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Revelation 1:5
“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood.”
Revelation 1:5
There is ample precedent in OT thought that the family inheritance belonged to the firstborn son. Note the battle that transpires between Esau and Jacob over the issue. Esau disregarded his right to kingship and priesthood as head of the family should Isaac die. He gave no thought to the spiritual aspects and responsibilities afforded the place of his father. Before Sinai, the patriarchal lineage of inheritance carried with it the duty of priestly intercession typifying the future Christ, who would intercede in the Heavenly sanctuary in our behalf. It also conveyed the bloodline that would eventually bring forth the Redeemer. Esau regarded this office and responsibility with so little respect that he sold his right to the office for a bowl of pottage to satisfy his own hunger. Trading his birthright away, the history notes God's choice of Jacob as representative of the firstborn by reason of his changed character. Becoming Israel, this patriarch carries the blessing of God throughout the rest of his life and Yahweh notes that He is the God of Jacob on the mount. Jesus notes that Yahweh is not the God of the dead in His discourse to Moses, indicating that Jacob is a man who is saved by faith. Israel (Jacob) becomes the father of the nation of God's people. As the father, he is the high priest, the office assigned to the firstborn, even as his father, Isaac, was the firstborn of Abraham by faith.
The firstborn represents, then, the one whom God chooses as the rightful heir of the household, the high priest, and the next in line for kingship. Jesus, by virtue of His obedience and faithful life, becomes the only human entitled to receive the inheritance that God describes through Moses in the Law. It is why Paul refers to Him in his letter to the Colossians (1:15) as the firstborn of all creation (see also Ps 89: 27). It does not necessarily reflect the spiritual properties of His physical birth, but instead points to the fact of His unique right among all of creation to be called the firstborn of God because of His holy life.
In this verse of Revelation, He is the firstborn of the dead, indicating He indeed died the death of a sinner, condemned by the word of God. Not because He ever sinned, but because He accepted the sins of us all upon Himself as He died nailed to the cross. He is the reason for resurrection and, therefore, the One designated as the firstborn for all who die. He is our Priest, our King, and by His own righteousness is declared the firstborn and, therefore, rightful inheritor of the Kingdom of God.
He is the witness of all that God revealed to Him regarding all things Divine, and His witness is both true and faithful, even as He declared by His life (see John 5). By His blood, He has loosed us from our sins. His blood indeed was shed so that we might be forgiven the debt of our sins. But to be loosed indicates more than forgiveness, it also means that we are empowered to break the shackles in which we are held. We are given the Spirit of Christ to overcome sin, not just to be relieved of its debt upon us. His love for us was manifest while we were still His enemy. And what made us His enemy? Is it not our sins, which we place between God and ourselves, that show us to be at enmity with God? The work of Jesus is to wash those sins from our lives so that we may be at one with God. This is His Heavenly work for us, initiated by His bond of love. Home | About Us | Bible Study | Billerica Blog | Bible Commentary | Devotional | Online Giving | Ministries | Prayer | Media | Bookstore | News | Calendar | Contact Us | Sermons
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