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|    Message 94,292 of 96,161    |
|    Christ Rose to All    |
|    Re: The Denial Christ Is God Fraud    |
|    02 Oct 25 10:20:56    |
      XPost: alt.christnet.christnews, alt.religion.christian       From: usenet@christrose.news              Colossians 1:15–17 answers the claim directly. You quoted Strong’s       definition of prototokos as “firstborn” and then assumed that must mean       Christ was the first created being. But that ignores both (1) the fuller       lexical range and (2) the immediate context.              Strong’s gives the root gloss “firstborn,” but it does not determine how       the word functions in a given passage. Scripture itself interprets       “firstborn” as a title of rank or supremacy, not merely birth order.       Psalm 89:27 makes this plain: “I will make him the firstborn, the       highest of the kings of the earth.” David was the youngest of Jesse’s       sons (1 Samuel 16:11), yet God calls him “firstborn” because He gave him       supremacy. Strong’s even admits the word is used “literally or       figuratively.” Colossians 1 is one of those figurative       contexts—supremacy over creation.              And Paul explains his own meaning in the very next verses:               “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth,        visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or        authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And        he is before all things, and in him all things hold together”        (Colossians 1:16–17, ESV).              Notice carefully:              1. “By him all things were created.”              If Christ were part of creation, Paul would have to say “all other       things.” But he does not. He includes everything—“in heaven and on       earth, visible and invisible.” Nothing is left out. Even "Jehovah's       Witnesses" understand this, which is why they felt it necessary to       fabricate the NWT to repeatedly insert the word "other" into Colossians       1, where it does not occur, and (unlike most translations) where       inserting the word makes it mean the perfect opposite of what it plainly       states without the addition of the word.              2. “He is before all things.” That shows His eternal pre-existence, not       creatureliness.              3. “In him all things hold together.” The universe continues to exist by       His sustaining power—something only God Himself does.              If prototokos meant “the first created being,” Paul would have       contradicted himself in the very next sentence by saying Christ created       *all things*. Instead, prototokos refers to Christ’s supremacy, His       heirship, His rank over all creation. Scripture confirms this meaning by       how it uses the word elsewhere, not by a bare gloss.              Exodus 6:3 likewise does not imply God lied. The patriarchs knew the       name Yahweh, as Genesis shows, but they had not yet experienced its       covenant fulfillment in redemption from Egypt. To render Yahweh as LORD       is not calling God a liar, but following the ancient Jewish practice of       reading Adonai aloud in place of the divine name.              Far from supporting the idea that Christ is created, both Colossians 1       and Exodus 6 affirm God’s truthfulness and Christ’s eternal supremacy.              --       Have you heard the good news Christ died for our sins (†), and God       raised Him from the dead?              That Christ died for our sins shows we're sinners who deserve the death       penalty. That God raised Him from the dead shows Christ's death       satisfied God's righteous demands against our sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John       2:1-2). This means God can now remain just, while forgiving you of your       sins, and saving you from eternal damnation.              On the basis of Christ's death and resurrection for our sins, call on       the name of the Lord to save you: "For 'everyone who calls on the name       of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:13, ESV).              https://christrose.news/salvation              To automatically receive daily Bible teaching updates with colorful       images and website formatting, subscribe to my feed in a client like       Thunderbird:              https://www.christrose.news/feeds/posts/default              --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05        * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)    |
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