Colossians 1:15 (LSB)

Passage

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:13 Who rescued us from the authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His love,

Colossians 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

Colossians 1:16 For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

Colossians 1:17 And He is before all things, And in Him all things hold together.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "image", "invisible", "firstborn", and "creation". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "image" and "invisible", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "in whom we have redemption the forgiveness..." into verse 16's "For in Him all things were created...", so "image" and "invisible" belong inside that flow. In Colossians context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "image" and "invisible" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.