What does it mean that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18)?

(2) “The First-born of the Dead.” Christ is both “first-fruit” and “first-born” of the dead. The former title intimates that He is first in time of the coming harvest of those who sleep (1 Cor. 15:20-23). The latter title signifies that He is first in rank of all who will rise from the dead. “First-born” is the expression of supremacy, of pre-eminent dignity, and not one of time or of chronological sequence (Ps. 89:27). No matter when, where, or how Christ entered the world, He would necessarily take the first place in virtue of what He is. We may here remark that the change which the bodies of living believers will undergo at the Coming of Christ is equivalent to the raising of the sleeping dead. Both are to be like Christ morally (1 John 3:2) and corporeally (Phil. 3:21).

It is not difficult to see that the Creator, having entered into the midst of His own creation by becoming Man, He necessarily stands in the creation as Head and Firstborn. In verse 18 however, we find that He is both Head and Firstborn in another connection. He is the Head of the body, the church, and that church is God's new creation work. He is the Firstborn from among the dead; that is, He holds the supreme rights in the resurrection world. Consequently in all things and in every sphere He has the first place.

As the apostle comes to speak of Christ as the Head it becomes clear that death was needed in order for Him to become the Head. This was not the case with the first series of glories: He did not need to die in order to be the creator, but He could only be the Head of the body if there was a body, and this could only be formed when the Holy Spirit came to dwell on the earth which, in turn, could only happen after Christ had died. This is underlined as the text continues to say ‘who is the beginning, firstborn from among the dead’ (v. 18). As risen from among the dead He is the beginning — of the new creation — and takes the first place amongst all those who will be raised from among the dead, i.e. in the resurrection world. Continuing down the list we find the matter of reconciliation and the peace made through the blood of His cross. How great the glories of the Head! The one who, as creator, must necessarily have the first place in the first creation has also entered into death in order to acquire a whole range of new glories. And right at the top of this list there is the glory of being the Head of the body. What a blessing it must be to be linked with Him in this vital way, to receive nourishment from such a glorious person, and to be directed by Him!

Verse 18 reveals another headship and glory. "And He is the head of the body, the Church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, that in all things He might have the preeminence." From creation the Holy Spirit now leads us to another sphere, that of Redemption. Creation became marred and ruined by sin and He who is the head of all things in creation had to come to earth in the form of man to redeem. He died, and, raised from among the dead, He is the Firstborn, the head of the body, the Church, and as such the Beginning, that is, a new Beginning. The Church was not in existence before His death and resurrection from the dead. He could not be the Head of the Church till He had become the Firstborn by resurrection. And now He has a body, composed of all who have believed on Him as Saviour and Lord, born again and one Spirit with Him. This body is one with Him in life, in position and in glory. This body is the new creation, completely identified with Him, who is the Head, the fullness of Him who filleth all in all (Eph. 1:23)."

He is the Firstborn of creation, He is the Firstborn according to the power of resurrection, in this new order of things in which man is predestined to an entirely new position, gained by redemption, and in which he participates in the glory of God (as far as that which is created can do so), and that by participating in divine life in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and everlasting life; and, as regards the Church, as members of His body. He is the Firstborn of creation, the Firstborn from among the dead; the Creator, and the conqueror of death and the enemy's power. These are the two spheres of the display of the glory of God. The special position of the Church, the body of Christ, forms a part of the latter. He must have this resurrection-glory, this universal preeminence and superiority also, as being man, for all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him" (Synopsis of the Bible). Thus in all things He has the preeminence. And we also must give Him in all things the first place. As we lay hold on the glory of Christ, the head of creation, the Risen One now, the head of the body in glory, and look forward to the day of consummation and glory to come, when we shall see Him as He is, and participate in the glory, which His grace has bestowed upon us, we shall indeed walk worthily of the Lord and be strengthened according to the power of His glory.

The next character of glory is set forth in the words, "Who is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead." This is not exactly "the beginning of the creation of God," as in Revelation 3:14, although that is true; but it is rather God's new commencement, after the failure of the first man, and his judicial end in the cross of Christ. When upon the earth Christ was the Second Man from heaven; but He was not in the condition of the Second Man, according to God's counsels, until after He was risen and glorified. It is as such therefore, as the Firstborn from among the dead, that He is the beginning of the new order of things, after which God is now working, and into which all His redeemed will be finally introduced in full conformity to Him who is glorified at God's right hand. God's counsels, therefore, pass over the entire period of the responsible man, and have their end and object in Christ as the glorified Man, and in the redeemed who are being changed into His image, and who, in result, will be like Him when they see Him as He is.

But a wholly new glory succeeds, on which the church specially depends, and from which she derives her being and character. "And he is the head of the body, the church; who is [the] beginning [which is distinctive here, and not said of Him either when a divine person only, or when the Word became flesh, but only as risen], firstborn out of the dead." He rose the conqueror over sin and death to be the Beginning, and the suited Head of the body, that in all things He might become chief in rank. Anything short would have dishonoured both Him and the Father.

"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" (Col. 1:18). The glorious Head of the body is the centre. Here we find Him as Man come forth in resurrection. He is "the firstborn from the dead," and, as such, "the beginning." All and every thing that forms part of that new creation finds its origin and takes its character from Him.

But, again, "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 pre-eminence." We shall find a reason for this in what follows. It is interesting to see that there are two very distinct first-borns: first-born of all creation, because He is the Creator; and first-born from the dead, as a new, plain and weighty matter of fact. Thus Christ is not only the Head of creation as man, but He is first-born from the dead as risen. It is in connection with this that He is Head of the Church. He was not in this relationship upon earth; He was not so simply as taking humanity. Incarnation is an entirely distinct truth from His headship of the Church, which involves the further truth of union. It is evident that His headship of the body, the Church, is introduced by His being risen from the dead, and by the place given to Him in heaven.

But Colossians does not at once begin with the heavenly place of Christ. Ephesians presents Him plainly as risen and seated as Head. Here it is more general, and does not speak of His being in heaven; He is "the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence." Many confound union with incarnation; but union is not His taking flesh and blood here below, but our being made members of His body, now that He is risen and glorified. There could have been no union with Him until death and resurrection, and the Holy Ghost was given to unite us with Him in that risen condition. Then and not before we have the body, the assembly. He had a human body, of course; but the mystical body is formed by the Holy Ghost sent down after He rose from the dead. The one, as woman-born, was connected with the earth; the other is with heaven.

If, in the next place, we turn to Colossians, we shall find yet another thing. In chapter 1:18 we read, "And He is the Head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead." From the fact that the apostle speaks of Christ here as the Head of the body, the church, it is manifest that he presents Him in His risen and glorified condition, and to remove all possible doubt, after he has termed Him the beginning, he adds, the firstborn from the dead. Christ in resurrection is thus God's new commencement; for Christ in resurrection is the revelation of God's counsels for man. It is indeed only in resurrection that Christ becomes the Head of a new and heavenly race; and Christ glorified is the expression of God's thoughts for all the heavenly people; for He has predestinated them to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. The resurrection of Christ is thus a moment of supreme importance, marking as it does God's new beginning after all the sad history of man's failure and sin, but it is a moment on which the eye of God had rested from all eternity; for while Adam, as the responsible man, came first upon the scene of this world, Christ was ever the Man of His counsels, the One in whom and through whom the whole universe will be filled with redemption glory.

Remembering this, living indeed in the constant recollection of it, in view of our manifestation before the judgment-seat of Christ, we desire to call attention to a new commencement, which not only has no disappointments in store, but which also introduces us to the prospect of an eternal day of unclouded joy. This new beginning is CHRIST, Christ in resurrection, Christ as the Firstborn from the dead. To understand this, some consideration must be given to the last descriptive term - the firstborn from the dead. Death is thus pointed out as the close of the old period, and resurrection as the beginning of the new order of things. Death was the consequence of sin; and the cross of Christ, inasmuch as He glorified God there, by enduring all that God's glory required on account of sin - all the judgment due to what we were and what we had done - was really the termination of God's trial of man under responsibility. The first man came to an end there, under the just judgment of God. Until this is seen, there can be no proper apprehension of the significance of the resurrection of Christ.