There is a big difference between “Let’s eat Grandma” and “Let’s eat, Grandma!” One little comma alters what’s to be eaten and can, ultimately, save Grandma’s life! Sometimes, a comma or just one little word can completely change what is meant by a statement. That is the also case with the Bible. For example, most Bibles say, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). But one particular Bible version deliberately adds a little word that radically modifies the meaning of the verse. It says, “… the Word was a God.” (NWT) However, no manuscript exists to support such a rendering. This highlights a challenge for all Bible translations: what does the actual text say? This is especially true with passages, such as Colossians 1:15, because it has been often misused due to just one little word.
Pay close attention how several Bible versions translate the words of Colossians 1:15 about Jesus, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (ASV, ESV, KJV, LSB, NASB, NET, WEB) At face value, this rendering sounds like Jesus was the first to be created – the firstborn of creation. But how can that be? Is He God in the flesh (John 1:14), or a created being? The answer is found in the following points.
First, the word “firstborn” has a couple of different meanings in the Bible. It can be the first-born child of a family (cf. Luke 2:7), or it can mean “supremacy.” For example, “I have found My servant David; … I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.” (Psalm 89:20, 27). David was not the first-born in his family (1 Sam 16:10-11), yet, he was named the “firstborn” by God. This was a title of superiority, or preeminence.
Secondly, in the Greek language of the time – which Paul used to write this letter – there was a specific word for “firstborn” (prototokos, or prototikto – G4416) and a completely separate word for “first created” (protoktizo). The latter word is not found in the Bible, but was used by early Christian writers such as Clement of Alexandria, who also wrote in Greek. Paul did not use the word that means “first created” in Colossians 1:15. Furthermore, he would never deny the deity of Christ (cf. Phil 2:6-8). He fully understood that Jesus was God on earth and that creation is never born of God, but instead, is formed or created. Therefore, the word “firstborn” in this passage must certainly imply something other than being created.
Having established the above two points, observe how other Bible versions, such as the New King James (the LEB, NET, NIV, and CEV) translates the verse, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” To further emphasize Christ’s preeminence, Paul continues in the next verse, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth” (v16). One little word can make a big difference in how a sentence is understood! Combined with the context – as well as many other verses in the Bible – we can easily discern that Jesus was not created by God, but instead, He is preeminent over all creation.
Therefore, just as God made David His firstborn among kings, affirming his superiority, Paul is declaring the preeminence of Jesus in Colossians 1:15. And indeed, God Himself has seated Jesus “at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet …” (Ephesians 1:20-22)
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