Who was Jesus before he was born?

Did Jesus exist before he was human? Who or what was Jesus before his incarnation? Was he the God of the Old Testament? To understand who Jesus was, we must first understand the basic doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible teaches that God is one and is only one being. This tells us that whoever or whatever Jesus was prior to his incarnation could not have been a separate God from the Father. Although God is one being, He has existed for eternity in three equal and eternal Persons whom we know as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To understand how the Trinity doctrine describes the nature of God, we need to keep in mind the difference between the words being and person. The difference was expressed as follows: There is only one what of God (ie his essence), but there are three who's within the one essence of God, ie the three divine Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The being that we call the one God has an eternal relationship within himself from father to son. The father has always been the father and the son has always been the son. And of course, the Holy Spirit has always been the Holy Spirit. One person in the deity did not precede the other, nor is one person inferior in nature to the other. All three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - share the one being of God. The doctrine of the Trinity explains that Jesus was not created at any time prior to his incarnation, but existed eternally as God.

So there are three pillars of the Trinitarian understanding of God's nature. First, there is only one true God who is the Yahweh (YHWH) of the Old Testament or the Theos of the New Testament - the Creator of all that exists. The second pillar of this teaching is that God is made up of three persons who are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. The third pillar tells us that these three are different (but not separate from each other), but that they equally share the one divine being, God, and that they are eternal, equal and of the same nature. Hence God is one in essence and one in being, but he exists in three persons. We must always be careful not to understand the persons of the Godhead as persons in the human realm, where one person is separate from the other.

It is recognized that there is something about God as a Trinity that is beyond our limited human understanding. Scripture does not tell us how it is possible that the one God can exist as a trinity. It just affirms that it is. Admittedly, it seems difficult for us humans to understand how the Father and the Son can be one being. It is therefore necessary that we keep in mind the difference between person and being that the doctrine of the Trinity makes. This distinction tells us that there is a difference between the way God is one and the way He is three. Simply put, God is one in essence and three in persons. If we keep this distinction in mind during our discussion, we will avoid being confused by the apparent (but not real) contradiction in biblical truth that God is one being in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit .

A physical analogy, albeit an imperfect one, may lead us to a better understanding. There is only a pure [real] light - the white light. But the white light can be broken down into three main colors - red, green and blue. Each of the three main colors is not separate from the other main colors - they are included within the one light, the white. There is only one perfect light, which we call white light, but this light contains three different but not separate main colors.

The above explanation gives us the essential foundation of the Trinity, which provides us with the perspective to understand who or what Jesus was before becoming human. Once we understand the relationship that has always existed within the one God, we can continue with the answer to the question of who Jesus was before His incarnation and physical birth.

Jesus' eternal nature and preexistence in John's Gospel

The pre-existence of Christ is found in John 1,1-4 clearly explained. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. 1,2 The same was in the beginning with God. 1,3 All things are made by the same thing, and without the same nothing is made that is made. 1,4 In him was life…. It is this word or logos in Greek that became man in Jesus. Verse 14: And the word became flesh and dwelt among us….

The eternal, un-created Word, which was God, and yet was one of the persons of the Deity with God, became a human being. Notice that the Word was God and a man became. The word never came into existence, that is, he did not speak. He was always the word or god. The existence of the word is endless. It always existed.

As Donald Mcleod points out in The Person of Christ, He is sent as one who already has being, not one who comes into being by being sent (p. 55). Mcleod continues: In the New Testament, Jesus' existence is a continuation of his previous or previous existence as a heavenly being. The word that dwelt among us is the same as the word that was with God. The Christ found in the form of man is the One who previously existed in the form of God (p. 63). It is the Word or the Son of God who takes flesh, not the Father or the Holy Spirit.

Who is Yahweh?

In the Old Testament, the most common name used for God is Yahweh, which comes from the Hebrew consonant YHWH. It was Israel's national name for God, the eternally living, self-existent Creator. Over time, the Jews began to see God's name, YHWH, too sacred to be pronounced. The Hebrew word adonai (my lord), or Adonai, was used instead. This is why, for example, in the Luther Bible the word Lord (in capital letters) is used where YHWH appears in the Hebrew scriptures. Yahweh is the most common name for God found in the Old Testament - it is used over 6800 times to refer to him. Another name for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, which is used over 2500 times, as in the phrase God the Lord (YHWHElohim).

There are many scriptures in the New Testament where the writers refer to Jesus in statements written with reference to Yahweh in the Old Testament. This practice by the New Testament writers is so common that we may miss its meaning. By coining Yahweh scriptures on Jesus, these writers indicate that Jesus was Yahweh or God who became flesh. Of course, we shouldn't be surprised that the authors make this comparison because Jesus himself stated that passages of the Old Testament referred to him4,25-27; 44-47; John 5,39-40; 45-46).

Jesus is the Ego Eimi

In the Gospel of John Jesus said to his disciples: Now I will tell you before it happens, so that when it happens you will believe that it is me (John 13,19). This phrase that it is me is a translation of the Greek ego eimi. This phrase occurs 24 times in the Gospel of John. At least seven of these statements are regarded as absolute, because they do not have a sentence statement such as in John 6,35 I am following the bread of life. In these seven absolute cases there is no sentence statement and the I am is at the end of the sentence. This indicates that Jesus is using this phrase as a name to indicate who he is. The seven places are John 8,24.28.58; 13,19; 18,5.6 and 8.

When we go back to Isaiah 41,4; 43,10 and 46,4 we can see the background for Jesus' reference to himself as ego eimi (I AM) in John's Gospel. In Isaiah 41,4 says God or Yahweh: It is I, the Lord, the first and with the last still the same. In Isaiah 43,10 he says: I, I am the Lord, and later it will be said: You are my witnesses, says the Lord, and I am God (v. 12). In Isaiah 46,4 God (Yahweh) again refers to himself as I am.

The Hebrew phrase I am is used in the Greek version of Scripture, the Septuagint (which the Apostles used) in Isaiah 41,4; 43,10 and 46,4 translated with the phrase ego eimi. It seems clear that Jesus made the I am it statements as references to himself because they are directly related to God's (Yahweh's) statements about himself in Isaiah. Indeed, John said that Jesus said he was God in the flesh (The passage of John 1,1.14, which introduces the Gospel and speaks of the Divinity and Incarnation of the Word, prepares us for this fact).

Johannes' ego eimi (I am) identification of Jesus can also go up to 2. Moses 3 can be traced back, where God identifies Himself as I am. There we read: God [Hebrew elohim] said to Moses: I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE [a. Ü. I am who I am]. And said, You are to say to the Israelites, 'I will be' [who I am] who sent me to you. (V. 14). We have seen that the Gospel of John makes a clear connection between Jesus and Yahweh, the name of God in the Old Testament. But we should also note that John does not equate Jesus with the Father (as neither do the other Gospels). For example, Jesus prays to the Father (John 17,1-15). John understands that the Son is different from the Father - and he also sees that both are different from the Holy Spirit (John 14,15.17.25; 15,26). Since this is so, John's identification of Jesus as God or Yahweh (when we think of his Hebrew, Old Testament name) is a Trinitarian explanation of God's nature.

Let's go over this again because it's important. John repeats Jesus' identification [marking] of himself as the I AM of the Old Testament. Since there is only one God and John understood this, we can only conclude that there must be two persons who share the one essence of God (we have seen that Jesus, the Son of God, is different from the Father). With the Holy Spirit, also discussed by John in chapters 14-17, we have the foundation for the Trinity. To remove any doubt about John's identification with Yahweh, we can refer to John 12,37-41 quote where it says:

And although he did such signs in front of their eyes, they did not believe in him, 12,38 this fulfills the saying of the prophet Isaiah, which he said: “Lord, who believes our preaching? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? " 12,39 That is why they could not believe, for Isaiah said again: «12,40 He blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts so that they wouldn't see with their eyes and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I will help them. " 12,41 Isaiah said this because he saw his glory and spoke of him. The above quotations John used are from Isaiah 53,1 and 6,10. The Prophet originally spoke these words with reference to Yahweh. John says that what Isaiah actually saw was Jesus' glory and that he spoke of him. For the apostle John, then, Jesus was Yahweh in the flesh; before his human birth he was known as Yahweh.

Jesus is the Lord of the New Testament

Mark begins his gospel by saying that it is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God "(Mark 1,1). He then quoted from Malachi 3,1 and Isaiah 40,3 with the following words: As it is written in the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, I send my messenger before you, who is to prepare your way." «1,3 It is the voice of a preacher in the desert: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his path even! ». Of course, the Lord in Isaiah 40,3 is Yahweh, the name of the self-existing God of Israel.
 
As noted above, Markus quotes the first part of Malachi 3,1: See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me (the messenger is John the Baptist). The next sentence in Malachi is: And soon we come to his temple, the Lord whom you seek; and the angel of the covenant whom you desire, behold, he is coming! The Lord is, of course, Yahweh. By quoting the first part of this verse, Mark indicates that Jesus is the fulfillment of what Malachi said about Yahweh. Mark announces the gospel, which consists in the fact that Yahweh the Lord has come as a messenger of the covenant. But, says Mark, Yahweh is Jesus, the Lord.

From the Roman 10,9-10 we understand that Christians profess that Jesus is Lord. The context up to verse 13 clearly shows that Jesus is the Lord whom all people must call on in order to be saved. Paul quotes Joel 2,32to emphasize this point: Everyone who will call on the name of the Lord is to be saved (v. 13). If you have Joel 2,32 reading, you can see that Jesus quoted from this verse. But the Old Testament passage says that salvation comes to all who call on the name of Yahweh - the divine name for God. For Paul, of course, it is Jesus whom we call upon to be saved.

In Philippians 2,9-11 we read that Jesus has a name that is above all names, that in his name all knees should bow, and that all tongues will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Paul bases this statement on Isaiah 43,23where we read: I have sworn by myself, and righteousness has come out of my mouth, a word to which it should remain: All knees should bow to me and all tongues swear and say: In the Lord I have righteousness and strength . In the context of the Old Testament this is Yahweh, the God of Israel who speaks of himself. He is the Lord who says: There is no other god but me.

But Paul did not hesitate to say that all knees bow to Jesus and all tongues will confess him. Since Paul only believes in one God, he has to somehow equate Jesus with Yahweh. One may therefore ask the question: If Jesus was Yahweh, where was the Father in the Old Testament? The fact is that according to our Trinitarian understanding of God, both the Father and the Son are Yahweh because they are one God (as is the Holy Spirit). All three persons of the Godhead - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - share the one divine being and one divine name, which is called God, theos or Yahweh.

Hebrews connects Jesus with Yahweh

One of the clearest statements that Jesus associates with Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, is Hebrews 1, especially verses 8-12. It is clear from the first few verses of chapter 1 that Jesus Christ, as the Son of God, is the subject (v. 2). God made the world [the universe] through the Son and made him heir over everything (v. 2). The Son is the reflection of his glory and the image of his being (v. 3). He carries all things with his strong word (v. 3).
Then we read the following in verses 8-12:
But of the Son: «God, your throne endures forever and ever, and the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. 1,9 You loved justice and hated injustice; therefore, O God, your God has anointed you with the oil of joy like none of your own kind. " 1,10 And: «You, Lord, founded the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 1,11 They will pass, but you will stay. They will all grow old like a garment; 1,12 and like a cloak you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same and your years will not end. The first thing we should note is that the material in Hebrews 1 comes from several psalms. The second passage in the selection is taken from Psalm 102,5-7 quotes. This passage in the Psalms is a clear reference to Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, the Creator of all that exists. Indeed, the whole of Psalm 102 is about Yahweh. But the letter to the Hebrews applies this material to Jesus. There is only one possible conclusion: Jesus is God or Yahweh.

Note the words above in italics. They show that the Son, Jesus Christ, is called both God and Lord in Hebrew 1. Further, we see that Yahweh's relationship with the One who is being addressed was God O your God. Therefore, both the respondent and the addressed god. How can that be because there is only one God? The answer, of course, lies in our trinitarian explanation. The Father is God and the Son is God too. There are two of the three persons of the One Being, God, or Yahweh in the Hebrew language.

In Hebrews 1, Jesus is portrayed as the creator and sustainer of the universe. He remains the same (v. 12), or is simple, that is, his essence is eternal. Jesus is the exact image of the essence of God (v. 3). Therefore he must also be God. It is no wonder that the writer of Hebrews was able to take passages that described God (Yahweh) and applied them to Jesus. James White, puts it in The Forgotten Trinity on pages 133-134:

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews shows no inhibition in taking this passage from the Psalter - a passage that is only fitting to describe the eternal Creator God himself - and refers him to Jesus Christ ... What does it mean that the author of the Hebrew Letter is a Passage that applies only to Yahweh and then refers to the Son of God, Jesus Christ? It means that they saw no problem in making such an identification because they believed that the Son was indeed the incarnation of Yahweh.

Jesus' pre-existence in the writings of Peter

Let's look at another example of how the New Testament scriptures equate Jesus with Yahweh, the Lord or God of the Old Testament. The apostle Peter names Jesus, the living stone, rejected by men, but chosen and precious by God (1. Petrus 2,4). To show that Jesus is this living stone, he quotes the following three passages from Scripture:

«See, I am laying a chosen, precious cornerstone in Zion; and whoever believes in him shall not be put to shame. " 2,7 Now for you who believe it is precious; for the unbelievers, "the stone which the builders rejected and which has become the cornerstone is, 2,8 a stumbling block and a rock of irritation »; they stumble against him because they don't believe in the word, which they are meant to be (1. Petrus 2,6-8).
 
The terms come from Isaiah 28,16, Psalm 118,22 and Isaiah 8,14. In all cases the statements refer to the Lord, or Yahweh, in their Old Testament context. So it is, for example, in Isaiah 8,14 Yahweh, who says, But conspire with the Lord of hosts; let go of your fear and horror. 8,14 It will be a pitfall and a stumbling block and a rock of scandal to the two houses of Israel, a pitfall and a noose for the citizens of Jerusalem (Isaiah 8,13-14).

For Peter, as for the other authors of the New Testament, Jesus is to be equated with the Lord of the Old Testament - Yahweh, the God of Israel. The apostle Paul quotes in Romans 8,32-33 also Isaiah 8,14to show that Jesus is the stumbling block on which the unbelieving Jews stumbled.

Summary

For the authors of the New Testament, Yahweh, the rock of Israel, became man in Jesus, the rock of the church. As Paul said of the God of Israel, "They [the Israelites] have all eaten the same spiritual food, and have all drunk the same spiritual potion; for they drank of the spiritual rock which followed them; but the rock was Christ.

Paul Kroll

Who was Jesus before his human birth?