What Does "Firstborn Over All Creation" Mean?

By Dr. Brandon Steenbock, Family Minister

Colossians 1:15b - [The Son is]... the firstborn over all creation.

You probably know the story of the Prodigal Son. Even if you haven’t read it, you’ve heard it referenced in movies or TV shows. A young man asks his father for his share of the inheritance, goes off and squanders it on luxuries and sex. Then the money runs out. Desperate and destitute, he returns home, hoping perhaps his father will take him back as an indentured servant. The twist seems to always catch us off guard - the father doesn’t just take his son back, he throws a feast, celebrates, and not only restores his son’s position in the family, he puts a ring on his finger. 

That’s a moment that shouldn’t pass us by. The ring on the finger is about more than just welcome. It’s about status and authority. A rich man’s ring had inscriptions identifying his household. It was used to show that the one wearing it had the authority to speak for his household, to do business on his father’s behalf. The father didn’t just restore his son, he appointed him as an heir all over again. 

It’s no wonder that the older brother was furious. In many ways, the father treated his second-born, wayward son as if he were the firstborn. The actual firstborn met this with indignation. How could he do such a thing to a wicked, gluttonous, lustful young man? This was an offense to the pride of the firstborn. 

A lot of us grew up with the teaching that we are the younger brother - we are wayward and sinful, and need forgiveness and reconciliation with our father. Often that’s true. But then we look at the older brother, the firstborn, and we can see ourselves there too. How often do we get resentful, bitter, and self-righteous? How often do we stand in judgment over others? Sometimes we’re the wasteful secondborn. Sometimes we’re the prideful firstborn. 

It’s strange, then, to think of Paul’s words about Jesus as “the firstborn over all creation.” Seems like the lesson should be, “Jesus is the older brother, I’m the wayward younger brother.” But when I look at these two brothers, I don’t see Jesus in either one. I just see me. 

There’s a different way to understand the word “firstborn.” Did you notice how the father essentially appoints the younger son to the role that the firstborn naturally deserves? Firstborn can be chronological - you are born first, so you get all the authority, inheritance, and rights of the firstborn. Or it can be an appointment - the father of the house chooses to give another all the authority, inheritance, and rights belonging to the firstborn. 

God actually gives us a precedent for this. In Psalm 89:27, he says of King David, “I will appoint him to be my firstborn.” David was not God’s firstborn human, nor the firstborn child of the kingdom of Israel, nor even the firstborn of his family. Yet, God appointed him as firstborn over all Israel. So “firstborn” is not just a chronological description - it can be a status of pre-eminence and authority.

This is why Paul can say that Jesus is the firstborn over all creation. Jesus has pre-eminence. Authority. Second only to the Father. All creation is under his command. This is because, first of all, as the eternal Son of God, Jesus is the one through whom all things were created. 

But he is also the one who stepped into creation to redeem it. He becomes one of us, taking a place not only as the Only Begotten Son of his Father, but as our brother. Yet, he is neither a wayward, sinful, wasteful son, nor is he a prideful, bitter, self-righteous son. He is a perfect son, one who respects his Father, does his Father’s will, and yet still shows grace, love, and kindness to all his Father’s other wayward children, and his Father’s prideful children. He goes even further, taking the blame for all the sins of the other children, for all their lustful wastefulness, for all their self-righteous pride. He becomes the one who is punished for all of it. 

This is why Jesus is “the firstborn over all creation.” Yes, he’s the pre-eminent creator of all things. Yes, he’s the one who stepped into creation to be the perfect one among us. He’s also our hope, because he’s a firstborn who gives us all that is his.

He leads us to our Father, where we find sandals, a robe, a ring. We are invited to have all the authority, inheritance, and rights of a firstborn. Earned for us by Jesus, given to us by his Father. The firstborn takes us out of our sin and welcomes us into his glory.