Does Colossians 1:15 Argue that Jesus was Finite and Created?

By: Justin Angelos

Certain religious traditions, such as the Jehovah Witness movement will claim that Jesus was created. It is argued that when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:16) that he does not make a claim to divinity. They believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but they do not believe Jesus is God, and nor do they worship Jesus as God.[1] A few Jehovah Witness missionaries told me that Colossians 1:15 is proof that Jesus did not eternally exist, but that Jesus is finite and created. If we carefully examine Colossians 1:15, is the apostle Paul really saying that Jesus was created? The short answer is an emphatic no. Colossians 1:15 says, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” I think the mistake the Jehovah’s Witnesses are making is looking up the phrase “firstborn” in an English dictionary. They draw their conclusion based on what the phrase means in an English dictionary, first as an adjective: in the order of birth; eldest, or as a noun: a firstborn child, a primary result or product.[2] The phrase “firstborn” in Greek, especially in Paul’s day, did not mean the same thing. The Greek word for “firstborn” (πρωτοτοκος prōtotokos) according to Greek scholars like Bill Mounce is the definition of first-born, Luke 2:7; Hebrews 11:28; in NT prior in generation, Col. 1:15; a firstborn head of a spiritual family, Rom. 8:29; Heb. 1:6; firstborn, as possessed of the peculiar privilege of spiritual generation, Heb. 12:23.[3]

Finish the article: https://bellatorchristi.com/2021/10/25/does-colossians-115-argue-that-jesus-was-finite-and-created/

Jesus and Jesus Only to Speak About

I wish to speak to you about Jesus, and Jesus only. I often hear people say, “I wish I could get hold of Divine Healing, but I cannot.” Sometimes they say, “I have got it.” If I ask them, “What have you got?” the answer is sometimes, “I have got the blessing”, sometimes it is, “I have got the theory”; sometimes it is, “I have got the healing”; sometimes, “I have got the sanctification.”

But I thank God we have been taught that it is not the blessing, it is not the healing, it is not the sanctification, it is not the thing, it is not the it that you want, but “it” is something better. It is “the Christ”; it is Himself. How often that comes out in His Word – “Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses”, Himself “bare our sins in his own body on the tree”!

It is the person of Jesus Christ we want. Plenty of people get the idea and do not get anything out of IT. They get IT into their head, and IT into their conscience, and IT into their will; but somehow they do not get Him into their life and spirit, because they have only that which is the outward expression and symbol of the spiritual reality.

–A.B. Simpson (1843-1919) – Founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance movement.

Jesus Is Not Like Joshua

by Scott

Jesus is not like Joshua. This week I have been teaching on the books of Joshua and Judges in my Old Testament Survey course. With that, we talked through the issue of the slaughter of the Canaanites, under the leadership of Joshua. It’s a really challenging part of Scripture (as is so much of the […]

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Focus! Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus in a Near-Sighted, Distracted World! (The Blind Man in John 9 – Part 1)

It is very hard to focus when one has no sight. In our passage for the next several posts, we get to examine the most extensive miracle story in all the Bible. This story of the man born blind proclaims with utmost clarity some of the most critical truths upon which we are to FOCUS.

In this series of blog posts I want to examine my own vision and ask if my spiritual eyesight is getting dim, distracted, or damaged by choices I make. We will be looking at a number of key biblical passages which emphasize this sense of sight. I am particularly looking forward to pondering the healing miracles which turned blind people into sighted people.

I wonder how Jesus knew this man was “blind from birth” (v. 1)? As God the Son He knew all things, of course. However, one explanation that I find possible is that this man had a particular begging call. Perhaps his begging call was, “Blind from birth! Please help me! I’m blind from birth!” The text doesn’t tell us, but what we know is that this man had never seen anything in his life. He did not lose his sight from an accident or injury. He was born that way. Sightless.

There is more at: https://larrydixon.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/focus-keeping-your-eyes-on-jesus-in-a-near-sighted-distracted-world-the-blind-man-in-john-9-part-1/

God’s Loving Outreach

John 4:1-42 Jesus knew the proud religious law-keepers had heard He was making and baptizing more followers than John. ² Jesus did not baptize anyone Himself but His followers did. ³ Then Jesus went from the country of Judea to the country of Galilee. ⁴ He had to go through the country of Samaria. ⁵ So He came to a town in Samaria called Sycar. It was near the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from traveling so He sat down just as He was by the well. It was about noon.

⁷ A woman of Samaria came to get water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸ His followers had gone to the town to buy food. ⁹ The woman of Samaria said to Him, “You are a Jew. I am of Samaria. Why do You ask me for a drink when the Jews have nothing to do with the people of Samaria?”

¹⁰ Jesus said to her, “You do not know what God has to give. You do not know Who said to you, ‘Give Me a drink.’ If you knew, you would have asked Him. He would have given you living water.” ¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, the well is deep. You have nothing to get water with. Where will You get the living water? ¹² Are You greater than our early father Jacob? He gave us the well. He and his children and his cattle drank from it.”

¹³ Jesus said to her, “Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again. ¹⁴ Whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty. The water that I will give him will become in him a well of life that lasts forever.”

¹⁵ The woman said, “Sir, give me this water so I will never be thirsty. Then I will not have to come all this way for water.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Go call your husband and come back.” ¹⁷ The woman said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said, “You told the truth when you said, ‘I have no husband.’ ¹⁸ You have had five husbands. The one you have now is not your husband. You told the truth.”

¹⁹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, I think You are a person Who speaks for God. ²⁰ Our early fathers worshiped on this mountain. You Jews say Jerusalem is the place where men should worship.”

²¹ Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me. The time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. ²² You people do not know what you worship. We Jews know what we worship. It is through the Jews that men are saved from the punishment of their sins. ²³ The time is coming, yes, it is here now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father wants that kind of worshipers. ²⁴ God is Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

²⁵ The woman said to Him, “I know the Jews are looking for One Who is coming. He is called the Christ. When He comes, He will tell us everything.” ²⁶ Jesus said to her, “I am the Christ, the One talking with you!”

²⁷ Right then the followers came back and were surprised and wondered about finding Him talking with a woman. But no one said, “What do You want?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

²⁸ The woman left her water jar and went into the town. She said to the men, ²⁹ “Come and see a Man Who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Christ?” ³⁰ They went out of town and came to Him.

³¹ During this time His followers were saying to Him, “Teacher, eat something.” ³² He said, “I have food to eat that you do not know of.” ³³ The followers said to each other, “Has someone taken food to Him?” ³⁴ Jesus said, “My food is to do what God wants Me to do and to finish His work. ³⁵ Do you not say, ‘It is four months yet until the time to gather grain’? Listen! I say to you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are white now and waiting for the grain to be gathered in. ³⁶ The one who gathers gets his pay. He gathers fruit that lasts forever. The one who plants and the one who gathers will have joy together. ³⁷ These words are true, ‘One man plants and another man gathers.’ ³⁸ I sent you to gather where you have not planted. Others have planted and you have come along to gather in their fruit.”

³⁹ Many people in that town of Samaria believed in Jesus because of what the woman said about Him. She said, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So the people of Samaria came to Him. They asked Him to stay with them. Jesus stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more people believed because of what He said. ⁴² They said to the woman, “Now we believe! It is no longer because of what you said about Jesus but we have heard Him ourselves. We know, for sure, that He is the Christ, the One Who saves men of this world from the punishment of their sins.”

 

The Lord’s encounter with the Samaritan woman is a wonderful example of His loving response to hurting individuals. Although this meeting may have appeared accidental, it was really a providential appointment with the Messiah.

As the woman approached the well, Jesus initiated conversation by asking for a drink of water. Since Jews and Samaritans didn’t fraternize with one another, His direct approach surprised her. But it opened the door for dialogue.

Throughout the exchange, Jesus wanted to help the woman recognize her greatest need so He could meet it: salvation. It seems she’d been looking in the wrong places for love and acceptance, but now Christ was offering her the living water of the Holy Spirit—the only thing that would quench her spiritual thirst.

Like the Samaritan woman, we can at times be so intent on getting our immediate needs met that we fail to see God’s hand reaching out in love, offering true satisfaction. The world makes all kinds of promises about love, acceptance, and self-worth, but they never last. Only Jesus can fill our empty souls for eternity. So when your well runs dry, look for Christ and let Him quench your thirst with His Spirit.

Was Jesus Christ Really God?

John 1:1-18 The Word (Christ) was in the beginning. The Word was with God. The Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ He made all things. Nothing was made without Him making it. ⁴ Life began by Him. His Life was the Light for men. ⁵ The Light shines in the darkness. The darkness has never been able to put out the Light.

 ⁶ There was a man sent from God whose name was John. ⁷ He came to tell what he knew about the Light so that all men might believe through him. ⁸ John was not the Light, but he was sent to tell about the Light.

 ⁹ This true Light, coming into the world, gives light to every man. ¹⁰ He came into the world. The world was made by Him, but it did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. ¹² He gave the right and the power to become children of God to those who received Him. He gave this to those who put their trust in His name. ¹³ These children of God were not born of blood and of flesh and of man’s desires, but they were born of God. ¹⁴ Christ became human flesh and lived among us. We saw His glory. This greatness is given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of grace and truth.

 ¹⁵ John told about Christ and said, “I have been telling you about this One. I said, ‘He is coming after me. He is more important than I because He lived before me.’” ¹⁶ From Him Who has so much we have all received grace, one grace after another. ¹⁷ The Law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ The much-loved Son is beside the Father. No man has ever seen God. But Christ has made God known to us.

Some people say they’re Christians but don’t acknowledge the divinity of Christ. They think He was simply a good teacher, healer, philosopher, or social reformer. I want to be crystal clear on this matter: You can believe all of these wonderful things about Jesus and even laud Him as a prophet sent by almighty God. But if you do not accept that Jesus Christ is God the Son and that He died for your sins, then you do not actually know Him.

It’s true Jesus was fully human, but the wonderful, supernatural mystery is that He was also fully divine. And believing this is absolutely essential to the understanding of how we are saved.

Now, you may have heard people falsely argue that Jesus never actually claimed to be God. Yet time and again in the Gospels, Jesus places Himself on equal footing with the Father (My Father and I are one! John 10:30; ⁶ Jesus said, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one can go to the Father except by Me. ⁷ If you had known Me, you would know My Father also. From now on you know Him and have seen Him.” ⁸ Philip said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we ask.” ⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time and you do not know Me yet? Whoever has seen Me, has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in Me? What I say to you, I do not say by My own power. The Father Who lives in Me does His work through Me. ¹¹ “Believe Me that I am in the Father and that the Father is in Me. Or else believe Me because of the things I do. ¹² For sure, I tell you, whoever puts his trust in Me can do the things I am doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father. ¹³ Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so the glory of the Father may be seen in the Son. ¹⁴ Yes, if you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:6-14). In fact, if Jesus was not truly God’s Son, then as C. S. Lewis observed, He was either a lunatic or the world’s most detestable liar. Don’t spend one more day believing Jesus is anything less than the Son of God. Your eternal salvation depends on it.

More Than a Savior

Hebrews 1:1-4 Long ago God spoke to our early fathers in many different ways. He spoke through the early prophets. ² But in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son. God gave His Son everything. It was by His Son that God made the world. ³ The Son shines with the glory of the Father. The Son is as God is in every way. It is the Son Who holds up the whole world by the power of His Word. The Son gave His own life so we could be clean from all sin. After He had done that, He sat down on the right side of God in heaven. ⁴ The Son of God was made greater and better than the angels. God gave Him a greater name than theirs.

Who is this Jesus? It’s a question that has been asked by countless individuals for more than two millennia. And, to be sure, it is the most important question that can ever be asked and answered. After all, it’s how we begin our journey toward salvation.

So it’s essential to answer that question by saying Jesus is indeed our Savior. But He is also more—Scripture refers to Him as “the image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). No one has ever looked upon the face of the Almighty. In the Old Testament, some people found themselves in His presence, but they were never able to look fully upon His glory. However, when the Son came down from heaven, veiled in human flesh, He bridged the gap between the Father’s perfect holiness and mankind’s sinful condition. That’s why Jesus could say, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

The way we come to know the Father is by knowing the Son, who is the only full expression and explanation of God. Everyone who through faith trusts Jesus as Savior receives forgiveness of sins and Christ’s imputed righteousness. What’s more, believers are given divine insight into God the Father as well.

Who Does Jesus Say He Is?

A Broadcast with R.C. Sproul

The New Testament ascribes many titles to Jesus, but there is one name that Christ used more than any other to refer to Himself. Today, R.C. Sproul expounds upon the immense significance of this exalted title.

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Our Permanent High Priest — the Lord Jesus (A Brief Look at Hebrews 7)

I think Hebrews 7 is one of the toughest chapters in all of the Bible! I don’t understand much of the material about Melchizedek, but that’s okay. The major point of the chapter, I believe, is about our great high priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are some of my observations on verses 26-28 —

Continue: https://larrydixon.wordpress.com/2021/08/12/our-permanent-high-priest-the-lord-jesus-%E2%80%A8a-brief-look-at-hebrews-7/

The Elementary Teachings about Christ (A Brief Look at Hebrews 6)

Here is a fascinating passage from Hebrews 6. If you were asked, “What are the primary elementary teachings about Christ?, what would you say? Notice the list that the author of Hebrews gives —

Notice that he refers to this list as “the foundation” (v. 1). Just a few questions occur to me —

Read the blog: https://larrydixon.wordpress.com/2021/08/10/the-elementary-teachings-about-christ-a-brief-look-at-hebrews-6/