The term “firstborn” has two meanings in Scripture:

– The Son who was born first. We find this in many places in Scripture, for example with Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob (Gen 49:3).

– The son who occupies the highest place. This is the case with David, for example, who as the youngest offspring of the house of Jesse was made the firstborn (Ps 89:28).

Christ is the firstborn in both respects. He was the firstborn son of Mary (Mt 1:25; Lk 2:7) and He is the highest ranking in all areas into which He enters as a human being. In this sense, Scripture calls Him “firstborn” in five places:

• He is the firstborn of all creation when He comes into His creation. “Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15). Christ, the Creator, occupies the first place in all creation: He is the highest in rank.
• He is the firstborn of the dead when He went to His death. “Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and the prince of the kings of the earth!” (Rev 1,5). Christ surpasses all others in His faithfulness even unto death.
• He is the firstborn from the dead when He rises from the dead. “He is the head of the body, the assembly, which is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence” (Col 1:18). Christ takes first place in the area of the resurrection, because He is the beginning of a new creation.
• He is called the firstborn at His return. “But when he [God] introduces the firstborn into the world again, he says, ‘And all the angels of God shall worship him: ‘And let all the angels of God worship him'” (Heb 1:6). When Christ appears in glory, He will visibly take the first place and be the object of worship.
• He will be the firstborn among many brothers in the Father’s house. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29). If we have been conformed to the image of the Son, the man Jesus Christ will always have a pre-eminent position.

In His life on earth, in His death, in His resurrection, in His return and in His eternal glory – everywhere we recognize the pre-eminence of the Son of God who became man. All glory belongs to Him!