firstbrn

First Born: Was Jesus Created?

Firstborn does not always & only mean literally "born first."

Ex 4:22 Israel was considered God's firstborn son / Ps 89:27 I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth / Jer 31:9...because I am Israel's father, and Affirm is my firstborn son.

Firstborn can also mean preeminence such as in Jeremiah 31:9(1)

Understanding biblical culture is important when interpreting Scripture. Firstborn was a title, not only of the first born male, but also of preeminence which is precisely what is occurring when it is said that Jesus is the firstborn.(2)

The word 'beginning" in Greek is "arche" meaning beginning or origin chief or ruler.(see Rev 3:14 & Mark 13:19)

A Look at Col 1:15

Col. 1:15: Often this verse is used to 'prove' that Jesus is created thing. This verse says, "He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

There is a Greek word for "first created" and it is not used here.

"First born" is proto, "first," with tikto "to bring forth, bear, produce."

There is no word used in the N.T. for "first created." However, if there were, the construction would be proto, "first," with ktizo "to create."And this is not the construction used in Col.1:15.(3)

Proper Bible interpretation is important!

Proverbs 8:22-31

Some assert that Proverbs 8:22-31 can be used to teach that Jesus was in fact created. However,

1. It is "wisdom" speaking

2. "Wisdom" is feminine

3. No mention of Christ in the passage.

4. Nowhere does the New Testament confirm this to be a messianic (i.e. referring to Christ) passage.

5. Many other passages in scripture show that Jesus was not created!

6. If Jesus was created and he was wisdom then we can only assume that God was without wisdom. This of course is absurd!

Jesus Created All Things!

According to Jn 1:1-3, Col 1:16, Heb 1:1-2 Jesus created ALL THINGS!

If we trust the clear indication of Scripture then Jesus created all things and evidently he was not created!

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(1)* Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry J. Slick, B.A., M. Div. welcomes your comments via E-mail at mslick@connectnet.com

(2) ibid.
(3) ibid.