Jesus Christ is First and Best

Colossians 1:15-20
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 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. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 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. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.


This is one of the most glorious descriptive passages of Jesus in Scripture. It speaks of His being Creator, His kingship, His lordship, His eternality. Simply put, it describes His being God, the second member of the Trinity. The key word in this passage is preeminent. In this word, the sum total of His nature is made most succinctly clear. So, what does it mean?

The Greek word used here is prōteuō, and it is the only use of this word in the New Testament. It literally means 'to be first' or 'have first place'. Preeminent can also mean 'superior', 'surpassing', or 'above and before others'.

According to Wuest's Word Studies in the Greek New Testament, verse 18 can be translated in this way: "And He Himself is the Head of His body, the Church, who is the originator, firstborn out from among the dead, in order that He might become in all things Himself the One who is preeminent."

Bottom line: Jesus is the First and the Best.

Jesus is the First
Jesus is preeminent in that He came first, 'the firstborn of all creation'. Not only that, but He created all that was created. He is eternal - 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).' Foremost to all of creation is Jesus.

Not only was He first, but He also is first, in that He takes the top priority - 'all things were created through Him and for Him.' This means that He is the only entity that can take the top spot in someone's life and have that life be truly fulfilled and in the proper order. Should anything take His place as first, that thing will operate as the functional god and serve as an idol to the person worshiping it. One's top priority is and must always be Jesus.

Jesus is the Best
Jesus is preeminent in that He rules over everything - 'whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.' No matter how powerful or important or wealthy or popular someone is in this world, Jesus is over them. Not only that, but this passage indicates that those seemingly powerful people were created by Him. Even a novice philosopher knows that the creation can never outdo the Creator. Further, because these so-called powers are created for Him, they all serve His sovereign purposes in the end, whether they intend to or not.

Verse 18 states that 'in everything' Christ is preeminent. There is not a fancy definition for 'everything'. In this case, everything means everything. All 'things' fall into the cluster of 'things' over which Christ is best. And it is Jesus who reconciles all of it to Himself by His own blood. Only the Best could possibly bring about such a reconciliation, and that to Himself for His defined and designed purposes.

Here's the point: Too often we put good things as the top priority in our lives and relegate the Best to some other slot. We put spouses, children, work, money, possessions, ambitions, and the like ahead of Christ. These priorities, in and of themselves, are good things. But they are not the Best. Only the Best can and should take the top slot in our lives. Our time, talent, and treasure (phrase borrowed from Mark Driscoll and Darrin Patrick) belong to Jesus first. The best part about ordering our lives in this way is that all the other good priorities benefit from being in their rightful places. Thus, we are able to experience maximum joy in all circumstances - the truly abundant life - when we rightly prioritize and recognize Christ as First and Best.