense of the verb eimi is a gnomic present, which is used for a general timeless fact or spiritual axiom, or an eternal spiritual truth which indicates Jesus Christ, the Son of God “as an eternal spiritual truth” exists in the state or condition of being the beginning.
The noun archē can be interpreted as denoting primacy in a temporal sense (Matt. 19:4, 8; John 15:27; Acts 26:4; Heb. 1:10; 2 Pet. 3:4; 1 John 2:24) or authority and sovereignty (Rom. 8:38; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 1:21; 6:12).
The appositional clause πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, “the firstborn from the dead” refers to the fact that Jesus Christ is the first resurrected person in history and defines the meaning of the noun arche.
Also, we must remember that Paul is speaking in the context of the church rather than creation itself since his first statement here in Colossians 1:18 asserts that Jesus Christ is the head or ruler of the body, which is the church.
In Galatians 6:15 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul describes the church age believer as a “new creation.”
Supporting this is that the church is the body of Jesus Christ who is the head of the body.
This would all indicate that the noun arche describes Jesus Christ as the “founder” or “originator” of the new creation as a result of being the first person in history to receive a resurrection body.
So it would be redundant of Paul to state once again that Jesus Christ is the ruler of the church when he has already done so in the first statement in Colossians 1:18.
Therefore, because the appositional clause πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, “the firstborn from the dead” expresses a temporal idea and defines the meaning of the noun arche would indicate that this noun is also emphasizing a temporal idea rather than the rulership of Jesus Christ over the church, which is a new creation.
Thus, the noun arche speaks of the fact that Jesus Christ has chronological priority as a result of being the first person to receive a resurrection body.
In other words, Jesus Christ established the new creation as a result of being the first person in history to receive a resurrection body.
Therefore, like the noun kephalē, “the head”, the noun arche affirms the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the church which Paul affirms with the clause ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων, “so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.”
“The firstborn from the dead” is composed of the following: (1) adjective prōtotokos (πρωτότοκος), “the firstborn” (2) preposition ek (ἐκ), “from” (6) adjective nekros (νεκρός), “the dead.”
The adjective nekros is in the plural and functions as a substantive meaning “the dead ones” referring to members of the human race who have died physically.
The word is the object of the preposition ek which is a marker of separation indicating that the human nature of Jesus Christ was raised “out from” those who are physically dead by the omnipotence of the Father and the Spirit.
The adjective prōtotokos means “firstborn” since it pertains to having special status associated with a firstborn.
Here it is used of Jesus Christ and describes Him as the “firstborn” from the dead ones indicating that Jesus Christ was the first person in history to receive a resurrection body.
“So that He Himself will come to have first place in everything” is a purpose-result clause which presents both the purpose and the result of Jesus Christ being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones.
Therefore, the purpose-result clause would emphasize that the Father’s purpose for His Son being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead was accomplished in that His Son now has become the Preeminent One in relation to the church.
So in other words, by being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones, Jesus Christ entered into the state of becoming the Preeminent One in the church.
Or, we can say that Jesus Christ entered into the state of possessing the highest rank in the church because of His resurrection from the dead.
“He Himself” is the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), which means “He alone” and is referring of course to Jesus Christ.
It is emphasizing a contrast between Jesus Christ and the individual members of His body, the church.
Specifically it is emphasizing a contrast between Jesus Christ and the church.
“Will come to have” is the verb ginomai (γίνομαι), which pertains to entering into a particular state or existence and here it speaks of Jesus Christ entering into the state of becoming first in all things.
He entered into the state of becoming first in all things because He exists in the state of being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones.
“First place in everything” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) adjective pas (πᾶς), “everything” (3) verb prōteuō (πρωτεύω), “to have first place.”
The verb prōteuō means “to have first place, to possess supremacy, to possess the highest rank in a group, to possess a superior rank in a group, to be preeminent” since it pertains to being in the first position with the implication of high rank and prominence.
Here it describes Jesus Christ as possessing the highest rank in the church and thus speaks of His preeminence in the church.
The present tense of the verb prōteuō is a gnomic present, which is used for a general timeless fact or spiritual axiom, or an eternal spiritual truth which indicates Jesus Christ “as an eternal spiritual truth” possesses the highest rank in the church.
The plural form of the adjective pas is used in a distributive sense meaning “each and every person” and refers to the individual members of the new creation which is the church since Paul is speaking in the context of Christ’s supremacy in the church and not about His supremacy in creation in general.
This word emphasizes that there are no exceptions in that Jesus Christ is the Preeminent Person among the individual members of the body of Christ with no exceptions.
This adjective pas is the object of the preposition en, which means “among” since it is functioning as a marker of a position within an area determined by other objects and distributed among such objects.
Here the objects would be the individual members of the body of Christ.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase indicates that Jesus Christ alone became the preeminent one “among each and every person” because of His resurrection.
Colossians 1:18 Furthermore, He Himself, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the head over His body, namely His church who, as an eternal spiritual truth exists in the state of being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones. The divine purpose was accomplished so that He alone became the Preeminent One among each and every person with no exceptions. (My translation)
After asserting that Jesus Christ, the Son of God exists in the state of being the head over His body, namely His church, Paul makes the assertion that Jesus Christ exists in the state of being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones.
He then states that the divine purpose was accomplished so that Jesus Christ alone became the Preeminent One among each and every person in the church without exception.
We must remember that Paul is speaking in the context of the church rather than creation itself since his first statement here in Colossians 1:18 asserts that Jesus Christ is the head or ruler of the body, which is the church.
Paul is not speaking about His supremacy in creation in general.
He is teaching that Jesus Christ has chronological priority in the church as a result of being the first person to receive a resurrection body.
In other words, Jesus Christ established the new creation as a result of being the first person in history to receive a resurrection body.
The apostle is affirming the preeminence of Jesus Christ in the church through His resurrection.
The apostle Paul is emphasizing that the Father’s eternal purpose for His Son being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead was accomplished in that His Son now has become the Preeminent One in relation to the church.
So in other words, by being the founder that is the firstborn from the dead ones, Jesus Christ entered into the state of becoming the Preeminent One in the church.
Or, we can say that Jesus Christ entered into the state of possessing the highest rank in the church because of His resurrection from the dead.
The apostle is also emphasizing a contrast between Jesus Christ and the church in order to emphasize His preeminence and supremacy in the church.
So Colossians 1:18 is speaking of Jesus Christ’s sovereign rulership over the church.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the means by which He accomplished this.
