The answer
The meaning of this verse is that He is the image of the invisible God, not as man who was made in the image of God (Gen 1:27), in his natural faculties and dominion over the creatures;, He is the express image of His person, "Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb 1:3). He is so the image of God as the Son is the image of His father, and has a natural likeness to Him; so that "he who has seen Him has seen the Father, and His glory was the glory of the only begotten of the Father" (John 1:14; 14:9).He is the first-born of every creature. Not that He is Himself a creature; for in Greek it is prototokos pases ktiseos-- born or begotten before all the creation, or before any creature was made, which is the scripture-way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us: "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was; when there was no depth, before the mountains were settled, while as yet he had not made the earth" (Prov 8:23-26). This verse signifies His dominion over all things, as the first-born in a family is heir and lord of all. Therefore, He is the heir of all things, (Heb 1:2). The word, prototokos, with change of the accent signifies actively the first begetter or producer of all things.
Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)