“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”
King James Version (KJV)
1:18 And - From the whole he now descends to the most eminent part, the church. He is the head of the church - Universal; the supreme and only head both of influence and of government to the whole body of believers. Who is - The repetition of the expression {#Col 1:15|} points out the entrance on a new paragraph. The beginning - Absolutely, the Eternal. The first begotten from the dead - From whose resurrection flows all the life, spiritual and eternal, of all his brethren. That in all things - Whether of nature or grace. He might have the pre - eminence - Who can sound this depth?
Col 1:18 And. In Col 1:15-17, Paul portrays Christ as the center and source of the creation. In this section he shows that he is the Head of the "new" creation. He is the head of the body, the church. In the church he is pre-eminent. It is his spiritual body, and he is the supreme head. Compare 1Co 11:3 Eph 1:10,22. Who is the beginning. The new creation began from him and in him. He is first of all in time. The first-born from the dead. He first conquered death, and not for himself alone, but the great company of those found in him who have been born from the dead.