Firstborns: Vocation, Struggles, and Honor
I write this article with a heavy heart, thinking of loved ones, the first converts in their families, who unfortunately experienced terrible setbacks in their faith journey, even to the point of almost abandoning it altogether. My prayer is that God will use this article to alert as many people as possible to the privilege they have of being the Lord's firstfruits, their calling to intercede for those who will follow them, but also the fierce struggle they must face.
By carefully reading the Scriptures, we will quickly realize that, for the instruction, formation, and salvation of humankind, God has sovereignly decided, as a general rule, to focus on a single seed, which He will subsequently multiply. We see this both with the first Adam and with the last, our Lord Jesus Christ.
To bring about revival, God generally seeks a man, just one, to whom to speak, to whom to reveal himself, and then reveals himself to others through this first man, who does not rest in intercession and the work of his soul, until he has seen the Glory of the Lord spread around him. We see this with Abraham, the father of the faith we profess, with Joseph the patriarch through whom God saved Jacob, the patriarchs, and all of Egypt from famine; we also observe it with Moses and the people of God, with Peter who, although having abandoned the Lord like all his fellow disciples, was to be the first to convert, and then to strengthen them in turn; …Examples abound in Scripture and in contemporary life, but they all reveal one thing: if you are the firstborn, biological or spiritual, in your family, if you are the first convert in your city, neighborhood, classroom, etc., then you likely have a critical calling from God in your life, and you would benefit from quickly grasping its true significance. But let us be reassured: if we speak of "seed," this remains an image almost a misnomer, because in reality, the Seed, the Absolute, is Christ and Christ alone, who, through His Holy Spirit working within us, will lead us to victoriously wage the battle to which the Eternal God calls us. Let us remember, the Victory has already been won, everything is already accomplished; however, the challenge is to bring it to fruition in our lives and then around us.
The husband and his wife
Adam was created before Eve. He was the one who received God's instructions and guidance. It was to him that God showed which tree brought death and which gave life. He therefore had the responsibility to teach, but also to watch over his wife. But he failed in his mission; worse, he blamed this gift from God for his sin. What a tragedy! That the one equipped to lead should complain about the weakness of the one he is meant to lead, to the point of designating her as responsible for his own sin?!
Regardless of biological age, even today the husband retains before God this responsibility as the "firstborn" within his marriage, hence his title of "head" (1 Corinthians 11:3 ; Ephesians 5:23). He is the one to whom God will generally first reveal His plans for their home; he must be a fervent intercessor for the fulfillment of God's purposes for his wife, himself, and also their children, especially especially while the sons are not yet mature and independent, or the daughters are single, because during this period, his responsibility is paramount for their overall well-being.
The firstborn people
From the moment of Adam's sin, God conceived a plan of salvation, a plan of restoration for humanity. After working with individuals like Seth, Enoch, Methuselah, and Noah (Genesis 6-9), God implemented his plan, which consisted of first raising up a firstborn people to whom he would not only give the first rudiments of faith, but also through whom he would bring to earth the Author of Faith, Christ Jesus. This is how God chose Abraham. "Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren" (Matthew 1:2)
We cannot summarize the genealogy of the Church in a few lines; however, let us note that when Jacob and his family, fleeing the famine that plagued their time, went to Egypt, they remained there and multiplied until the day a wicked king seized power and enslaved their descendants. But let us carefully read the words that God instructed Moses to speak before Pharaoh when he sent him to deliver his people: “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.” (Exodus 4:22-23)
The Lord thus calls an entire people His son, His firstborn. Indeed, God intended to save people from every kindred, tongue, people, and nation, just as His Church would become (Revelation 5:9; 7:9); but for this, He needed, from the very beginning, a firstborn people, a people to whom He would reveal Himself in an exceptional way and who would, when the time came, have the responsibility of spreading the Good News to other peoples: this was Israel.
Since sanctification (separation) was a gradual process, within this people already set apart for Him, God further consecrated a tribe to His service.
The priestly tribe
In the Old Covenant, the first of ripe fruits, and of liquors, the firstlings of herds and of flocks, the firstborn of humans, represented the beginning of strength, of vigor (Genesis 49:3; Exodus 22:29; Deuteronomy 12:6; 21:17), and their consecration to God, beyond being a fulfillment of the law, was an honor due and rendered to God. But let us return to the circumstance establishing the law on the consecration of the "tribe of firstborn".
As illustrated in the text of Numbers 3, particularly from verse 11 onward, God chose the tribe of Levi to replace the firstborn of the people of Israel (a redemption having been made to account for the difference in numbers between the two censuses). This illustrates the vocation of the firstborn in God's plan: to serve their brothers, to accompany them in life, and even to eternal life. We will limit ourselves to seeing this in a few examples that seem quite illustrative and even representative.
Joseph, the patriarch
In Scripture, at least at the patriarchal level, we clearly see that the heir to the promise was always the firstborn. And when this was not the case, a clear explanation was always given.
- Isaac: He was Abraham's first legitimate son, but above all, he was himself the "son of the promise," though we will put this in quotation marks because the promised offspring was in fact the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
- Jacob: He was the second-born, but the firstborn sold him his birthright, and as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews so aptly reminds us, this deprived him of the blessing (Hebrews 12:15-17).
- Judah and Joseph: Here, we see for the first time a distinction between the one with the birthright (Joseph) and the principal heir of the promise (Judah). We speak of "principal" because this time, all 12 patriarchs would form the heir people, but the Messiah would come from only one tribe, that of Judah. (1 Chronicles 5:1-2). Indeed, in Genesis 49, we clearly see Jacob explaining why Reuben, then Simeon and Levi, would not inherit this position. However, it is in the Book of Chronicles that it is clearly stated that the birthright was given to Joseph.
Let us remember the dreams of the patriarch Joseph since his adolescence, but above all, that it was through him that God saved his family, especially his brothers. He thus fulfilled the role of firstborn, forerunner (first among his people) in the land of Egypt, which would become the refuge where it was necessary to be while the famine raged.
Peter
We realize, as we read the Scriptures, that Peter was the first of the twelve apostles to receive from God a clear and precise revelation of who the Lord Jesus Christ is (Matthew 16:13-21): he was the firstborn of the Lord's ministry. Consequently, he was one of His three closest companions. And even his faith was manifested very quickly, since, at Christ's word, he walked on water. What impact did his status as firstborn have on his calling? Let us examine together the Lord's instruction during a conversation with Peter on the eve of his crucifixion.
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32). We have highlighted certain words to emphasize that, contrary to what the devil might have us believe, Peter was not alone in betraying the Lord, but all eleven apostles (we are not counting Judas who was outright a false brother). Certainly, Peter had denied Him verbally, but all had abandoned Him except the Father (John 16:32). And because of the Truth they had known, having received His Word and then rejected it, Satan, the adversary of believers, had already claimed Peter, as well as the apostles and all those who had known the Lord (hence the expression "Satan hath desired to have you"). But the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ focused on one alone: Peter! (hence the expression "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not"). Was he better than his brothers? No, quite the contrary; his abandonment was, in fact, the most hideous of all! Was it because his sin was the most hideous? Certainly not, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). On the other hand, the Lord Jesus Christ had received from the Father a "firstborn," a forerunner among his brothers to whom he would entrust the task of strengthening the others (Luke 22:32), the task of being the first to proclaim the Gospel to the Jews (Acts 2) and then to the Gentiles (Acts 10): this was Peter!
The 12 apostles
After the crucifixion, resurrection, ascension and glorification of the Lord Jesus Christ, once Judas was hanged, the apostle Peter, to whom God had already granted certain revelations even before the advent of the Holy Spirit in his last dispensation, laid down the conditions that the one who would take Judas's place had to fulfill: “Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)
Following the staggered selection we alluded to when speaking of the firstborn Tribe (Judah), itself belonging to a firstborn people (Israel), we likewise find here an apostle (Peter), the firstborn among twelve apostles, themselves firstborn of the entire Church. Therefore, it was according to their verdict that the question of circumcision itself was decided before the apostle Paul, who was certainly a great apostle, but did not have the precedence of the twelve. These twelve, who were present from the beginning of the ministry of the Lord Jesus, the firstborns, to whom the Lord has reserved twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).
The Samaritan woman
The Lord Jesus Christ had the revelation that the people of Samaria were ready to receive the Word; he would later tell his disciples this in these words: “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:35). But before addressing the people, the Lord Jesus Christ sought an entry point. This was not the well, but the Samaritan woman, who, as we discuss at length in the article Encounter of the woman of Samaria with Christ – A Personal Experience had a deep thirst to know God and to meet the Messiah who would tell all things. The Spirit of God allowed this encounter to take place. And in His sovereignty, God willed that this woman be the first inhabitant of the city to whom Christ spoke, to whom Christ brought the good news, and to whom Christ received a favorable response, for she fully accepted his message. And without even needing the Lord to send her to spread the Good News to her fellow citizens, she ran to the city to proclaim it. A wonderful story told by the apostle John (chapter 4: 3 to 43) which reveals how the Lord used a "firstborn" before evangelizing the rest of the city of Samaria.
The first to cast a stone
In the Gospel of John (Chapter 8), the scribes and Pharisees came to test the Lord Jesus Christ by dragging after them a woman caught in the act of adultery; they then told the Lord the punishment that, according to the Law of Moses, such a woman "deserved." But what was the Lord's response? "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." (John 8:7b). At least two keys are needed to understand this text.
The first and best-known example concerns the people's lack of understanding of the Spirit of the Law. Limiting oneself to the texts has always been a tragedy, the worst of which being that it served as a pretext for the death of the Messiah, accused of blasphemy and Sabbath disrespect (John 5:15-18; 7:22-30). Indeed, in the time of Moses and even Joshua, people were indeed stoned or killed for engaging in prostitution (not necessarily with their physical bodies, but always in a spiritual sense), like the people who worshipped the molten calf and refused to repent (Exodus 32) or Achan who committed a trespass in the accursed thing (Joshua 7). Yet it is this same Moses whom we see interceding in this first instance for the rest of the people, even risking his own salvation (Exodus 32:32). However, to better grasp the correlation between these two examples from the Old Covenant and this episode in the life of Christ, it would be wise to consider the second key to understanding.
In his Gospel account, the apostle John regularly highlights Jesus using fleeting natural realities to refer to deeper spiritual realities (at the wedding at Cana, He indicates that it is when His time comes that He is supposed to give wine for a wedding, His own [read later the article Marriage in Cana]; during His encounter with the Samaritan woman, He refers to water that the woman at the well should drink, then He speaks of fields turning white for harvest and when the woman runs to announce the news to her family, and when his disciples take the opportunity to try to get Him to eat, He declines their offer by telling them that in reality, He already has food [read the article Encounter of the woman of Samaria with Christ - The spiritual language of Christ]). In this instance, the Lord makes it clear to the accusers of the seized woman that if she must be condemned, then it should be He, the Firstborn, who casts the first stone; this is exactly what He did with the great spiritual whore mentioned in Revelation 17, particularly verse 14. It is indeed He who leads the battle and guides His people. However, before invoking punishment upon their fellow human beings, the Lord makes them understand that they must first judge themselves, not on one specific form of prostitution, but on all forms, for all sin is spiritual prostitution, an attachment to the evil one, rather than to Christ, who paid the price to be our rightful Bridegroom.
Indeed, from the Old Covenant to this day, God has been consistent in his desire to eradicate corruption and prostitution from among his people. He sometimes does this by physically removing individuals because they had never truly known him, or for various other reasons (the avowed worshipers of the molten calf; Achan, who committed a trespass in the accursed thing; Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to the Church…). However, most often, God leads his firstborn, like the prophets up to John the Baptist, and then the apostles, all of whom do so through their epistles, to be the first to denounce the "prostitution" that continues to be practiced within his people, now identified as his Church. This prostitution manifests itself in the form of heresy, covetousness (which is idolatry [Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5]), impurity, and various other practices. In other words, depending on the circumstances, God will remove from among his people those who stubbornly persist in debauchery and sin, but he will also lead his true children who are faltering to resolutely separate themselves from all forms of compromise and seduction of the evil one.
Finally, Scripture reveals the position that firstborn sons should occupy when the time comes to lead the battle; the two examples identified come from the book of Judges. On at least two occasions, the people, aware of the importance of being the first to enter the fray, asked the Lord who should go up first to the battle against the adversary. The first instance was when it came to occupying Canaan, the promised land (Judges 1:1-2), and the second was when Benjamin committed the infamy in Israel, a veritable act of prostitution (Judges 20:18). Each time, it was Judah, the principal heir, to whom God assigned this responsibility. On the other hand, what do we observe in the present example concerning the woman caught in the act of adultery? Jesus ironically called upon the "firstborn" to take responsibility; and it was then that the older men, who to a lesser extent could claim this status, realized that they had been wrongly led astray by the crowd, and at least had the necessary clarity of mind, no longer to be the first to cast stones, but to be the first to turn back; as it is written: “And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.” (John 8:9). Let us remember, each time, God sent Judah, the principal heir of the promise. Yes, to conquer new territories (families, countries, cities, company personnel, university faculty, etc.) or to rebuke a people in retreat as he did with John the Baptist in Israel, or several renowned contemporary Evangelists, God will always seek a "firstborn" who will go up against the kingdom of darkness.
The responsibility of every firstborn is therefore to be the first to rise up against sin within the environment where God has placed them. Through prayer, yes, but also through the pure Gospel, as the Holy Spirit guides them in this mission. Yes, clothed in the holiness inherited from Christ, such is the mandate of every firstborn.
From only begotten Son to firstborn Son
As the Scriptures teach us, God formed the first Adam, and through his flesh, the whole earth is being filled. But because of Adam's failure in his communion with his Creator, God also sent us the Lord Jesus Christ, whom he established as the firstborn of the new creation; the one through whom we would receive life. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45) “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.” (Colossians 1:18) “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.” (Hebrews 2:10-13)
An inevitable battle
Regardless of how you are established as the firstborn, whether biologically, through conversion within your family, or in a specific environment, you are undeniably a prime target of the evil one. By destroying you, he hopes to hinder, or even prevent, the work of God already begun through you. We can see this in several examples, such as Adam, Joseph, and Peter mentioned earlier, or Moses, and above all, the Messiah. Whenever the evil one realizes that a plan of God has begun to take shape, he will seek to annihilate its beginnings. May God keep us from causing you fear; rather, we pray that you truly grasp the immensity of what is at stake, what your position represents for the Lord, but also for his adversary. And that, aware of this, you take your faith very seriously, because trials will soon come, and they may be severe. But glory be to God and to his Christ Jesus, who has already won the victory for us. Our responsibility, therefore, is to continually pray to the Lord to grant us the strength to stand firm, whatever temptation or trial may present itself. Moreover, we must continually submit to His Holy Spirit, who, through various circumstances and instructions, will prepare us long in advance to face trials, even before they arise. Indeed, as we see in a parable of the Lord, moments of calm always precede moments of storm, for they are meant to allow us to build serenely, before the foundation of our house (thus built) is tested (Matthew 7:24-27).
If you have already fallen
It is possible that you read the previous chapter with great regret, thinking it was too late for you. But my dear brother, my dear sister, glory be to God the Father and to Christ his Son, your situation is not sealed. For, while in the Old Covenant we see that Esau's repentance was ineffective, and that the fate of Reuben, Levi, and Simeon was irrevocably sealed, we also happily realize in the New Covenant that the Apostle Peter received the announcement of his restoration even before he repented, since he even doubted that he would deny the Lord. This is part of the grace we have in God, through Christ: the restoration of his original purposes for us, for "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
The honor due
It therefore becomes clear that we all owe a certain honor to our predecessors in the faith, whether in our families, workplaces, neighborhoods, cities, or nations. For in order to spread Christ's salvation, they had to endure the persecutions and tribulations of the evil one. Let us take inspiration from the Apostle Paul, who, in his letter to the Romans, took care to honor Andronicus and Junias, his kinsmen and fellowprisoners, who were in Christ before him (Romans 16:7). But above all, let us honor the pioneers, God’s first fruits in our families, our professional circles, our localities, our city, our nation, our continent.
This is the place for us to recall the moral debt we owe to the very firstborn people of God, which is today the nation of Israel (physical). Let us remember that even if this people, in terms of moral values, has today legalized infamy, and that the main religion remains Judaism despite the advent of Christ, it remains nonetheless true that it is indeed through their ancestors that we received the Word (Peter, John, Paul, Apollos, and the other apostles and early churches). And while the evil one incessantly unleashes his wrath against them in fear that they will return to God, we, the contemporary Church of the Lord, rise up today and pray fervently and without ceasing for the Salvation of this people of God: if not out of love and gratitude, let us do it out of Duty.
The Glory of God
So as not to be a stumbling block to anyone who might see in the preceding chapter a reason to let their heart be filled with pride, we have a duty to remind every firstborn that just as the Lord Jesus Christ alone is our source of salvation, so too is He alone worthy of glory. The honor due to you is not an honor to be claimed. For your reward, ultimately, comes only from the Lord Himself. Yes, let us together beseech the Lord for the revelation of that posture of humility to which He invites us after every service: “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” (Luke 17:7-10 [10b])
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