The Preincarnate Christ

When my twin brother and I were little my Mom tells us we had our own language we communicated with each other. When we watched the family videos of those earlier years, I got to observe it too. It consisted mostly in a tonal language of grunting with hand gestures.

We were a behind most toddlers speech development because we didn’t think we needed to communicate outside our little world of Aaron and Michael.

Before this universe there was nothing else that existed besides the Trinity. There were no stars, angels, or anything that existed. It was just God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit in perfect communion together.

In this state of perfect pre-existence they devised a plan of redemption before the world began to create a perfect world and save mankind from their sin when Adam and Eve would mess it up. Although the Godhead knew what was coming they desired to show their character to their creation and ultimately to live in relationship with the pinnacle of his terrestrial creation human beings.

D. The pre-existence of Christ shows the great wisdom of God in executing His Story.

P. The pre-existence of God ought to move us to worship Him for his gracious kindness to us.

1. Christ existed before the world being coeternal with the Father.

Scriptural witness:

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”

Jesus Testimony:

Jesus claimed to have existed before Creation. John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” This is reflective of Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

John the Baptist’s testimony.

John 1:30 “This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.”

John 3:31 “He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.”

Christ’s Work before creation.

Christ lived in perfect fellowship in the Godhead.

Christ created the universe.

It was through Jesus God the Father created the universe.

Colossians 1:15–17 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

Argue: Why did God create the universe if he didn’t need us?

I believe God wanted to show his grace and mercy towards sinners, so that they could see who He is. Throughout human history he has shown who he is through HIStory.

While some believe God CAUSED sin so that he could put his redemptive plan in order. I would argue he ALLOWED sin and in his perfect foreknowledge of the future knew mankind would sin. Why?

James 1:13–14 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”

We find God’s plan of redemption being put into action in the first three chapters of the Bible. After Adam and Eve at of the fruit which God said do not eat, as God promised they would die. And they did, both physically and spiritually. But when God pronounced the judgment on Adam, Eve, and the Serpent/devil he gave a ray of hope to the woman. Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

The virgin birth in the seed of the woman.

The victory of the seed of the woman over the Satan.

T. Until he came in human form as a baby he did appear to men and women in the Bible to reveal more of his promise to come.

2. Christ showed himself in the Old Testament as the angel of the Lord.

How can you say Jesus really appeared in the Old Testament. He has many angels he could have do the job for him.

The case is made by Rolland McCune former professer of theology at Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary that Jesus Christ is the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament on these four reasons.

The angel is called by the names of God, Yahweh, El, and Elohim.

The angel demands worship.

The Angel, though God, is distinct from God the Father.

The angel can be identified with Christ.

The angel is called by the names of God, Yahweh, El, and Elohim.

Genesis 16:7 “And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.” Genesis 16:13 “And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?”

Genesis 21:17–19 “And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.” God’s angel speaks in behalf of God the Father. God the Son speaks in behalf of God the Father.

The angel demands worship.

Exodus 3:5 “And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”

Joshua 5:15 “And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.”

The angel that John fell before in Revelation 22:9 forbade him to worship him. “Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

The angel of the LORD is the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Angel, though God, is distinct from God the Father.

Genesis 24:7 “The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence.”

The angel can be identified with Christ.

Texts

Judges 13:18 “And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?”

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

We have a wonderful Savior.

Theology and Logic

Before the incarnation the Trinity was composed of three spirit beings, The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. The Son is the only one who ever is said to take human form. (The spirit does take dove form)

The Son is the express image of God the Father. Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;”

The humanity Jesus takes on in the New Testament Scriptures affirms him being human over and over again. John 1:14 “And the Word was made 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.”

All appearances of the angel of the Lord after the incarnation lack the definite article with the notable exception being Matthew 1:24 “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:” But this can be explained when we understand that this refers back to an angel of the Lord in the earlier context. Matthew 1:20 “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

3. Christ promised he would come as the Savior.

God has the plan of redemption complete before creation. His plan was in place before man’s fall into sin.

2 Timothy 1:9 “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”

Ephesians 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”

2 Thessalonians 2:13 “But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:”

How are people elected? On God’s foreknowledge of a by faith decision to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. To preach regeneration before faith is to teach salvation through election, not faith.

I don’t believe this teaches God causes some to not believe. Because God never tempts us to sin.

The heart of God is that who ever chooses to trust Christ will be saved. 1 Timothy 2:3–4 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

Some believe that regeneration occurs before faith. I don’t. To believe so contradicts the Bible which states over and over salvation comes through faith in Christ. It is through the enlightening power of the Word of God and the wooing of the Holy Ghost the sinner is brought to a point of decision of which God holds him accountable.

If by faith the sinner believes they are eternally saved and after salvation we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise. Ephesians 1:13 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”

One of the dearest passages in the Bible is Genesis 22. This promise comes alive when God asked Abraham to offer Isaac as a burnt sacrifice on one of the Mountains in the land of Moriah. Abraham went through with what God told him to do until the angel of the Lord stopped him with his knife raise over his son to kill Him. Abraham, Abraham! Abraham answers, Here am I. And the angel says Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do t hou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. The angel goes on to say that he will bless Abraham because of his obedience and use his family to be a blessing to the world thereby affirming that the pre-incarnate Christ will be the lamb of God for the sins of the world.

God the Son is worthy of your worship and my worship. It is he alone who gets the glory for his work of salvation.

CONCLUSION

My brother and I thought that speaking in our own language in our own little world was bliss, but grew to realize we needed more. What is grand is that God did not need us, but he wanted us and planned from before the world to make that possible to every repentant sinner.

Have you received the gift of God tonight?

Worship Christ for his kind plan to save your soul and allow you to have relationship with Him. 1 John 1 3-4

1 John 1:3–4 KJV 1900

That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

Is your joy full tonight in the wonderful wisdom of God towards you?