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 might have the preeminence.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Christ is the head of the church, his body; he is the beginning and the firstborn from the dead, so that he is supreme in everything.
What Does Colossians 1:18 Mean?
Paul turns from creation to the church. Having shown Christ supreme over all things made, he now names him head of the body, the church -- its source of life, direction, and authority.
Christ is the beginning of a new order and the firstborn from the dead, the first to rise into deathless life and the one through whom others will follow. This title parallels firstborn over creation in verse 15: there it marked his supremacy over all that is made, here his supremacy over the new creation that begins in his resurrection. The stated goal gathers up the whole passage: that in all things he might have the preeminence -- first place in everything, without exception. Paul leaves no realm where Christ is not Lord. Whatever the Colossians faced, their living, risen Head holds first place over it, and over them.