Hi John,
I was reading in Colossian 1:18 when I had a question about the Son of God being the “firstborn from the dead”. I remembered before Jesus died that Elijah had raised from the dead the son of the widow woman the Lord had sent him to dwell with and that Jesus had raised Lazareth from the dead. After this thought I asked you what the difference was in being raised from the dead and being the firstborn from the dead. Without any hesitaton you looked at me and said the difference was that the Widow’s son and Lazareth had to die again.
When I read this chapter the first time I had really good feelings while reading it. After talking with you, I told Doris about you telling me about the difference between being raised from the dead and being the firstborn from the dead and the good feelings I had from reading in Colossians. Then she wanted us to read it together. As she was reading I was following along in another translation. When we read Col 1:18 it said “he is the head of the body, the congregation. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that he might become the one who is first in all things”. It was the first time I had thought about the Father wanting his Son to be first in all things.
I thought about a few things the Son was first in and went on doing something else. During the next week I started having thoughts pop up while driving down the road, in the shower, at work, etc about different times the Son was first. I was having so many thoughts I couldn’t remember them all so I started writing them down on a scratch pad at work. Before I could write them all down I started forgetting some of the thoughts so I carried the scratch pad in my pocket and eventually filled up both sides of the paper. The list grew to where I felt I needed to type it out. Below are the “firsts” that the Lord gave me.
The Son of God is the:
First creation of God
First born of every creature
First created in image of God
First Son of God
First to see God
First to feel the love of God
First to love God
First to feel the joy of God
First to feel the peace of God
First to please God
First to be God’s daily delight
First to love righteousness
First to hate evil
First to hate lawlessness
First to love government
First to love judgment
First to create after the Father
First to love us
First and only one Holy enough to be made a sacrifice
First begotten son of God
First to exist in God’s form to divest himself and be made in likeness of man
First to receive holy Ghost on earth
First to overcome the sins of the world
First to die for the sins of man
First to go to Hades and return
First born from the dead
First to enter through the veil
First to ascend into heaven and offer himself as a sacrifice to God
First to become high priest forever with a priest hood that is unchangeable
First to receive a glorified body
First to be consecrated forever more
First to be given a name above all names
First to sit down at the Father’s right hand
First to offer forgiveness of sins to fallen man
First to offer eternal salvation to fallen man
First to offer man the opportunity to be one with the Father and him
First king to be on the throne forever
First to be appointed heir of all things
First and only one to have all things put in subjection under his feet
First to have children from a spiritual seed
First and only one able to open the scroll with the 7 seals
The past week has really been good with the Lord giving me all these wonderful thoughts about the Son being first. During this time the Lord also helped me find the scripture “who, existing in God’s form, did not consider equality with God as a prize to be seized upon; instead, he divested himself, assuming the form of a slave, made in the likeness of men”. I could not remember how this scripture read and I couldn’t find it in the Bible. I remembered it was in the book you are writing about the Father and Son, but I didn’t know where to look. When I opened the Father and Son book I had a paper clip at the last place I had read. I don’t know why but I started looking for the scripture where the paperclip was. God is good! He knew I didn’t have a clue where the scripture was, and I turned right to the page with this scripture.
I have enjoyed this time thinking about the Son being first in all things.
Randell