3484 — The Pre-Existence of Christ
By C. B. C.
Was Christ a personal being before He came to this earth? C. B. C. As to whether our Lord existed before He was born of the Virgin Mary is a purely Biblical, not philosophical, question. If we depend upon our early teaching, upon pure human reason, upon some theological system, we shall go astray; if we take the literal teaching of the Word, there will be no difficulty. Briefly we present the following evidences of our Lord's pre-existence as a personal being: 1. When God created the heavens and the earth, He addressed not creatures, but some One His equal, possessing creative power. "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness." The very term "Elohim," from which "God" is translated, is plural. 2. There is one Being, existing at least four hundred years before Christ, whom Jehovah designates "My Fellow," who is in future to be smitten. Zech. 13:7. The context clearly shows that the term refers to Him who became Jesus, the Great Shepherd of His sheep. 3. There is one Person revealed to us in the Old Testament again and again called "the Angel of Jehovah," the especial representative of God in ministering to His children. Of Him the great God declares, "My name is in Him." Ex. 23:21. He is called in Isa. 63:9 "the Angel of His presence." When this angel came to Abraham it is said, "And Jehovah appeared unto him." Gen. 18:1. Jacob met Him by the brook Jabbok, in the night of wrestling, and said in the morning, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Gen. 32:22-31.