The First Place

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 preeminence. 

Colossians 1:18 

Christ’s position is that He has the first place. This is, what it means for Him to ‘have the preeminence.’ All we have considered thus far in this summary has been a series of references which describe the positions Christ holds. The portion of the text we are considering today speaks of Him in the position of having first place. If we understand the implications of His having the preeminence we appreciate how integrally important He is to all else that is. He is first in the Kingdom of God. He is first as the image of the invisible God. He is first over all creation. He is first in being from eternity.  He is first in holding everything together. He is first in the Church. He is first as the chief representative of the resurrected dead. Christ deserves first place and has it. This includes the extent of His redemption. The people whom Christ redeems are, as Revelation describes them, ‘a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues.’ He told Abraham that his descendants would be as the stars of the sky and as the sand upon the seashore. This means Christ redeems many. This also figures into the discussion of His having the first place. Christ has accomplished a large redemption.  

High King of heaven, 
we rejoice that You are preeminent in everything. 
We praise You that, because You are, 
everything proceeds according to Your sovereign plan.  

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning