HIS PREEXISTENCE
Did Christ exist before He was born at Bethlehem? The answer is yes. While this does not of itself prove His deity (for He might, for instance, have existed as an angel before His birth), it certainly seems necessary to validate His claim to be the revelation of God and the Revealer of the Father. Did He exist before He was born? Names given to Him in the Old Testament indicate this. Micah 5:2 teaches the eternity of the Son, for the word translated “from of old” is used in Habakkuk 1:12 of God’s eternal nature; thus, what God is, the Son is (see also Is 9:6). Furthermore, He Himself claimed to be preexistent, for He said, “Before Abraham [came to be], I am” (Jn 8:58). The statement, “I am,” is not only a claim to existence before Abraham but also is a reference to the sacred name of God, Yahweh, and thus a claim to be God (Ex 3:14-15). Certain works which are said to have been done by Christ could only have been accomplished if He existed before time (e.g., creation, Col 1:16).
A Survey of Bible Doctrine
© 1972 by
Charles C. Ryrie
Moody Publishers
820 N. LaSalle Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60610
The preexistence of Christ means that Jesus existed before His birth in Bethlehem. The Bible teaches that He is eternal, without beginning or end, and was with God the Father before creation. John 1:1-3 declares, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus Himself confirmed this when He said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), revealing His divine nature. As the eternal Son of God, He created all things and came into the world to bring salvation, proving that He was not just a man but God in the flesh.
-Elving Ellis
Cross Commission Ministries 