Lesson 3: The Pre-existence of the Pre-incarnate Christ (John 1:1-5)

Pre-existence of the Pre-incarnate Christ

John 1:1-5

THE THEOLOGICAL PROLOGUE (1:1-5)

1. The Preexistence of the Preincarnate Christ - LOGOS - John uses the same language of Gen. 1:1-5 to establish the meaning of "Logos" - Yahweh, the Creator, who is eternal, created everything to exist.

2. In v. 1, John opens up with In the beginning was the Word. This phrase echoes the beginning of Genesis, which states that "In the beginning, God created..." John establishes that the Word, or Logos, existed from the very beginning of time, indicating eternal pre-existence. Next, John writes, and the Word was with God shows an intimate relational presence, indicating a distinct personality within the divine relationship. Finally, the phrase "and the Word was God" directly affirms the full deity of the Word (i.e., Jesus). This powerful statement highlights that while the Word and God are distinct in personhood, the Word is not in any way inferior in essence to God, solidifying the profound divine essence of Jesus.

3. In v. 2, the phrase He was with God in the beginning reinforces the Word's divine status and eternal existence, denying any ideas of temporality or creation.

4. In v. 3, John proceeds to highlight Jesus' preeminence: Through him all things were made. This sentence sheds light on the crucial role played by Jesus in the creation of everything. Without him nothing was made that has been made: In the book of John, it is highls creative work extends to an all-encompassing level, leaving no doubt about His role in bringing everything into existence.

5. The Bible teaches that Christ is of “heavenly origin” (John 3:13, 31), existing eternally in splendor and majesty before His earthly birth.  Donald McLeod develops this thought of the pre-incarnate Christ, "he possessed all the majesty of deity, performed all it's functions and enjoyed all it's prerogatives…He was invulnerable to pain, frustration and embarrassment.  He existed in unclouded serenity.  His supremacy was total, his satisfaction complete, his blessedness perfect."

6. Furthermore, the Scriptures give homage to Christ’s presence and active involvement in the creation of the world (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2). This is significant because it ascribes Christ as the Creator and Ruler of the universe (Psalm 115:3). In His own words Jesus prayed to the Father, “glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began (John 17:5),” as well as admitting that He “came down from heaven (John 6:38).”  Paul writes, “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman (Galatians 4:4).”  Elsewhere, Paul told the Romans that God “sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (8:3).”  The elements of the preexistence of Christ can be communicated in greater detail by examining the Self-Existence, Eternality, and theophanies of Christ in the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord.

CHRIST IS SELF-EXISTENT

The concept of God being Self-Existent implies that He is the Uncaused First Cause and exists independently, without any reliance on anyone or anything, as denoted by the term aseity. This implies that Christ exists infinitely and self-sufficiently, without depending on anyone for His own existence, as mentioned in John 1:1-3 and Colossians 1:16, 17. In 1 Corinthians 8:6, it is stated that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, who created the universe out of nothing and is, therefore, the uncreated Creator.

CHRIST IS ETERNAL 

The apostle John opened his gospel with these incredible words, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  This opening from John plainly reveals Christ as the eternal Word of God, for it systematically carries the same introduction and weight as Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God.” Likewise, in his vision of Christ, John concludes his final revelation with these words from Christ, “Do not be afraid.  I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever (Revelation 1:17, 18).” Moreover, John the Baptist testifies to Christ’s eternality, when he cried out, “He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me (John 1:15, 30).”  Micah states that Christ’s origin is “from old to everlasting” (Micah 5:2), while the prophet Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would be the “Eternal Father.”  Furthermore, the name Jehovah is repeatedly shared between Christ, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit which is a strong affirmation of eternity because it is derived from the eternal “I AM” from Exodus 3:14.  Jesus uses the word eimi to emphasize His eternality in reference to being Jehovah, when He stated to the audience, “Before Abraham was, I AM (John 8:58).”

The brilliant professor and author, Dr. John Walvoord writes, “His preincarnate works of creation, providence, preservation and His promises in eternity past, the appearances of Christ in the Old Testament, and the many other intimations of preexistence combine to form a massive proof that Christ existed before His birth in Bethlehem.”  Thus, after a thorough inspection of the testimony of the preexistence and eternality of Christ in Scripture, there leaves no possibility of doubt that Christ existed in all eternity prior to His conception on earth.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

1:6 whose name was John - John the Baptist was God's messenger sent to announce the coming of His salvation through Jesus. As prophesied, he was the forerunner of the Messiah (Mal 4:5–6; Matt 11:9).