JEFF TURNER

Throughout church history, some significant errors have come from those who deny that Jesus is God. They do not believe he is the second part of the Trinity, the eternal God who always existed. Since the Bible clearly teaches that Christ is eternal, What does Romans 8:29, mean when it calls Jesus the “firstborn among many brethren.” If Jesus has always been, why would Paul call him the firstborn?

This is a very important question. The Greek word translated as “firstborn” is πρωτότοκος (prōtotokos). In reality, this word does not describe the order of birth, and it doesn’t even necessarily mean a birth happened in the typical sense. Instead, it is a word that means preeminent, meaning the most important or highest-ranking. So, what Romans 8:29 is saying is that among all people, Jesus is the preeminent one. Using language that usually refers to the most important son in a family is similar to other ways the Bible uses human-like words to describe God. For example, God is described as a fire or as a protective bird in the Old Testament. These are metaphors.

Doesn’t the idea of the “firstborn,” borrow from human language, emphasizing the exalted position of Christ? He is the most important one.