The phrase “Firstborn of all creation” comes from Colossians 1:15, where Paul writes about Jesus:
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Paul, Colossians 1:15
This verse has been debated for centuries because the meaning of “firstborn” can be understood in more than one way.
Meaning 1: Firstborn as Rank or Authority
This is the most common Christian view.
In the Bible, “firstborn” often means the one with the highest status, inheritance rights, or authority, not necessarily the one born first chronologically.
For example: Psalm 89:27 refers to King David as God’s “firstborn”, even though David was actually the youngest of his brothers. The title emphasises pre-eminence and special status.
Under this interpretation, Colossians 1:15 means: Jesus is supreme over all creation and has authority over it. Supporters point to the next verse:
For by him all things were created…
Colossians 1:16
Their reasoning is that if all things were created through Jesus, then Jesus Himself is not part of the created order but is the Creator.
Meaning 2: Firstborn as First Created Being
Some groups, most notably Jehovah’s Witnesses, understand “firstborn of all creation” to mean: Jesus was the first being God created, and then God created everything else through Him. In this view, Jesus existed before the rest of creation but is not eternal in the same way God is.
Why do many Christians reject the “first created” interpretation? Many theologians argue that if Paul meant “first created”, he could have used a Greek word meaning “first created” (protoktistos). Instead, he used “firstborn” (prototokos), a word often associated with rank, privilege, and inheritance.
They also point to the immediate context:
- Jesus created all things (v.16)
- Jesus existed before all things (v.17)
- Jesus holds all things together (v.17)
These statements seem to place Jesus on the Creator side of the Creator-creation distinction.
An easy illustration.
Imagine a king dies and says:
“My firstborn shall rule the kingdom.”
The emphasis is often not merely on who arrived first in time, but on who inherits the throne and authority.
Many Christians believe Paul is using “firstborn” in this royal sense: Jesus is the heir, ruler, and supreme one over creation.
In summary
There are two main interpretations:
Firstborn = highest rank/supreme heir over creation (held by most Christian denominations).
Firstborn = first created being (held by some groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses).
The debate largely depends on whether “firstborn” in Colossians 1:15 is understood as a title of authority or a statement about origin.
Interestingly, the very next verses are usually considered the key to understanding which meaning Paul intended, because they immediately describe Jesus as the one through whom “all things” were created.
