Does Colossians 1:15 say that Christ was created or born into existence?

This text is a very clear reference to the awesome nature of Christ, a belief under attack even in many Christian churches. A messianic prophecy in Psalm 89:27 reads, “I will make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth,” showing that Christ was not a firstborn prior to the creation narrative in Genesis, but rather He was to be made firstborn after the psalmist penned his words.

We can use a modern-day example: In America, we call the president’s wife First Lady, but that doesn’t mean she was the first lady born. It merely designates her role in America. Colossians should be read in the same way. The word “firstborn” in Greek does not mean first one given birth to. Instead, it means the one who has priority—the one who has first position.

Remember also the many times Jesus called Himself infinite. You can’t ignore those Scriptures when understanding His nature! For instance, Christ said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). He also calls Himself the Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8). And one of the best Scriptures to explain that Christ is eternal is in the Gospel of John: “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (1:3). Christ made everything that’s made, but He couldn’t have made Himself. He’s always existed!

Also, when we translate from Greek, the phrase “the first begotten” or “the only begotten” or “the firstborn,” could be translated as “the one who has preeminence over every creature.” It doesn’t necessarily mean He was born. Does it mean that the Father has a womb and gave birth to Jesus? Of course, this is an utterly ridiculous idea, but it helps illustrate the trouble in taking some passages of Scripture too superficially.

Jesus has always been and will always be. He is divine and one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Key Bible Texts

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: (Colossians 1:15 KJV)