CHRIST EXISTED BEFORE HE WAS BORN

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

JULY 24, 2022  

TOPIC: CHRIST EXISTED BEFORE HE WAS BORN

BY T. O. BANSO

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 New King James Version).

The preexistence of Christ is one of the things that confuse non-believers, or they find it difficult to understand or believe just like the concept of the Trinity. Christ existed before He was born. He had existed before His incarnation. He didn’t begin to exist when He was born. He only became a human being when He was born so that He could die for the sins of the world and save humanity from eternal damnation.

The Bible talks extensively about the preexistence of Christ, including what Christ Himself said about this. Thus, no Christian should be confused about this, as non-believers are or they choose not to believe. Christ existed before He was born.

In the course of Jesus’ conversation with the Jews in John 8, He told them that their father Abraham rejoiced to see His day, and he saw it and was glad (verse 56). They asked how He could say that He had seen Abraham since He wasn’t even yet fifty years old. “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM’” (John 8:58 New King James Version). In other words, Jesus said He existed before Abraham! But He wasn’t talking about being older than Abraham as a human being. Christ existed in the heavenly realm before He came to the earthly realm.

It is important to know the following about the preexistence of Christ:

1. Jesus Christ existed in heaven before He came to the earth and was born as a baby. Here is what Jesus said on this: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13 New King James Version). Jesus was referring to Himself in this scripture.

He also said in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (New King James Version). Furthermore, Jesus told His disciples,  “What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?” (John 6:62 New King James Version). Also, Jesus told Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36).

2. Jesus Christ existed in the beginning as the second person of the triune God (the Trinity) – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He was there when God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26a New King James Version). The phrase “Let us” refers to the three persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. God is one but exists in three divine and distinct persons that are co-equal and co-eternal.

Each person of the Trinity is fully God. The Father is God (Philippians 1:2; Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:2); the Son is God (John 1:1; 10:30; 20:28; 14:9-10; Isaiah 9:6); and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; Romans 8:11; 10:9; Galatians 1:1). The Spirit and the Father who raised Jesus from the dead are the same. Christ (the Son) was in the beginning.

John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (New King James Version). According to 1 Corinthians 8:6 and Hebrews 1:2, all things were made through the Lord Jesus Christ. This happened before He came to the earth.

3. Jesus Christ preexisted as the agent of creation. John 1:3 says all things were made through Him (the Word/Jesus), and without Him, nothing was made that was made. Also, Colossians 1:16-17 presents Jesus as the agent of creation. “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16-17 New King James Version).

4. Jesus Christ preexisted in heaven as the Word. Before His incarnation, Christ existed in heaven as the Word (Greek: logos). This is stated in 1 John 1:1 where the Bible says, in the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 2 says He (the Word) was in the beginning with God. Verse 14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (New King James Version). In other words, the Word existed before He was born on earth as a man.

1 John 5:7 says, “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one” (New King James Version). The Word, as we have seen, refers to Jesus Christ who existed in heaven before He came to the earth as a man. Also, Revelation 19:13 refers to Jesus as the Word of God.

5. Jesus Christ preexisted with the Father who sent Him to the earth to save the world from sin. In John 17:5, Jesus talked about the glory that He had with the Father before the world was. This further confirms His preexistence. “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5 New King James Version).

The Apostle Paul said, “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh” (Romans 8:3 New King James Version). Similarly, Paul said in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (New King James Version). This shows that Jesus had existed before He came to save the world.

Also, in John 8:42, Jesus talked about His preexistence and how God sent Him. He told the Jews, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me” (John 8:42 New King James Version).

Christ existed before He was born. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End; He is the Lord who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8). Christ is eternal. Also, Revelation 22:13 says that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Christ existed before creation. He was with God. He was born as a man. He died, was resurrected, and ascended to heaven where He came from. He is coming back. Are you prepared for Him?

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner, and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and was raised on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, thank You for sending Your Son to the earth for the salvation of the world. Thank You, Jesus, for dying to save me. Holy Spirit, help me to be prepared for the return of Christ – He who is, who was, and who is to come. I pray that all those whom Christ died for but are yet to give their lives to Him will accept Him today as their Lord as Saviour. The death of Christ for them shall not be in vain.

(For over 800 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
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Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org