The Bible without a doubt teaches that Jesus existed before His incarnation. Let us look at the following references:
Genesis 1:26
“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
At creation, Christ was a coworker with His Father. The plural “us” was considered by the early church leaders almost unanimously as referring to the three persons of the Godhead. The word “us” means at least two persons. The verses that say that man was to be made in “our” image and was made in “God’s” image affirm that those talking to each other must both be persons of the Godhead.
This truth is expressed in the Old Testament, in different places (Genesis 3:22; 11:7; Daniel 7:9, 10, 13, 14; etc.). And it is also affirmed in the New Testament. The apostle Paul declared in Hebrews 1:8 that Christ is the second person of the Godhead as named by the Father. And Christ was connected with His Father in creating and sustaining His creatures (John 1:1–3, 14; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 1:16, 17; Hebrews 1:2).
Micah 5:2
“But 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 are from of old, from everlasting.”
The prophet confirms the pre-existence of the One who was to be born in Bethlehem. The “goings forth” of Christ reached to eternity in the past. From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father.
John 1:1-3
“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.”
While Genesis 1:1 points to “the beginning” of this world, the “Word” in John 1:1–4 points to the Creator of all things, and therefore predates “the beginning” of Genesis 1:1. Thus, “the beginning” of John 1:1 is preceding to “the beginning” of Genesis 1:1. When everything that had a beginning began, the “Word” already “was.” The Word was, throughout all eternity.
But, in the fullness of time, the Word became flesh (John 1:14; Philippians 2:7). The apostle speaks of the continuous, timeless, unlimited existence of the Son of God before His birth on this earth. In eternity past there was no time before which it could be thought that the Son of God was not.
John 8:58
“Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Christ announced that He existed before Abraham. This statement which in its absolute sense was comprehended by the Jews as a declaration of divinity. As a result, they wanted to stone Him (v. 59). And after a few months, the Jews again attempted to stone Christ because He claimed divinity (John 10:30–33).
Other references
Revelation 22:13
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
John 17:5
“Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5).
John 17:24
“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.”
Colossians 1:17
“He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
1 John 1:1-2
“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.”
John 1:15
“John *testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’”
Revelation 1:17-18
“When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.”
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
