Few titles given to Jesus are as rich and misunderstood as “the Firstborn.”
Modern readers often assume it refers to birth order or biological origin—but in Scripture, the term never works that way.
In the Bible, firstborn (prototokos) is a royal, legal, covenant title, rooted deeply in Old Testament patterns of:
- Inheritance
- Authority
- Consecration
- Supremacy
- Preeminence
Understanding this title opens up a breathtaking truth:
Jesus is not the first created — He is the One who rules, inherits, represents, and resurrects on behalf of all creation.
Let’s explore the full meaning of this title across Scripture.
1. “FIRSTBORN” DOES NOT MEAN “FIRST CREATED”
This is a common misunderstanding.
In Scripture, “firstborn” is used metaphorically and theologically far more than biologically.
Examples:
- Israel is called God’s “firstborn” (Ex. 4:22) — yet not the first nation.
- David is called God’s “firstborn” (Ps. 89:27) — though the youngest in his family.
So biblically, the term does not refer to origin.
It refers to:
✔ Rank
✔ Status
✔ Inheritance rights
✔ Supremacy
✔ Royal authority
This is the foundation for understanding Jesus as the Firstborn.
2 “THE FIRSTBORN OF ALL CREATION” (COLOSSIANS 1:15)
Colossians 1:15 says:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
Paul explains the reason for this title in the very next verses:
“For in Him all things were created… all things were created through Him and for Him.” — Col. 1:16
If all things were created in, through, and for Christ, then He cannot belong to the created order. He stands as its source and goal.
So why is He called firstborn?
Because Jesus is the first man of the new creation.
Paul later makes this explicit:
“He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent.” — Col. 1:18
Christ’s resurrection is the birth of a new creation. He is the first human being to pass through death and emerge into glorified, indestructible life.
That resurrection life is what defines the new creation.
Therefore, Jesus is called “firstborn of all creation” because:
✔ He is the first new-creation Man
✔ He stands as the head of a renewed humanity
✔ He inherits the old creation as the foundation of the new
✔ He brings creation into its fulfilled, redeemed state
“Firstborn” here means:
✔ First in resurrection order
✔ First in the new creation reality
✔ Heir of everything that will be made new
This is not about Christ being created.
It is about creation being re-created in Him.
Jesus is not the first product of the old creation.
He is the beginning of creation’s renewal.
And all who are in Him share in that same new-creation life (2 Cor. 5:17).
3. THE BIBLICAL BACKGROUND: What Firstborn Means
Throughout the Old Testament:
✔ The firstborn son was dedicated to God (Ex. 13:2)
✔ The firstborn received the double portion of inheritance (Deut. 21:17)
✔ The firstborn represented the family before the father (Gen. 43:33)
✔ The firstborn held the highest position in the household (Gen. 49:3)
Thus, “firstborn” became a technical term for:
The one who reigns, inherits, represents, and is set apart for God.
When the New Testament applies this title to Jesus, it is declaring His absolute supremacy, not His origin.
4. “THE FIRSTBORN FROM THE DEAD” (COLOSSIANS 1:18; REVELATION 1:5)
This refers to the resurrection.
Jesus was not the first person ever raised from death in history,
but He was the first to rise in:
- glorified humanity
- indestructible life
- resurrection power
- the new creation body
Thus, He is the Firstborn from the dead:
✔ First in rank
✔ First in resurrection glory
✔ First in the new creation order
And because He rose as the Firstborn:
He guarantees our resurrection.
5. “FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY BROTHERS” (ROMANS 8:29)
This title speaks of family and identity.
Jesus is the:
- elder brother
- pattern
- representative
- head of God’s new family
We are predestined to be conformed to His image.
He leads the redeemed family of God into glory.
So Firstborn means:
✔ our model
✔ our representative
✔ the head of the redeemed human race
It is relational and covenantal.
6. FIRSTBORN = PREEMINENT, SUPREME, EXALTED
Psalm 89:27 prophesies of the Messiah:
“I will make Him My firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.”
Not the oldest.
Not the first biologically.
But the highest, the supreme, the preeminent King.
This is the New Testament meaning of “Firstborn.”
FINAL SUMMARY:
Jesus is called the Firstborn because He is:
✔ Supreme over creation (Col. 1:15)
✔ Supreme in resurrection (Col. 1:18)
✔ Head of a new redeemed family (Rom. 8:29)
✔ Worshiped by angels (Heb. 1:6)
✔ Heir of the universe (Heb. 1:2)
✔ Exalted above every king (Ps. 89:27)
✔ The preeminent One in all things (Col. 1:18)
It does not mean:
❌ He was created
❌ He came into existence at a point in time
❌ He is part of creation
It does mean:
Jesus holds the highest rank, greatest inheritance, supreme authority, and unmatched glory over all creation and all resurrection.
He is the Firstborn —
not in origin,
but in sovereignty, dignity, exaltation, and eternal inheritance.
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