|
And He is
the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence (Col. 1:18 KJV).
Many years ago, I
preached through the book of Genesis during Sunday morning services in
the church where I was pastor. Simultaneously, I preached through the
book of Revelation on Sunday evening. There was one thing that stood
out in my mind as I studied the Scriptures - both the beginning of the
Bible and the end. The purpose of God has never changed. In the
beginning, God desired to have a people all over the world who would
know and love Him. In the end of human history, we find a people from
every corner of the Earth - people from every tongue, tribe and nation
- who are worshipping God around His throne. His purpose was
accomplished. The difficult part was how that purpose was accomplished.
God could have destroyed mankind because of our sin. But He didn't. He loved us. And, oh, how He loved us! He loved us so much He would completely identify with us. He would clothe Himself with human flesh and walk this planet. He would live as no other man would live. He would love as no other human has ever loved. He was God who became man - conceived of the Holy Spirit and born in the womb of a virgin named Mary. He became our example in life. He became our salvation over death. And one of the names placed upon Him in the Scriptures is that of Firstborn.
The Bible refers to Jesus as the Firstborn in several passages. The Scriptures say that He's the Firstborn from the dead, the Firstborn of every creature, and the Firstborn among many brethren. The title Firstborn isn't a name that means Jesus was the first in line of created beings. The term refers to His preeminence. Jesus is God who became man, and, because of who He is, He has preeminence in all of creation, preeminence in the church and preeminence in eternity.
In fact, the book of Colossians says, "And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18 KJV). The two preceding verses explain that Jesus is the Creator. "For by Him all things were created, {both} in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (Col. 1:16, 17 NAU).
Hallelujah! What a Savior! When we bow before Jesus and worship Him, we participate in the wonderful plan of God that has been from the beginning. When we allow Him to be preeminent in our lives, we fulfill God's eternal plan. We are a people of destiny - a people with an eternal purpose. His name is Firstborn. When we understand what that means, we discover our own purpose in life.
|
