Did Jesus Christ Pre-exist? New Testament Teaching Let Us

Did Jesus Christ Pre-Exist? New Testament Teaching Let us begin by stating the obvious. Only in the New Testament do we read of Jesus as someone who is alive and taking part in the affairs of human beings living on the earth. And, equally importantly, it is only in the New Testament that we read about the God of heaven being described over and over again as "Father", a term which is extremely rare in the Old Testament Scriptures. That does not mean that there is no mention of Jesus in the Old Testament. As the coming Jewish Messiah, much is made of the fact that God would send a Saviour and Deliverer. But the Jewish Scriptures only speak of Jesus in the sense of looking forward to his Coming. He is not spoken of as already existing, but as someone who would exist one day, when the time was right. Let us look at this more closely. From the time when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden through to the end of the Old Testament there are repeated prophecies about the future coming of Jesus. Here are some of them. Old Testament Prophecies In the Garden of Eden a 'Seed' - a descendant of Eve - was promised, who would overcome sin and reverse the problem introduced into the world by Adam and Eve when they disobeyed God. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). In Psalm 22, David wrote about Jesus, using many phrases that pointed forward quite explicitly to the crucifixion. For example "they pierced my hands and my feet" and "They parted my garments among them". Once the prophet Isaiah met wicked King Ahaz and made one of the most famous prophecies of the Old Testament. He said that a virgin would one day bear a son: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).

The prophet Micah predicted that a ruler would come from the town of Bethlehem to reign over the people of Israel, adding something of much interest to our theme. "You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). This ruler, he says, has been planned from the beginning of time. We will come back to this point later. Zechariah predicts the entry into Jerusalem by Jesus, an event that occurred just before Jesus was crucified just outside that very city. He too speaks of Jesus as a king but we know from the events themselves that this prophecy is fulfilled when Jesus is about to suffer his greatest trial (see Zechariah 9:9 and Matthew 21:4-5). None of the men who wrote these things met Jesus. They did not hear his voice; they did not see him crucified; they do not claim that he existed in their time. They all expected him to appear in the future, at a time to be decided by God himself. Mortality of Jesus There is an even more important reason for limiting the existence of Jesus to New Testament times. It has to do with the fact that Jesus came into this world to bring salvation to all people. They had become a mortal race because Adam and Eve disobeyed God and the removal of the curse could only be done if another human being could obey Him perfectly. Jesus came to do this. For that to really happen it had to be possible for Jesus to be tempted as other humans were, and it had to be possible for him to disobey. That is exactly what happened. His temptations were absolutely genuine and so were his accomplishments. "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus perfectly obeyed his Father and salvation for mankind was accomplished. Jesus rose from the dead and became immortal - the first to rise from the dead never to go back into the grave again.

Exalted by God The notion that Jesus had lived as a spirit before he was born takes away the power of his triumph over sin and death and the Bible knows nothing of such an idea. Indeed it carefully explains that Jesus was rewarded for his faithful obedience by his Father, who exalted him to sit at His right hand in heaven because he had been faithful. He was not returning to somewhere he had been before, but was being elevated to a new status and position by and with his Father: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11). Although he was the Son of God, because God was his Father, Jesus was born a man, lived a life serving others, and was willing to go to the cross - all in obedience to his Father. Then, and only then, did God exalt him and give him a name above every name. It is only at this stage in the plan of salvation that Jesus is given the greatest honour. Again the idea that he had existed before his birth does not fit in with these Bible truths. Key Principles •

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The Birth of Jesus and important details about his life on earth are often mentioned in the Old Testament, but he is always spoken of there as someone who was to come, when the time was right, not as someone who was already in existence; It was vital that Jesus should be born a mortal man if the purpose of God was to be accomplished - he had to be made like Adam, tempted like him, but obedient - unlike him! As we all know, we inherit characteristics from our father and mother when we are born; Jesus inherited his mortality from Mary, and all that came with that. It was an important part of his make-up; so he could not have lived in heaven beforehand as the same person who then lived on earth - otherwise Mary would have contributed nothing except a mortal body; God rewarded Jesus for his faithful obedience by exalting him to a place at His right hand in heaven. He did not return there because it was his original abode. Scripture says that God his Father, who raised him from the dead, also exalted Jesus to glory.

Perfect Plan God's purpose was known to him from the foundation of the world, as the Bible makes clear: "Known to God from eternity are all his works" (Acts 15:18). Now and again that Divine foreknowledge is specifically referred to. Jeremiah, for example, said that he was known by God even before he had been born: "The word of YAHWEH came to me, saying: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations'" (Jeremiah 1:4,5). One New Testament passage says that the names of all God's people were both known and recorded from the beginning, and the same passage tells us something very important about the person and origins of the Lord Jesus. ... "Authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:7,8). It is the description of the Lamb that we particularly need to notice. He is described as having been "slain from the foundation of the world". What does this mean? It cannot mean that he was slain at the foundation of the world. We know when the crucifixion took place. We also know that God was able to predict to Adam, Eve and many others that Jesus would come to bring salvation. The only way we can understand this verse in Revelation is to recognise that God knew from the beginning that His Son would overcome and give his life in a most painful way. The Right Time The great truth that arises from these things is that God loved the world from the beginning and put His plan in place at the very start of the creation of the world. This plan centred on Jesus - but Jesus would not appear immediately. He would only appear in the fullness of time. Then he would be born of Mary: "When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4,5). Let us not interfere with the wisdom of God. Clearly Jesus came into existence when the time was right for God's only-begotten son to be born. He had been in God's plan and purpose from the beginning; now that plan came into effect.

Jesus before Abraham? There is a passage in John's gospel which is perfectly consistent with what we have already considered. Here it is: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad." Then the Jews said to (Jesus), "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:56-58). This passage has often been used to support the idea that Jesus existed before he was born. When reading the Bible we must remember that it always gives us the same message. It is consistent throughout and verses that seem to conflict require closer consideration. If we have questions about a verse we should always look at its setting. In this case one thing is quickly seen. Heated Debate There are many other references to Abraham in the discussion Jesus is having with the Pharisees. In v33 they boast of their descent from Abraham. In v39 Jesus tells them that they ought to follow in the ways of Abraham if they were truly his descendants. Because of what Jesus says they ask an important question in verse 53: "Are you greater than our Father Abraham, who is dead?" Remember that we have a big advantage when answering this question because we know what happened to Jesus after this and those events established him as much greater than Abraham. But, when the question was asked, the Pharisees did not know and Jesus still had to try to convince all Jews that he really was their Messiah. You sense the hostility from v53: "Who do you make yourself?" Now look at the answer Jesus gives in v56 - "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad". How could this be? The Pharisees were dismissive: "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" Note the way in which they have changed round the words of Jesus. He did not claim to have seen Abraham, but that Abraham saw his day. What could that mean? Gospel to Abraham In Paul's letter to the Galatians we are told that God could see in advance the way things would work out for the Gentile nations: The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the nations by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed" (Galatians 3:8). God knew that Jesus would come into the world and that, through faith in him, all nations would then have the opportunity to be saved. This plan was given to Abraham through one of the major promises of God: "In you shall all nations be blessed" (Genesis 12:3) and, Paul says, this was the gospel preached to Abraham. Note carefully the fact that this development was foreseen by God and was told to Abraham as something yet in the future, something we know was due to happen "in the fullness of time" (Galatians 4:4).

In John chapter 8 therefore - the passage we were looking at - we are told that Abraham saw Jesus' day - he looked forward to it as something that would happen in the future and, because that day contained so much promise, he rejoiced in the knowledge that he would be there to see the purpose of God come to its fulfilment, when he [is in the Resurrection] ... raised from the dead. This the Pharisees did not understand, so Jesus had to spell it out for them. When he said "Before Abraham was I am" he was gently explaining to them that he is more important than Abraham in the purpose of God, because God has built His whole plan of salvation around the Lord Jesus. It was a matter of who has the pre-eminence; not of who preexisted. We do well to recognise the truth of God's plan ourselves, so that we can take our place alongside Abraham and many others who are looking forward to the day when Jesus will be revealed as the Saviour of the world. Creation Account Step by step God brought our world into existence. As the Psalmist would later say: "By the word of YAHWEH the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth ... For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Psalm 33:6,9). That "word" of command and control was with God from the very beginning. In the Old Testament it is spoken of as God's wisdom - His wise purpose by which all things came to be and, as befits the Hebrew language which often describes abstract things in poetic form, wisdom is pictured as though it were a woman who was present with God at creation: "YAHWEH possessed me at the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I have been established from everlasting, from the beginning, before there was ever an earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet he had not made the earth or the fields, or the primeval dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep ... Then I was beside him, as a master craftsman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him, rejoicing in his inhabited world, and my delight was with the sons of men" (Proverbs 8:22-31). Read that carelessly and you might think that there was indeed somebody there with God from the beginning - another God perhaps, or the Lord Jesus Christ. But read it in its context, and it is quite clear that this is a poetic, and very beautiful, way of explaining to us that everything God did was governed by and executed with wisdom. He did everything in the right way and for the best possible reasons.

Word Made Flesh The New Testament says the same thing, in language that is very similar to that of the Book of Proverbs. Talking about the wisdom or purpose of God, it tells us that: "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-3). God had a plan and purpose - which is what the Greek word 'logos' really means - from the beginning. That plan, that 'logos', was His 'Word'. It was spoken at Creation, when God brought everything into existence by a Word of Command. It found expression in a very special way "in the fullness of time" (Galatians 4:4) when the Lord Jesus was born. Then God 'spoke' to us in a Son (Hebrews 1:2) or, as John expresses it: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth ... No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him" (John 1.14,18). When Jesus lived on earth he showed us as never before what the Father is like - he 'declared' Him to us, and to this day that revelation helps us to understand what a kind, compassionate and gracious God we have, who so loved us that He sent His Son into the world to save us (John 3:16). John Shemeld