The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Colossians 1:15-17 (NIV)

Picture the most powerful scene from your favorite movie. The smoke clears, and there, through the haze, the hero steps forward. His stride is steady, unyielding, as he emerges with the heroine cradled safely in his arms.

Or maybe it is the moment when the fierce masked warrior who saved civilization finally reveals his face, and we realize he’s the hero we’ve been rooting for all along.

That’s the kind of emotion and goosebumps I feel when I read Colossians 1. It is one of the most solemn declarations of who Jesus is. Not just the itinerant preacher from two thousand years ago, or the wise prophet, or even the “Son of God,” but much more, way more than that.

Now it might help a bit if I offer some background to the feeling behind the reading. For the last few years, I found myself in an unofficial missionary calling of sorts. Not the type that valiantly moves with wife and family to a foreign land to spend two years learning a new language and integrating with the native population, but more of the ‘regular’ kind that [less valiantly] stays, goes to work, and from time to time takes opportunities to talk to others—extensively, about Jesus. In these experiences, I found myself sharing scriptures with dozens of people from other beliefs who have one thing in common—their beliefs on Jesus are… lower. They would say Jesus was a good prophet, but not God in the flesh. Or, they would say He was an angel, even an archangel, but not much more than that, a created being.

That’s how these big apologetics and big religion Bible verses became of such heroic significance for me. Consider:

A. Jesus is called in this passage “the image of the invisible God.” In other words, no one has ever seen God [The Father] (John 1:18), but the version of God that “can be seen,” is called Jesus.

B. Jesus is called in this passage “the firstborn over all creation.” This would sound like he was the first “created” of many created, right? Sure, it does. However, John 1:30 tells us that through Jesus all things were made, and nothing that was made was made by anyone other than Jesus. And, since Jesus cannot be the creator of himself, we need to find out how the Bible writers used the term “firstborn.” If you look at Psalm 89:20-27, Jeremiah 31:9, Revelation 1:5, and Hebrews 1:6, you may realize the term is not used for order of birth (neither David nor Ephraim were born first among their brethren) but of importance, of preeminence, which Jesus has above any other creature or being that ever existed.

C. … and so on Jesus is described as ultimate, supreme, overall.

But, what does that mean for us Christians, in Christmas?

I would suggest that the importance of this verse, in as much as useful in big theological apologetics, is even more helpful and practical in personal religion.

Yes, Jesus is God, the creator of heaven and earth, in human form offered to save us, but the true meaningful impact of this truth is realized in us trusting and relying in Him always and in everything. We should not be afraid of what man can do but truly trust that the Creator is in us and for us. The baby in the manger is cute and serves as a picture of His act of humility to become one of us. However, the baby grew up, and died, and rose again, and He was the Son, the creator, even before the first Christmas.

Furthermore, yes, Jesus is the firstborn, ultimate, supreme, over all. But, is He the first with whom you interact when you start the day? (guilty here!). Is he supreme when you interact with others? Is He over all, even when you make plans or spend money?

May we experience this Christmas, and day-by-day, not only this lofty, epic awe when thinking of our awesome and all-powerful God, but also may we day-by-day be drawn to bear fruits of belonging to such God when interacting with our spouses, coworkers, friends, political and even theological opponents.

Luis Valenzuela