Transcript Slide 1

An Exegesis
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PHIL 2:6-11 KIT/NWT 84
 15 who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn over all* creation, 16 because all things in
the heavens and on the earth were created by him,
things visible and things invisible, whether thrones
or dominions or rulers or powers, all things were
created through him and for him, 17 and he himself
is before all things, and in him all things are held
together, 18 and he himself is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from
the dead, so that he himself may become first in
everything, 19 because he was well pleased for all
the fullness to dwell in him, 20 and through him to
reconcile all things to himself, by* making peace
through the blood of his cross, through him, whether
things on earth or things in heaven. (LEB)
15 who is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all* creation,
εἰκών
 that which has the same form as someth.
else (not a crafted object . . .), living
image

BDAG

εἰκών (LN 58.35; 58.61) (BAGD 1.b. p. 222):
‘image’ [BAGD, Herm, Lns, NIC, NTC, WBC; KJV,
NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NRSV, REB], ‘likeness’
[BAGD, LN (58.35)], ‘representation’ [LN
(58.61)], ‘visible likeness’ [TEV], ‘visible image’
[NLT]. The clause ὃς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ ‘who is
the image of God’ is translated ‘He in his own
person shows us what God is like’ [TNT], ‘is
exactly like God’ [CEV], ‘he reveals perfectly
what God is like’ [SSA]. This word includes a
likeness, a representation and a revealing [EG,
Lt, SSA], a likeness in an essential
characteristic or attribute [ICC], a visible [Ea,
EG, My], exact and perfect representation in
every detail [Ea].

An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (p. 49).
 The
perfect likeness, representation and
image of the invisible God (Heb 1:3, Phil 2:6)
 The visible image of God (Jn 1:18b)
 Since God is invisible, this is speaking to the
Son’s essence and character
 He perfectly reflects the essence of the
invisible God (paraphrase)
15 who is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation,
Πρωτότοκος
① lit. pert. to birth order,
firstborn
② pert. to having special status
associated with a firstborn,
firstborn,
13.79
πρωτότοκος
pertaining to existing prior to something else—
‘existing first, existing before.’ πρωτότοκος
πάσης κτίσεως ‘existing before all creation’ or
‘existing before anything was created’ Col
1:15. It is possible to understand πρωτότοκος
in Col 1:15 as ‘superior in status’ (see 87.47).

Louw, J. P., & Nida,
QUESTION—What is meant by πρωτότοκος
‘firstborn’?
 It was a title of the Messiah [ICC, Lt, NIC, SSA,
TNTC]. It means that Jesus is the eternal Son of
God and thus is God [Lns] and not a created
being [EG, Lns]. It does not refer to Jesus’ birth
as a human being [Alf, TH], but to his relation
to God as the eternal Son of God and his heir
[TH]. ‘Image of the invisible God’ refers to
Christ’s relation to God, and ‘firstborn of all
creation’ to his relation to the creation [Lg, Lt,
My, WBC].


An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (p. 51).
 because
all things in the heavens and on
the earth were created by him, things
visible and things invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or rulers or powers,
all things were created through him and
for him,
πάντα
 pert.
to totality with focus on its individual
components, each, every, any
 because
all things in the heavens and on
the earth were created by him, things
visible and things invisible, whether thrones
or dominions or rulers or powers, all things
were created through him and for him,
1)
2)
3)
4)
All created things
Everything in the heavens and earth
Jesus is the creator of all things created
If Jesus is a created being, where was He
when He created?
 because
all things in the heavens and on the
earth were created by him, things visible
and things invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or powers, all things
were created through him and for him,
 All
inclusive
 Includes the invisible things
 QUESTION—What
is meant by ‘all things in
the heavens and on the earth’?
 It refers to all created things [Alf, Ea, EG,
EGT, ICC, Lg, Lt, My, SSA, TH, TNTC], both
animate and inanimate [TH]. It includes
everything in the heavens and on the earth
[Herm, Lns, My], that is, in the universe [Ea,
LN, Lns]. It means the inhabitants of heaven
and earth [NIC]. It emphasizes the fact that
absolutely everything is included [Lns, NTC,
SSA, WBC].

Exegetical Summary of Colossians (p. 53)
 because
all things in the heavens and on the
earth were created by him, things visible
and things invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or rulers or powers, all things
were created through him and for him,
 “but
in these last days he has spoken to us by
his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all
things, through whom also he created the
world.” (Heb 1:2)
 Verse
15 and 16 indicate the meaning of
“firstborn” in 15
 Jesus is the heir who possesses the rights of
the firstborn
 Does not and cannot mean “first created” via
the context

“all things were created through him and for
him”
All things were made through him, and without
him was not any thing made that was made. (Jn
1:3)
 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his
Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things,
through whom also he created the world. He is
the radiance of the glory of God and the exact
imprint of his nature, and he upholds the
universe by the word of his power. (Heb 1:2-3)

And he is before all things, and in him
all things hold together.
 17
 What
are the “all things” via the context?
 ALL CREATED THINGS
 WHICH IS WHY THE NWT MUST PERVERT
THE TEXT BY STATING
 “Also, he is before all [other] things and by
means of him all [other] things were made
to exist”
V.
17 is a restatement of 15-16
Parallelism
He existed before all created
things
Or, before all of the created
order (both physical or
immaterial) Jesus, the Son preexisted
 Jesus
is before all things…
 But, only God is before all things
 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty,
dominion, and authority, before all time
and now and forever. Amen (Jude 1:25)
 Jesus is referred to as both God/Savior (Tit
2:13, 2 Pet 1:1) and before all things in the
NT
 Concepts and titles only reserved for God
And he is before all things, and in him
all things hold together.
 17
 Again,
Hebrews 1:3 states that Jesus,
 “upholds the universe by the word of his
power”
He is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of all creation.
16
For by him all things were created, in heaven
and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones
or dominions or rulers or authorities---all things were
created through him and for him.
17
And he is before all things, and in him all things
hold together.
18
And he is the head of the body, the church. He
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in
everything he might be preeminent.
19
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to
dwell,
20
and through him to reconcile to himself all
things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace
by the blood of his cross.
 15





And he is the head of the body, the
church. He is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in everything he might
be preeminent
 Christ the head of the church
 Not man or councils
 Not confessions
 Not Popes
 18
And he is the head of the body, the
church. He is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in everything he might
be preeminent”
 Beginning = firstborn from the dead
 Beginning = firstborn = head of the church
 Beginning or founder of the church via being
the firstborn from the dead (resurrection)
 Not speaking about being created
 “18
See
the
note
on
the
term

“firstborn” in 1:15. Here the
reference to Jesus as the
“firstborn from among the dead”
seems to be arguing for a
chronological priority, i.e., Jesus
was the first to rise from the
dead.

Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First
Edition Notes. Biblical Studies Press.
 who
is (the) beginning,a
 LEXICON—a. ἀρχή (LN 68.1; 89.16) (BAGD
1.d. p.112): ‘beginning’ [BAGD, Herm, LN
(68.1), Lns, NIC, NTC, WBC; CEV, KJV, NAB,
NASB, NIV, NJB, NRSV], ‘origin’ [LN (89.16);
REB], ‘founder’ [TNT]. This clause is
translated ‘he is the source of the body’s
life’ [TEV], ‘he causes the Church to live
spiritually’ [SSA], ‘he is first in everything’
[NLT].
 Exegetical Summary of Colossians (p. 59)
And he is the head of the body, the
church. He is the beginning, the firstborn
from the dead, that in everything he
might be preeminent”
 Remember the meaning of firstborn in
15?
 pert. to having special status associated
with a firstborn, firstborn,
 This meaning is incorporated into v. 18
 “18
V.
15 – firstborn
V. 16 – all things created for Him
V. 18 – He is preeminent
tn The Greek term πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos) could refer
 28
either to first in order of time, such as a first born child, or
it could refer to one who is preeminent in rank. M. J. Harris,
Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 43, expresses the
meaning of the word well: “The ‘firstborn’ was either the
eldest child in a family or a person of preeminent rank. The
use of this term to describe the Davidic king in Ps 88:28 LXX
(=Ps 89:27 EVV), ‘I will also appoint him my firstborn
(πρωτότοκον), the most exalted of the kings of the earth,’
indicates that it can denote supremacy in rank as well as
priority in time. But whether the πρωτό- element in the
word denotes time, rank, or both, the significance of the τοκος element as indicating birth or origin (from τίκτω, give
birth to) has been virtually lost except in ref. to lit. birth.”
In Col 1:15 the emphasis is on the priority of Jesus’ rank as
over and above creation (cf. 1:16 and the “for” clause
referring to Jesus as Creator).Biblical Studies Press. NET BIBLE
For in him all the fullness of God was
pleased to dwell,
 Greek literal translation,
 “because in him, he was pleased for all the
fullness to dwell”
 No mention of deity or God dwelling…but
inferred
 19
 “because
in him, he was pleased for all the
fullness to dwell”
For in him the whole fullness of deity
dwells bodily, (Col 2:9)
9
 Πλήρωμα
a
total quantity, with emphasis upon
completeness—‘full number, full measure,
fullness, completeness, totality.’

Louw, J. P., & Nida,
 All
of Him (God) completely dwells in the Son
 Deity
 Col 2:9 helps to full this out where it
states,
9
For in him the whole fullness of deity
dwells bodily, (Col 2:9)
 πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος
 12.13 θεότης, ητος f; θειότης, ητος f; θεῖονa,
ου n: (derivatives of θεόςa ‘God,’ 12.1) the
nature or state of being God—‘deity, divine
nature, divine being.’
and through him to reconcile to
himself all things, whether on earth or in
heaven, making peace by the blood of his
cross.
 Christ and His cross the focus of redemption
 ALL THINGS UNDER KING CHRIST’S RULE AND
AUTHORITY
 Matt 28:18 – “And Jesus came and said to
them, "All authority in heaven and on earth
has been given to me.”
 20

To reconcile both animate and inanimate things means
bringing into harmony [ICC, My, TNTC], bringing under the
rulership of Christ [Herm, TH], restoring to the relation to
Christ which was ordained by God [EG, Herm], putting
people into a right relationship with God, which will result
in the creation being restored and all evil destroyed
[TNTC], removing from the present relation or condition
[Lg, Lns] and bringing into a new one [Lns], the removal of
the hostility of God, which he had because of sin [Ea, My],
the vanquishing of enmity [Herm]. It implies that there has
been alienation [Lg, My, TH]. Sinners, in being reconciled,
are no longer at enmity with God, while the angels who
have not sinned are brought into a closer relationship with
him and are able to glorify him in a more exalted way

King, M. (2008). An Exegetical Summary of Colossians (2nd
ed., p. 66). Dallas, TX: SIL International.
QUESTIONS