Firstborn
Some readers believe that Jesus was the first divine being, or an angel, created by God because English translations of Paul’s letters call him “firstborn.”
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
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He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
-- Colossians 1:13-15,18
This conclusion can result from misunderstanding firstborn. The literally it could describe the child that was born first. Out of context it seems like Jesus was "born" before Adam, the first human, and that imply that Jesus was not human. But...
What Does Firstborn Mean?
Genesis illustrates the inheritance rights connected with being firstborn. Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother Jacob (Genesis 25:29–34).
In some passages, the term expresses a rank granted by God rather than birth order. Psalm 89 applies this sense to David:
I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him. … And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. — Psalm 89:20,27 (ESV)
David was Jesse’s youngest son (1 Samuel 16:11) and Israel’s second king, after Saul. God’s statement, “I will make him the firstborn,” therefore describes an elevated royal status. It does not remove the term’s ordinary meaning of birth order; context determines which sense is intended.
Revelation similarly joins Jesus’ resurrection priority with royal authority:
Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. -- Revelation 1:5
Jesus as the Firstborn
The “firstborn of all creation” is a title of supremacy, comparable to Psalm 89. The surrounding statements that all things were created through him and for him, and that he is before all things, support the latter reading.
Likewise, Romans 8:29 calls him “the firstborn among many brothers,” describing his leading place among those whom God brings into His family.
Jesus as the Firstfruits
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. — 1 Corinthians 15:20 (ESV)
Firstfruits were the first portion of a harvest, dedicated to God (Leviticus 23:10). They represented the beginning of the full harvest to come. Paul uses this image to present Christ’s resurrection as the beginning and assurance of the resurrection of those who belong to him.
However, several people were raised before Jesus’ death:
| Person Raised | Who Performed the Miracle | Scripture |
|---|---|---|
| Son of the widow of Zarephath | Elijah | 1 Kings 17:17-24 |
| Shunammite woman’s son | Elisha | 2 Kings 4:18-37 |
| Unnamed man | God, through Elisha’s bones | 2 Kings 13:20-21 |
| Son of the widow of Nain | Jesus | Luke 7:11-17 |
| Jairus’s daughter | Jesus | Luke 8:40-56 |
| Lazarus | Jesus | John 11:1-44 |
Difference is that these were restorations to ordinary mortal life. Each person would die again.
Jesus’s resurrection is different. He rose to life beyond death and begins the future resurrection of his people (1 Corinthians 15:20–23).
Conclusion
In Scripture, firstborn can indicate birth order, inheritance, or God-given rank, as shown in David’s example. Colossians presents Jesus as above all creation and as firstborn from the dead. His resurrection is the firstfruits of the resurrection to come.