Colossians 1:15 (YLT)

Passage

who is the image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation,

Nearby Context

Colossians 1:13 who did rescue us out of the authority of the darkness, and did translate <FI>us<Fi> into the reign of the Son of His love,

Colossians 1:14 in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of the sins,

Colossians 1:15 who is the image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation,

Colossians 1:16 because in him were the all things created, those in the heavens, and those upon the earth, those visible, and those invisible, whether thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities; all things through him, and for him, have been created,

Colossians 1:17 and himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "image", "invisible", "first-born", 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 the redemption through..." into verse 16's "because in him were the all things...", 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.