The Deity Of Christ Part Two

The Eternal Preexistence of Christ

"In the beginning God..." (Gen. 1:1).

The four opening words of the Bible, “In the beginning God…” (Gen. 1:1), sets the stage for all that follows in the rest of Scripture – the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments. As simple as these words may seem to you, they clearly express an undeniable profound truth: God was there in the beginning. But you might argue, “doesn’t this teach that God had a beginning?” The answer to this question is found within the rest of Genesis 1:1: “…created the heavens and the earth.” If God did not exist before the heavens and the earth were created, then who created Him? Let’s find out from Scripture.

• “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27).

• “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me… Even from eternity I am He” (Isa. 43:10, 13).

• “I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me… It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands And I ordained all their host” (Isa. 45:5, 12).

• “But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer. 10:10).

No one created God. He is the one and only true and living God who has existed and continues to exist throughout all eternity. There is not a plurality of Gods as taught in Mormonism. It is this God who created the heavens, the earth, and man. But where does Christ fit into all of this?

The very first statement from the gospel of John gives us the answer. Drawing from the first three words of Genesis 1:1 the apostle John revealed, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). How can the Word be with God and be God at the same time? Let’s go back to the beginning. On the sixth day of creation God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:26-27). Us and Our are either other Gods or one God with a plurality of persons. We can rule out additional Gods because it has been established in Scripture that there is only one God. Thus, Us and Our are a plurality of persons in the Godhead. We later learn in Scripture that these persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; Luke 3:21-22).

John 1:2 tells us that the Word is a person – “He (literally “This one”) was in the beginning with God.” Thus, “He” is one of the plurality of persons in Genesis 1:26-27. Then John makes probably one of the most astounding statements in all of Scripture: “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:3). All of creation came into being through the Word who was with God and is God!

Who is the Word? The apostle John gives us the answer: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus Christ is the Word from God “who has come in the flesh” (1 John 4:2). The apostle Paul wrote, “He (the Son, Jesus) is the image (exact likeness) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col. 1:15-17). Everyone is created in the image of God. Jesus was not created in the image of God. He is “the image of the invisible God.” The writer of Hebrews affirms, “He (the Son) is the radiance of His (God) glory and the exact representation of His (God) nature” (Heb. 1:3). John 1:18 states, “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten (unique) God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” Because Jesus “existed in the form of God” (Phil. 2:6) and is the exact representation of His nature, He is the only one who could explain (reveal in detail, fully make known) who the invisible God is and what He does. Jesus is “the firstborn of all creation” – He is first in rank and authority over all of creation because it was by Him and through Him that “all things have been created.” Jesus “is before all things” – He existed before the heavens and the earth were created. “In Him all things hold together” – Jesus sustains all of creation.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1) and is a descendant of Abraham through Jacob’s fourth son Judah (Gen. 35:23; Matt. 1:2-3, 16). The angel Gabriel told Mary, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel – see Gen. 35:10) forever, and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:31–33). This is the fulfillment of a prophecy that was given seven-hundred years earlier: “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity” (Mic. 5:2). Jesus, a descendent of Judah who will reign over the house of Israel forever, is from the days of eternity.

Jesus prayed, “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was… Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:5, 24).

“Confusion about the deity of Christ is inexcusable, because the biblical teaching regarding it is clear and unmistakable. Jesus Christ is the eternally preexistent Word, who enjoys face-to-face communion and divine life with the Father, and is Himself God” (The Deity of Christ; John MacArthur).

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations cited in this post are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.