THEO 350 Discussion 1

THEO 350 Discussion 1

THEO 350 Discussion 1 Liberty

Topic: Colossians 1:15 reads in the NKJV (and is similar in most translations): “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”  Jehovah’s Witnesses understand that by Christ being the firstborn over all creation, he is actually the first created being through which all other things are created (see their New World Translation).  Mormons, on the other hand, take the English translations quite literally and believe that Christ is literally the firstborn child of Heavenly Father and one of his goddess wives (thus Jesus is our eldest brother).  The Greek word translated ” firstborn” is prototokos.  How should Christians understand the use of this term in this context, and how might Christians in turn respond to the interpretations of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons regarding the nature of Christ as the “firstborn”?