Firstborn Among Many

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 

Romans 8:29 

In Colossians, Paul makes the remark that Christ must have first place in all things. Therefore, when writing of the order of salvation, Paul refers to the fact that Christ is the firstborn among many brethren. God predestinated those people to be conformed to Christ’s image. He is their Head, their Chief Representative. Among the children of God, He is one of a kind. Therefore, He is by rank, the firstborn among many. When God speaks of many, what does He mean? When Christ instituted the communion feast, He took the cup of wine and declared, ‘ For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’ If we are going to speak of what ‘many’ means, we must speak of it in terms of what it means to God. God’s promise to Abraham was that his descendants would be as many as the stars of the sky and the sand upon the seashore. When John describes the redeemed, he speaks of them as ‘a great multitude which no one could number….’ This implies a vast number of redeemed people. If Christ is the firstborn among many and must have the first place in everything, it is reasonable to believe there will be more saved than lost. He is a large God with a large vision. What He does, He does it in a big way. Hence Christ is the firstborn among many.  

Our Gracious Master and our God, 
we rejoice in Christ, Your only Begotten Son. 
We praise You that He is our Head, 
and stands our place.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning