The Trinitarian Claim
Trinitarians claim that Paul is referring to the Genesis act of creation. Upon this premise, Trinitarians claim that Jesus must be God since either (1) God the Father created all things through him, or (2) Jesus is himself the Creator. Verse 17 is also interpreted upon this premise where Trinitarians claim that Jesus existed before anything was created.
Examination of the Claim
1. The Context vs. the Trinitarian Assumption
It is common for Trinitarians to read Colossians 1:16 as if Paul is referring to the Genesis act of creation. And so Trinitarians also suppose Jesus was either the Creator of the Genesis creation or Jesus was the means by which God created all things. However, the Scriptural facts show us that Paul is not referring to the Genesis act of creation. He is talking about the new creation, the creation of authority structure in Christ's Kingdom, the new creation which is the reconciliation of the old. Even a cursory examination of the context shows that Paul has the risen Christ in mind throughout this passage, the risen Son who had died for our sins and who reigns in the Kingdom of the Father's Beloved Son (v. 13).
2. Christ IS
In verse 15, Paul refers to Christ in the present tense. This should lead us to understand he is referring to the risen Christ.
3. "In Christ"
The verse begins "since in him." Paul's use of the term "in him" refers to position in the risen Christ throughout Paul's writings. Paul is referring to the risen Christ "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
4. Firstborn of the dead/creation
In the immediately following context at verse 18, Paul refers to Jesus as "the firstborn out of the dead." Since he referred to Christ as "the firstborn of all creation" our first inclination should be that we need to interpret "firstborn of all creation" to be a reference to Jesus being the firstborn out of the dead.
5. The Creation of Authority Structure
It is important to recognize that Paul is talking about the creation of things never mentioned in the Genesis account. You won't find an account of creating thrones or rulers or authorities or dominions or powers in the Genesis account. Moreover, Paul is not talking about the creation of heaven and earth but the creation of things IN the heaven and UPON the earth. It is also important to recognize that the Greek word ktisis (creation) was used by the ancient Greeks to refer to the founding of governing bodies or authority structures which is precisely what Paul is talking about in this passage.
Analysis of the Evidence
1. All Rule, Power, Authority, and Dominion, placed under the Lord Jesus Christ's Feet
At Colossians 1:16, Paul is talking about ruling authorities. When Jesus rose from the dead, God seated him at His right hand and placed everything in subjection to him in both the heavens and upon the earth. In this way, Jesus became superior to the angels having inherited a better name than them (Heb 1:4). Angels, rulers, and authorities have been subjected to to the risen Jesus.
[The resurrected Christ] is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him. 1 Peter 3:22
He is the Head over all rule and authority... He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them in [the cross]. Colossians 2:10,14 (see 1:13).
He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him as Head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:20-21.
[The Father] has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son.... since in him were created all things in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through him and unto him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the Head of the body, the church and he is the beginning, the firstborn out of the dead, so that he himself will come to have first place in everything.
The old creation is fallen and the kosmos lies in darkness under the power of the Evil one. God was in Christ reconciling the kosmos to Himself. The spiritual powers of darkness in the heavenlies were disarmed by the blood of the cross and Christ will reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. And then the Kingdom of the world will become the Kingdom of our God and His Christ (Revelation 11:15).
2. The New Creation is the Reconciliation of the Old Creation
When we see the word "create" or "creation" we cannot simply assume it refers to the Genesis creation account. God is creating anew through and in Christ. At Ephesians 2:10, Paul says that we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus. To be "in Christ" means we are new creations. We have died to the old creation and are born anew into the new creation of God. At 2 Corinthians 5:16-19, we learn how God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself and if we are in the risen Christ we have been reconciled to God and we are new creations.
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died and he died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again for the sake of them. Therefore from now on we do not know anyone according to the flesh although we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the old has passed away behold, the new has come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:14-19.
The above passage illustrates that anything which has been reconciled to God in Christ, is understood to be that which has been created in Christ Jesus.
Carefully observe how Paul describes the new creation is the reconciliation of the old. Christians have died to the old creation and become new creations when they are reconciled to God. Now also carefully observe that Paul has the reconcilation of the kosmos in mind when he wrote Colossians 1:15-20.
...in him all things were created, in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through him and for/to him. He is before all things, and in him all things stand together. He is also head of the body, the church; and he is the beginning, the firstborn out of the dead, so that he will come to have first place in everything. For it pleased all the fullness to dwell in him and through him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of the cross through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven... And you were once alienated and hostile in mind in your evils works yet he has now reconciled you in his body of flesh through death.
3. Mystery Revealed: To Head up in Christ 'all things whether in heaven or earth.'
At Colossians 1:16-20, Paul is referring to "all things whether in heaven or earth." In Ephesians, sister letter to Colossians, Paul says the following:
In all wisdom and insight [God] made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in [Christ] unto the administration of the fullness of the times to the Heading up of all things in Christ, both in the heavens and things on the earth.
Notice how Paul is again referring to things in the heavens and things in the earth. What Paul says at Ephesians 1:9-10 is precisely what he has in mind when he says, "He is before all things and in him all things stand together" (1:17) whether things in heaven or things on earth. God has reconciled the kosmos to Himself whether things in heaven or things on the earth. Jesus is the "firstborn out of the dead" and thus the "firstborn of all creation." He is the firstfruits of the new creation of God, "the beginning of the creation of God." For that reason, he is before all things both in time and rank. All things whether in heaven or upon the earth are Headed up in the risen Christ. He is the Head of all rule and authority because all rule and authority have been subjected to him by God. God accomplished His purpose of the ages when He subjected everything to Jesus, whether thrones or rulers or authorities or powers or dominions.
To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenlies according to the purpose of the ages which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:8-11.
It was God's eternal purpose to Head up all things in His son. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. In this way, all things whether in heaven or on the earth were created in Christ Jesus, that is, the new creation.
4. "So that he might come to be first in all things"
This statement made by Paul at Colossians 1:18 would not make any sense whatsoever in the context of a Genesis act of creation. Jesus CAME TO BE first in all things. The Creator does not "come to be" first among His own creation. This statement only makes sense if Jesus was promoted TO BE first among all things. Within the context of this passage, it should be obvious to anyone that Jesus came to be first in all things because he is the FIRST-born out of the dead.
He is the beginning and the firstborn out of the dead, so that he might come to be first in all things.
5. The Risen Son: Firstborn out of the dead
For [the Father] has rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of [the Risen] Son of His love, in [the Risen Son] we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. [The Risen Son] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation since in [the Risen Son] all things were created, in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through [the Risen Son] and unto [the Risen Son]. [The Risen Son] before all things, and in [the Risen Son] all things stand together. [The Risen Son] is also head of the body, the church and [the Risen Son] is the beginning, the firstborn out of the dead, so that [the Risen Son] will come to have first place in everything. For it pleased all the fullness to dwell in [the Risen Son] and through [the Risen Son] to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of the cross through [the Risen Son], whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Conclusion
When we honestly regard all the contextual facts concerning Colossians 1:15-16, it becomes quite clear that the Trinitarian interpretation of this passage is a serious blunder. The Genesis act of creation is not even on Paul's radar. Paul is referring to God reconciling the kosmos to himself in the risen Christ and the "creation" in view is not the old Genesis creation but the new creation where everything is Headed up in Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of the Beloved Son.
I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming,
and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to him was given dominion, glory and a Kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away and His Kingdom is one which never be destroyed.... Then the Kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of all the Kingdom under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.
Daniel 7:13-14,27
Last Updated: March 6, 2014
