Hebrews 1:6 “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: "Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
Before Jesus went to the cross, the scripture referred to Jesus as the only begotten Son of God (John 1:14). But after Jesus was raised from the dead the scripture no longer refers to Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, but rather as the firstborn of God. In other words the first time Jesus came into the earth He was the only begotten Son. But as revealed to us in the above quoted passage of scripture, the second time Jesus came into the earth (when He was raised from the dead) He was now the firstborn, for the scripture says “He again brings the firstborn into the world”. And so the reason that scripture now refers to Jesus is the firstborn, is because He is the first to be born-again.
Colossians 1:18 “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence.”
The apostle Paul confirms the truth to us that Jesus is the firstborn, when he refers to Jesus as the firstborn from the dead in the above quoted passage of scripture. And so because Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, He has pre-imminence in all things, for He is Lord of all. I want you to notice from this passage however, that the Holy Spirit tells us that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead. In other words Jesus is the first one to be born from the dead. We know that Jesus is the first to be raised from the dead, for the scripture refers to Him as being risen from the dead as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Corinthians 15:20), but that is not what this scripture is referring to. Being raised from the dead and being born from the dead are two different things. To be raised from the dead is physical, but to be born from the dead is spiritual. And so when the Holy Spirit teaches us that Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, He is telling us that Jesus died spiritually just as we did, and that Jesus was the first one to be born-again in His spirit, for our Lord Jesus died spiritually when He took upon Himself the sin of the world. In other words Jesus became what we were (spiritually dead), so that we could become what He is (spiritually alive).
Galatians 1:15-16 “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, (16) to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood.”
Although God completed the work of salvation through the death and resurrection of Christ, He only manifests His completed work when He chooses. Don’t forget that all in Christ have already been raised and seated in the heavenly places in Him. Nevertheless God decides when His completed work is made manifest through each one of us. This truth is revealed to us in the above quoted passage of scripture. In this passage the apostle Paul makes a seemingly strange statement, for he says that God revealed His Son “in” Paul, when it pleased God. We would have thought that a more correct statement would have been to say that God revealed His Son “to” Paul. But when you realise that God has already completed the work of Christ in Paul on the cross then it makes complete sense for God to reveal His Son “in” Paul. And also notice that it is God who decides just when He is going to reveal Jesus “in” those who believe. This is why there is salvation in none else but Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12), for He is the only one who never committed any sin. He is the only one who has taken upon Himself the sin of the world. He is the only one who has died spiritually for all. He is the only one who has incurred the punishment for the sins of all. And He is the only one who has been made alive for all, and only in Him have all been made spiritually alive once again.
Michael E.B. Maher
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