Exodus: Unity of Law and Grace

The Firstborn of Every Creature

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Pentateuch

Lesson: The Firstborn of Every Creature

Genre: Lessons with Q & A

Track: 041

Dictation Name: RR171W41

Location/Venue:

Year: Early 70’s

Let us worship God. Let us go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which has come to pass which the Lord hath made known unto us. For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Almighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill toward men. Let us pray.

Glory be to thee, oh Father Almighty, who hast given us thine only begotten Son that we might live through Him. Glory be to thee, oh Lord Jesus Christ, who became man that we might become the sons of God. All glory be to thee, oh Holy Ghost, who dost direct and rule our hearts. We give thanks unto thee in this blessed season, that it is thy will that shall be done, and thy kingdom that shall come. We rejoice that thy judgment is upon the nations, and the time of separation and cleansing is here. Make us joyful in what thou ordainest, faithful in thy service, and triumphant in thee. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Our scripture this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Colossians 1:12-18. Our subject: The Firstborn of Every Creature. Colossians 1:12-18. “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Some years ago, I was in the East speaking at a large Presbyterian church, and the pastor, an outstanding man told me of the decline of the Presbyterian church from orthodox faith. And he said it was because they were always seeking the lowest common denominator. They were always surrendering something saying, “We’ll hold the line here,” and he said it has reached the point where now, they are saying, “Well, we are ready to give up on such things as the infallibility of scripture, six-day creationism, the historic stand on abortion, and on homosexuality, but we’re going to hold the line on the necessity of being born again.” Well, that soon went down the drain, too, because if you look for the lowest common denominator, you are going to surrender whatever stronghold you have. Well, that temper has been in the church for too long, and as a result, a great many things have been surrendered. Surrendered to the point of being virtually forgotten.

In recent weeks, we have been discussing again and again the doctrine of the firstborn. This is essentially related to the Christmas story, and yet it is rarely discussed, but it is a key to the New Testament. The understanding of the doctrine of the firstborn, of course, is not only something that is keynote of much of scripture, but it is essential to the Christian faith, because so much of the New Testament depends on it. Our Lord is described at His birth as the firstborn, because He is the firstborn of God’s new creation, Romans 8:29 says, “He is the firstborn among many brethren.” The old humanity of the first Adam has death as its destiny, whereas the new humanity of Jesus Christ, the last Adam, has an eternal inheritance we are told in 1 Corinthians 15:39-50. The firstborn of Adam, the old humanity, has a future like that of Egypt’s firstborn, as Hebrews 11:28 makes clear. But it is the general assembly and church of the firstborn, according to Hebrews 12:23, who are the heirs of all things.

Paul, in our text, Colossians 1:12-18, declares that, in Christ, we have a very great inheritance because the kingdom is Christ’s. Through Him who is our Lord, we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins. We are told by John in the third verse of the first chapter of his gospel, that “all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” His creation, our Lord’s creation, is the totality of all things created, and all things were made by Him for His sovereign purpose. In our text, Paul says in the seventeenth verse, “By Him all things consist,” so that the meaning, coherence, and direction of all things comes from Him, is governed by Him, and is only understandable in terms of Him. He is the head of the ecclesia, the kingdom. He is the beginning of all things, the arche{?}, the meaning, the origin, the ruler. Therefore, our Lord can declare, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the ending, which is and which was and which is to come, the Almighty.” In verse 18, Paul tells us that in all things Christ has the preeminence. The word in Greek is proteuo, the first and absolute power.

The firstborn, as we have seen previously in our studies of Exodus, represents the totality. In Luke 3:38 we are told that Adam was of God. That is, His first creation in the old humanity. Therefore, all who are of Adam share in his sin and death, whereas all who are in Christ share in His righteousness or justice, and in His eternal life.

The significance of the birth of our first born head, Jesus Christ, was not lost on the early church. Very, very early Jesus Christ was hailed as man’s tree of life. One of the things that irks me during the Christmas season is that so many Christians believe the nonsense that the Christmas tree comes from pagan practices, and it was adopted from paganism and so the Christmas tree has nothing Christian about it. Well, it is true that pagans often worshipped trees, but what is there about tree worship in the Christmas tree? It is an evergreen. When I was a child, fruit was hung from the Christmas tree, or the ornaments were made to look like fruit. Why? Because Jesus Christ is declared to be the tree of life, and in Revelation we are told the tree shall bear all manner of fruit all the year long. Now, the tree is a symbol of Christ, and this lowest denominator kind of thinking has not only led us surrender the doctrine of the firstborn, but to surrender everything, such as the tree as the representative of Christ in scripture. Setting forth His evergreen eternal character.

The minute an ungodly man says, “That’s paganism,” the church surrenders it. That’s insanity. It’s the lowest denominator kind of thinking. The significance of our firstborn head, as I said earlier, was not lost on the early church. Our Lord was hailed as the tree of life, and those who believe that the Christmas tree is a pagan origin do not know church history. If you go back to some of the earliest church fathers, you find them in this season, speaking about Christ as the tree of life. For example, St. Ephraim of Syria wrote, very early in the history of the church, and I quote, “On this day, to us came forth the gift. Although we asked it not. Let us therefore alms bestow on them that cry and beg of us, tis today that opened for us a gate on high to our prayers, let us open also gates to supplicants that have transgressed, and of us has asked forgiveness.” Now, this tells us first, that in the days of the early church, not only did the tree represent Christ, but the church father said, “We have received a gift, a gift we didn’t ask for or dream of, from God. Therefore, it is a time for us to give gifts to the needy. To give gifts,” and very soon, they said to children, in order to tell them of the gift of the Christ Child.

St. Ephraim of Syria also said of Christmas Day, and I quote, “Blessed be the Babe, that made mankind young again today.”

For our present concern, St. Ephraim’s statement is telling that, and I quote, “This day is the firstborn feast, which being born on the first, overcometh all the feasts.” The early church saw the fulfillment of the feast of the firstborn and the birth of Christ, and the celebration of His birth. It is very important also to note that this emphasis by St. Ephraim, in the 300’s, was not original with him. Neither the gift-giving, nor the stress on the tree. It went back as far as we can trace it, into the earliest origins of the church. Having received the gift of Jesus Christ by God’s grace, we then give gifts to the needy and to one another.

Jesus Christ is called the firstborn of God. The firstborn of the new creation. By His resurrection, he also became the firstfruits of them that slept, according to 1 Corinthians 15:20, so that both terms; firstborn and firstfruits, are applied to Jesus Christ, and their meaning is made plain to Him.

In the early church at the time of communion, the firstfruits of grape and grain were offered. There was a recognized relationship between the firstfruits and the firstborn. Priority belongs to the Lord in every sphere. As a result, the firstfruits are given to the firstborn of God, Jesus Christ. And the fact that the firstfruits are given tells you something more. Why fruit was tied to a Christmas tree. The firstfruits to the firstborn.

The same is true also of the tithe, the firstfruits, the first tenth of our increase. It is also given to God with the recognition that the totality of our lives in increase belongs to Him. All that we retain of our income is to be used to live in terms of His covenant grace and law. Paul says in verse 18 that our Lord is preeminent in all things, because by Him all things consist. He is the cosmic Christ. He is Lord over all.

F.F. Bruce, in commenting on Colossians 1:16 said, and I quote, “Christ then is prior to all creation and as the firstborn of God is heir to it all but more. It was in Him that all things were created. The preposition ‘in’ seems to denote Christ as the sphere within which the work of creation takes place. More commonly the preposition ‘through’ is used denoting Him as the agent by whom God created the universe.”

In verse 18, Paul declares that Jesus Christ is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. The word that is translated as “church,” is in the Greek ecclesia, from which we get ecclesiastical, and it’s not quite the same meaning as our word, “church,” which comes from kyridakon{?}, “House of the Lord,” referring to the building and the institution of the church. The word, ecclesia has reference to the assembly, the congregation, the spheres wherever Christ is served. So that your home, your work, your occupation, every Christian institution, every Christian civil government is a part of the ecclesia. It is His kingdom, His new humanity in all its spheres and activities. As a result, the meaning of the word “church” in the Bible is always far more than the worshipping congregation. It is church, state, school, family, and every area of life and thought and activity which is brought under Christ’s dominion. He is, as creator, Lord of all. As redeemer, He has a further lordship, that of the motivating and ruling power in us as His new humanity.

Now this headship is subject to the fact that He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. Now this is very important. A nation can continue its existence when the head of state dies. The life of the family goes on when the father dies, but the reverse is true here, and more than that. The life of all creation comes from the Lord’s creating word. It is sustained in life by Him, by Him all things consist. They have nothing. No life, no meaning, no existence apart from Him, and both in its existence and in its new humanity and its renewed life, humanity and creation are absolutely and totally dependent on Him. As a result, Paul declares in verse 16, “For by Him were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities or powers. All things are created by Him and for Him.” The Greek reads, “an auto,” by Him, because as John 1:4 declares, “In Him was life,” the sum of things, their every detail and totality found its being by His word. He created them. “By Him were all things made, and without Him was not anything made that was made.”

Now, this denies any division between the material and spiritual realms such as Mark’s Greek philosophical thought. There all things stand created, through Him and for Him. Thus, the right of the firstborn sets forth the priority of life. The world does not exist for our purpose. We do not exist to serve ourselves. Our lives point beyond us, and our focus must be in God’s purposes in Jesus Christ. The right of the firstborn points to Christ’s birth, his life, his death, and resurrection. To His creation of a new humanity, and to His redemptive purpose for all creation. Remember therefore, when Paul says that “all things were created by Him and for Him, and that in Him all things consist,” that includes us. His eternal predestination includes us, to the very hairs of our head, so that all our life now and throughout all eternity is in terms of His eternal purpose which is entirely and totally perfect. Let us pray.

Oh Lord, our God we thank thee for this thy word, for it tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Thou hast made us for thyself. Thou hast made us to be the people of thine only begotten Son. Make us ever joyful in this knowledge. Make us ever mindful, oh Lord, how great and marvelous thy ways are, and thy purpose for us. We give thanks unto thee for this blessed season. For thy gift to us of Jesus Christ. For one another, and for the future that is ours in Christ. In His name we pray. Amen.

Are there any questions now on our lesson? Yes?

[Audience] Apropos the misunderstanding on the tree. I’ve been struck by the fact that the news during the Christmas season has devoted so much time to the poor and homeless, and so little time to the outpouring of charity that marks this particular season.

[Rushdoony] Yes, that’s a very important point because it’s giving the whole thing a humanistic twist, as though the focus is the poor rather than Christ, and take away every trace of Christ, and those poor will go back to what they are under total paganism. Left to die. So that if they want to maintain this kind of charity and to continue it, they had better re-establish the priority of Christ, because apart from Him, the only time charity has ever existed in the world is to keep the mobs from revolution, as in Rome, and other times it’s been more brutal than it was in Rome, and it was brutal. They’ve been eliminated. Are there any other questions? Yes?

[Audience] In the Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul denotes the major theme in that book on the unity of the body of Christ. Is he referring there to the ecclesia?

[Rushdoony] Yes, he is referring to the unity in Him. He’s the focus. The problem is, men seek union on an institutional level, rather than unity in Christ. Now, this is the difference between the modern ecumenical movement and the creeds and the councils of the early church, because if you go back and read some of the accounts that survived of the early councils, they were pretty intemperate sometimes as they spoke to one another, because they were not fighting for union or unity among men. They were fighting for the purity of the faith, and unity in Christ, and it could not be on dishonest grounds. So, they hammered out the necessary requirements and that’s how we got the creeds, the basic creeds, because they said, “This is it, you cannot be united to Him on your grounds, only in terms of the truth. His truth.” But the modern ecumenical movement wants an institutional and a humanistic unity. Well, it is interesting that they have created a National Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, and all of those efforts are collapsing, they’re dying. The National Council has been laying off employees, and so has the World Council. They’re paper institutions because the Holy Spirit is not bringing anyone together in them. Yes?

[Audience] So is it a direct act against God’s control when churches say, “No creed but Christ,” when it’s the creeds that was the coming together of people’s ideas of godly….

[Rushdoony] Yes. The groups that say, “No creeds but Christ,” are very foolish because the problem they’ve all faced is this: “Well, who is Christ? How do you define Him?” And it’s the historic creeds which painstakingly in terms of scripture have defined Him. And these that say, “No creed but Christ,” the modernists say, “Well, he’s our Christ, too. You just interpret Him differently.” And so, they disintegrate. Any other questions or comments? Well, if not, let us conclude in prayer.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we give thanks in this blessed season for all thy blessings. For Jesus Christ, thine only begotten Son, who is our head, who has redeemed us and given us so glorious a future, we thank thee for our calling, for the privilege of serving thee. We give thanks unto thee for thy bounty and the joy of life, the joy of this world round about us. For the snow which is now coming. For the refreshing unto the earth. For our children and our children’s children, loved ones and friends. Oh God, thou hast made us very rich, but above all thy gift of salvation in Christ. Our God, we thank thee. And now go in peace. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost bless you and keep you, guide and protect you this day and always. Amen.

End of tape.