2017-02-10
Good Morning Dear Ones,
A lot of what I’ve been writing at the behest of the Holy Spirit has dealt with COL 1: 15a. Now it’s time to appreciate COL 1: 15b, “[Christ is] the Firstborn of all creation.” Once again, I’m commanded to go back to the original Greek for sharper understanding. The Greek word protokos means first, principal. It arises from the word tikto, a verb meaning to bear, to produce, bring forth, beget, yield. Obviously in today’s world when applying to human firstborn, parents must be careful not to shower all favor on the firstborn child at the expense of those who might follow. But when talking about Jesus, He really was the Firstborn of all creation, did the work of creation at God’s behest, and possesses special qualities unlike any of the humans who followed Him. It is fair indeed to describe Him as “the visible image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation.”
His sovereign right to be the final judge of each of us was established back in DN 7: 13-14. JN 1: 18, “No one has seen God, but Christ makes Him known.” JN 14, 9, 11, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father…His words are My words.” Nelson’s Bible Dictionary describes Christ as “first Offspring with privileges and rights.” JN 1: 1-4, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.” If one is to believe the Bible is inerrant truth, then these statements really set Christ apart from any human being. He as in this world, but not of this world. He was the first Offering, an Offering done out of obedience to God for the benefit of all who will believe in Him. RO 8: 29, “Those whom God had already chosen He set apart to believe His Son, so that His Son would be the First among many believers.”
The Bible’s words and descriptions of our Lord Jesus are so much better than any I could write. While REV 1 begins a letter to the seven churches in Asia, it contains vital information for us too. REV 1: 4b-5, “Grace and peace be yours from God Who is, Who was, and Who is to come, and from the seven spirits [each representing one of the seven churches] in front of His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness, the first to be raised from death, He freed us from our sins.”
Christ’s superiority is expressed in HE 1: 6, “But when God was about to send His Firstborn Son into the world, He said, ‘All God’s angels must worship Him.’” God, through Paul, wants us to understand that Christ participated in all creation of the earth and heaven. We must know that God’s main objective in sending Christ to earth was providing us with the chance, through our confession and our faith in Him, for redemption. This was to allow us the opportunity to avoid spiritual death and to eventually be glorified for a blissful and eternal fellowship with God in heaven. Christ’s blood shed on the cross was the quintessential act of atonement. COL 1: 12, “He rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and we were brought safely into Christ’s Kingdom. COL 1: 16-17, 19-20, and 22, God, through Christ, created everything in heaven and on earth; He did this through and for Him, Christ existed before all things, and through Him, all things have their proper place…It was God’s decision that Christ has His full nature…The whole universe was to come back to God through Christ…This is how we would be made God’s friends and how we were to be made holy in His presence. Praise be to God that we are blessed this way!
PRAYER: O Lord, as we learn more about the meaning of the Biblical description of Christ, He becomes more and more a Center of our lives. We are so very blessed by the way He obeyed You, Father, and how He freely gave up His physical life, so that we might enjoy eternal forgiveness for our sins [1 JN 1: 9], be deemed acceptable in Your sight [RO 4: 3], and have access to eternal life [JN 3: 16]. That is not all. Long ago, the Jews were commanded to celebrate Firstfruits as a part of Passover every year. A sheaf of the first grain harvested is brought to the priest, who waves the sheaf of wheat as an offering to God. This is done the day after Sabbath. Also, a year-old lamb without defect is given as a burnt offering that day [LV 23: 9-14]. This ceremony points forward to the Lamb without defect [Christ], Who is offered on the cross for our salvation. The blood He shed should never be wasted! He is indeed a superior Being to mankind, One with the power to make those who believe in Him come alive in Him. He is the One, Who not only did the work of creation, but He defeated the evil one with His Atonement on the cross. Hosea 13:14, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?” We can believe that while His name, Jesus, wasn’t mentioned, that He was nonetheless the actual Author of these words [See 1 COR 15: 55]. We thank and praise You forever for making our creation, salvation, and blessing possible. In Christ’s holy/mighty name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m led by the Holy Spirit to further elaborate on the ramifications of Christ being the “Firstborn of all creation.” This wonderful and rich series of truths has huge implications for the lives of believers. No one actually knows the actual birthday of Jesus Christ. Some belief systems say it was April 6th. So, the western nations have settled on celebrating it on Dec. 25th. What really matters here is our understanding of why Christ’s position as God’s Firstborn and His only begotten Son really should matter to us. I personally have great difficulty with all the cultural practices that have pagan origins that have been included in an American celebration of either Christmas or Easter. My discomfort with this stays with me, because of my experience of the terrific contrast between one’s life before and after coming to faith in Jesus. However, I try not to let it affect the celebrations of others. What I hope and pray we all know is that our Lord loves us enough to have commanded Christ to create the world and heaven, and give His physical life on the cross for us. Praise and thanks be to His name!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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