Colossians 1:15 - Explained

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature."

There are two phrases being mentioned here — the first half and the second half — and I want to explain both of them.

When the Bible says who is the image of the invisible God, it is not asking a question. It is actually stating from the context that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is the image of the invisible God. Now whenever you see the word God in the Bible, it can refer to God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, or God just in totality or in general. Three verses earlier the passage talked about God the Father, so I believe the context is that Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God the Father.

Of course when we pray to God we do not actually see him — God is invisible. But when Jesus Christ was here on earth, many people saw God the Son. And even though God is invisible, that does not mean that God does not have a body. There are many people within Christianity, including the Catholic Church, who actually teach that God is invisible and is essentially just this essence — somewhat like what the Hindus believe. But that is not actually what the Bible teaches. Though God is invisible, it does not mean that he does not have a body. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost — all three of them have a body. And God the Father has a spiritual body, even though he is invisible.

The Bible says Jesus is the image of the invisible God. I do not think this is primarily saying that Jesus Christ looks exactly like God the Father, although I do believe there is quite a similarity between them. I think what it is saying is that he is the representation of God the Father. He was actually seen here on earth, he preached the word of God, and he is the representation of God — both physically and in doing the will of God the Father, because he came not to do his own will but the will of God the Father.

Now the second half of the verse says the firstborn of every creature. Jesus Christ is the firstborn of every creature. People try to take this phrase and say — see, Jesus was the first one created by God the Father. But the Bible says in the book of John: "All things were made by him" — referring to Jesus — "and without him was not any thing made that was made." The Bible is very clear that Jesus Christ made all things. If he made all things, he could not have been created himself.

When the Bible says the firstborn of every creature, what it is actually referring to is the fact that he is the firstborn of the dead. He is the first one to receive the glorified body when he was resurrected 2,000 years ago. For those of us that are saved and alive at the coming of the rapture, we will get the glorified body and meet the Lord in the air. And those that sleep in Jesus — saved people who have already passed away — they will also get the glorified body at the rapture. But Jesus is the firstborn — the first one to receive the glorified body.

That is not saying he was created by God the Father. No — Jesus is eternal, because it says: "In the beginning was the Word."

Pastor Matthew Stucky