The first Christians confessing Christ
The Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1)
Colossians 1:15-20 unfolds Christ as the image of the invisible God, the one by whom and for whom all things were made, and the one in whom all things are reconciled through the blood of his cross. The lines have a hymn-like fullness and symmetry that many read as an early confession Paul took up. It sets the whole creation and the whole church under the headship of Christ.
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”Colossians 1:15
The passage
The passage. Writing to a young church at Colosse troubled by teachings that would diminish Christ, Paul answers with a portrait of his supremacy. "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:15-17). The passage then turns from creation to the church and to redemption: "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Colossians 1:18-20). Two matched halves, one on creation and one on new creation, hold Christ at the center of both.
Why it is read as an early creed or hymn
Why it is read as an early creed or hymn. The passage has a shape that stands out from the surrounding prose. It divides into two balanced strophes, one beginning "who is the image" and answering to creation, the other beginning "and he is the head" and answering to redemption, with echoing phrases such as "firstborn," "all things," "in heaven" and "in earth," and "in him." This kind of deliberate parallelism reads as composed and memorable, the way worship is composed to be sung and recited. Some of the vocabulary and the sweeping cosmic scope also stand apart from Paul's ordinary style. For these reasons many take it to be an existing hymn or confession that Paul quoted and applied to the Colossian error. The identification is a well-grounded reading rather than a proven fact; the parallel structure could also be Paul writing at his most exalted. What is not in doubt is the content: whether he composed or quoted it, Paul sets his whole argument on the confession that Christ is Lord over creation and church alike. The Spirit who inspired the apostle inspired the confession he carried.
What the first Christians confessed about Christ
What the first Christians confessed about Christ. This confession piles up the highest claims. Christ is "the image of the invisible God," the one in whom the unseen God is made known. He is "the firstborn of every creature," a title not of being created but of rank and priority over all creation, for the next line says "by him were all things created," including every visible and invisible power. He is "before all things," existing prior to creation, and "by him all things consist," holding the universe together moment by moment. He is head of the church and "the firstborn from the dead," the risen Lord who begins the new creation. "In him should all fulness dwell," the whole fullness of God, and through "the blood of his cross" he reconciles all things to himself. Here the earliest believers confess Christ's deity, his role as creator and sustainer, his resurrection, and his saving death together in one breath. He is not a lesser power among the thrones and dominions; he made them and rules them.
Questions people ask
Does 'firstborn of every creature' mean Christ was created?
No. In the next verse Paul says all things were created by him and for him, which rules out his being one of the created things. 'Firstborn' here signals supremacy and priority in rank, as the firstborn son held first place. It affirms his preeminence over creation, not his origin within it.
What does it mean that in him 'all fulness' dwells?
Paul says it pleased the Father that in Christ all fullness should dwell, and later he specifies 'all the fulness of the Godhead bodily' (Colossians 2:9). The whole fullness of God is present in Christ. Against any teaching that made him a mere intermediary, the confession insists God dwells fully in him.
How does reconciling 'all things' work?
The passage says peace was made 'through the blood of his cross,' and the scope is 'things in earth' and 'things in heaven.' The cross is the center of a cosmic restoration. It does not teach that every individual is saved apart from faith; elsewhere Colossians calls for continuing in the faith (Colossians 1:23).