Problem: Paul writes that Christ was the “firstborn of all creation.” Some cultists argue that this means Christ was a created being—a demigod, angel, or some other created being. Is this the case?
Solution: Paul explicitly tells us that Christ was fully God in the same letter (Col. 2:9). In context, he even calls Christ the Creator of “all things” (Col. 1:16), which harkens back to Genesis 1:1 (“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth”). Isaiah 44:24 explicitly states that Yahweh did not delegate anyone else to create the universe (“I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone”). Since God created the universe “all alone,” this implies that Jesus is equal with God himself.
Moreover, the title “firstborn” is a biblical expression. It does not mean “first created.” It means “first place” or “first in rank.” For instance, David was the last to be born among his brothers; however, he was called the “first born” in Psalm 89:27, because he was the most important. Exodus 4:22 speaks of Israel as the “firstborn.” Of course, this does not in any way imply that God gave birth to Israel or that Israel was the first nation on Earth. Instead, it implies that Israel was the most important to God. In fact, this is the sense in which Paul uses this expression. In context, Paul writes, “He Himself will come to have first place” (Col. 1:18).
“Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: (Col 1:15)
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.
(Col 1:18)”
