In a previous message I pointed out that in 1934 Brother Nee gave a series of messages in Shanghai on the centrality and universality of Christ. At Brother Nee’s request, I polished my notes of these messages and prepared them to be printed in Brother Nee’s paper called The Present Testimony. When this material was translated into English, the translator took the liberty of interpreting Brother Nee’s concept regarding Christ as the first of the creatures in a way to which Brother Nee would never have agreed. Instead of saying, as Brother Nee did, that “the Son is the number one of the creatures,” the translator says that “the Son is the head of all creation.” Surely this is not a faithful translation, but an interpretation according to the concept of the translator.
Brother Nee had the boldness to say just what the Bible says. During that conference in 1934 we read from Brother Nee’s Chinese translation of Colossians 1. In this translation he made it very definite that Christ is the first of all creatures. This is an example of Brother Nee’s boldness for the truth. He did not care for what men say; he cared only for what the Bible says. Nevertheless, the translator of these messages changed Brother Nee’s words in order to avoid trouble with certain theological concepts. This is not faithful to Brother Nee’s ministry.
If we care for the truth, we shall testify that Christ, the image of the invisible God, the very Creator, as the firstborn of all creation, is the first among all creatures. In this sense, Christ is not only the Creator, but also part of creation.
Colossians 1:16 says, “Because in Him were all things created in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and unto Him.” “In Him” means in the power of Christ’s Person. All things were created in the power of what Christ is. All creation bears the characteristics of Christ’s intrinsic power. (See note on this verse in Darby’s New Translation.) “Through Him” indicates that Christ is the active instrument through which the creation of all things was processed. Finally, “unto Him” indicates that Christ is the end of all creation. All things were created for His possession.
In verse 17 Paul goes on to say, “And He is before all things.” This indicates His eternal preexistence.
Moreover, verse 17 says that “all things subsist together in Him.” For all things to subsist together in Christ means that they exist together by Christ as the holding center, just as the spokes of a wheel are held together by the hub at their center.