Christst's deity and position.
One of the greatest proof texts of Christ’s deity, misused by the cults.
The thought is that, in Christ, man can see what God is like his very nature and being. In this context, the emphasis is not on the exactness of the likeness, but on its visibleness.
GeCL “in the Son the invisible God became visible for us”; Phps “the visible representation of the invisible God”; TNT “he in his own person shows us what the invisible God is like.”
The attributives visible and invisible must often be rendered as relative clauses qualifying the objects involved, for example, “Christ who can be seen” and “God who cannot be seen,” though in speaking of Christ it may be necessary to use a past tense form to refer to his visibility during his life on earth, for example, “Christ could be seen.”
The first sentence of verse 15 may then be translated as “Christ is like God, but he could be seen, while God cannot be seen.” If an active rather than a passive form is required, one may translate “Christ is like God, except that people could see Christ but no one can see God.”
The first-born Son, superior to all created things represents a three-word phrase in Greek. “first-born of all creation.” Translated literally (as RSV), it implies that Christ is included in the created universe, which is inconsistent with the context of the whole passage.
The prefix prōtos “first” may be taken in a temporal sense: “he was born before all creation” or in a hierarchical sense, “the begotten One is superior to all creation.” As Lightfoot and Moule suggest, possibly both are intended. (It should be made clear that “born” or “begotten” refers not to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, but to the relation of Jesus to God, as the eternal Son and heir of the heavenly Father. The use of the word “born” or “begotten” emphasis the unique relationship between God and Jesus which is best expressed in terms of father and son; unlike all other human beings Jesus’ relation to God is not expressed in terms of creature and creator.)
GeCL stresses the first element “He is the Father’s first-born Son; he already existed before all creation.” Lightfoot paraphrases: “He is the Firstborn, and as the Firstborn, the absolute Heir and sovereign Lord, of all creation.” TNT p 23 “He takes precedence over all the created universe”; NEB “his is the primacy over all created things.”
First-born in this context does not imply there were others who were likewise “born” afterward; it is a term which stresses the position of Jesus as the heir of his heavenly Father.
Prōtótokos is a theologically significant title used of Christ in five NT passages.
The word prōtótokos is also used in relation to God’s creation referring to Christ’s supremacy over it. Jesus Christ cannot be both creator and creature. In Col. 1:15 He is placed above His creation when He is called prōtótokos
18 lNo one has ever seen God; mthe only God,6 who is at the Father’s side,7 nhe has [made] him known.
Or the only One, who is God; some manuscripts the only Son
Greek in the bosom of the Father