In The Beginning Was The Word Series

a. Did you catch all that? “For by him all things were created…He is before all things.”

b. Both things point to Jesus’ eternal nature.

3. The writer of Hebrews began his letter with these words, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.” (Heb. 1:1-2)

4. So from those verses, we discover that Jesus’ pre-existence precedes the creation of all things.

C. Not only do these New Testament passages speak of Jesus’ role in creation, there is evidence in the Old Testament as well.

1. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

2. The Hebrew word for “God” that appears here is the word “Elohim.”

3. It is a plural noun meaning “Mighty Ones,” a family of Mighty Ones, acting as one.

4. God has chosen to express His personal nature in terms of a family relationship of equal personalities equaling the one God.

5. That’s why in Genesis 1:26 we read, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image. In our likeness…’”

6. In Genesis 3:22 after the fall of man we read, “And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.’”

7. And in Genesis 11, we see that after the flood the people were all staying in one place and pride was becoming a problem, so God said, “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Gen. 11:7)

8. So we see all these instances when God is describing himself in the plural.

9. The Father and The Son and the Holy Spirit were there in the beginning making man in their likeness, and disciplining humankind when they needed it.

D. Jesus made numerous other statements during His ministry that pointed to his pre-existence.

1. In John 6:62, Jesus said, “What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!”

a. Where had Jesus been before he came to earth? He had been with God.

2. In John 8:58, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Before Abraham was born, I am!”

a. If Jesus had been born thousands of years after Abraham, how is it that he was existing before Abraham was born?

3. John the Baptist had said that Jesus preceded him even though Jesus was born after him, “This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’” (John 1:30)

3. In John 17:5 Jesus said, “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

a. Obviously, Jesus knew where He had been and what His glory had been like.

E. When Paul looked at where Jesus had been and what he gave up to come down here, he declared, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)