Jesus said, “I and the Father are one. The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from the Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” (John 10:30-33, American Standard Version)

This is certainly not the first time the Jews falsely accused Jesus of something. On another occasion, they accused him of violating Sabbath because his disciples did not ceremonially wash their hands before eating bread. But Jesus handily corrected them by stating that they were teaching for doctrine, the commandments of men. They were laying aside God’s commandments so they could hold onto their man-made traditions. (Mark 7:1-13) Jesus never once violated the Sabbath! He simply refused to hold on to their traditions when they were contrary to God’s commands. The particular law in which the Pharisees went over and beyond reads:

“And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, Thou shalt also make a laver of brass, and the base thereof of brass, whereat to wash. And thou shalt put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and thou shalt put water therein. And Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat: when they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire unto Jehovah. So they shall wash their hands and their feet, that they die not: and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to him and to his seed throughout their generations.” (Exodus 30:17-21, ASV)

So, we see in John chapter 10, that now the Jews were falsely accusing Jesus of making himself God, but once again, Jesus puts them in their place:

“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?” (John 10:34-36; compare Psalms 82:6 and Isaiah 41:23)

At Psalms 82:1-7, God is referring to the Jewish people, perhaps those in positions to judge and make decisions, and he calls them “gods” and “sons of the Most High.” At Isaiah 41:8-25, God again is speaking to the Israelites, this time it appears to be all the people, not just the leaders. Regardless, God himself twice refers to human beings as “gods.” Jesus draws on this and points out that he did not call himself “God,” but the “Son of God.”

“For the Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

“The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner.” (John 5:19)

Colossians 1:15 states that Jesus “is an image of the God invisible, firstborn of all creation.” (The Interlinear KJV-NIV Parallel New Testament in Greek and English by Alfred Marshall) Notice that Paul does not state that Jesus is God, but rather, “an image” of God. Before looking more closely at the words image, firstborn, and creation, we must remember:

“And God created the man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female.” (Genesis 1:27, Green’s Literal Translation)

Also, Paul wrote that the man “is the image and glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 11:7)

Paul uses the same Greek word for “image” at Colossians 1:15 as he does here at 1 Corinthians 11:7. We know that man has sinned, but Jesus did not have an earthly Father, nor did he ever commit sin, so although Paul uses the same Greek word in Colossians (in reference to Jesus), that he does in 1st Corinthians (in reference to man), we find qualification in the book of Hebrews. In reference to Jesus we find:

“He brightly reflects God's glory and is the exact representation of His being...” (Hebrews 1:3, Weymouth New Testament)

At Colossians 1:15 and 1 Corinthians 11:7, the Greek word Paul uses for “image” is eikon which according to Strong’s Concordance means “a likeness, i.e. (lit.[erally]) statue, profile, or (fig.[uratively]) representation, resemblance.” Notice again, Paul describes Jesus as a likeness of God, not God.

Now, the Greek word translated “firstborn” at Colossians 1:15, as well as six other places in the New Testament, is prototokos. Prototokos comes from the combination of the Greek words protos meaning “first,” and tikto meaning “to bear; to bring forth.” Simply, prototokos means “first brought forth,” just as we find prototokos used at Luke 2:7:

“And she gave birth to her first-born son, and wrapped Him round, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Weymouth New Testament)

The Greek word translated “creation” at Colossians 1:15 is ktisis which means “formation,” deriving from the Greek word ktizo meaning “to fabricate.” Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D., in The Complete Word Study Dictionary, states in reference to ktisis, “Creation, in a pass.[ive] sense, what has been created, ...Denotes a particular created thing (Rom.[ans] 1:25; 8:39; Col.[ossians] 1:15; Heb.[rews] 4:13).”

So, in examining Colossians 1:15 and the remainder of the chapter more closely, we find that Paul is plainly stating that Jesus is a likeness of the invisible God, and is the first brought forth of all that has been created. Because he is the first brought forth of all that has been created, and all things have been created in union with him, Jesus has the preeminence. He is above all things and all things are being reconciled, placed together, and reunited as a whole in him.

“And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Jehovah came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle...And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men; but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.” (2 Samuel 7:4-6, 10-17) [See also 1 Chronicles 17:1-15]

The aforementioned Scripture reference finds initial fulfillment at 1 Chronicles 22:6-10:

So we see that in the Bible, Solomon is the first king of Israel referred to as a “son” of God. It was understood in Jesus’ day that although Solomon had eventually died, the promise of God saying, “I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son” (2 Samuel 7:13-14), had yet to be completely fulfilled. So, there was eventually going to be a “son of God” sitting on the throne for ever.

“Now Jesus having been born in Bethlehem of Judaea, in the days of Herod the king, behold magi from the east arrived at Jerusalem, saying, Where is the king of the Jews that has been born? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to do him homage. But Herod the king having heard of it, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and, assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ [the Messiah]should be born.” (Matthew 2:1-4, 1889 Darby Translation)