Jesus' Pre-Existence as God in the Incarnation

The incarnation of Jesus Christ refers to the act by which the eternal Son of God took on human nature, uniting it with his divine person ^[1]. This doctrine asserts that Christ is both fully God and fully man, without the two natures being mixed or confounded ^{[1, 15]}. The concept of Jesus' pre-existence as God is foundational to understanding the incarnation.

Scripture presents Jesus as existing prior to his earthly birth, possessing divine attributes and engaging in divine actions. John's Gospel opens by declaring, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" ^[5]. This "Word" is identified as Jesus Christ, through whom all things were made ^[3]. The apostle Paul similarly states that Jesus "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation," and that "by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible" ^{[4, 3]}. This indicates his active role in creation, not merely as a created being, but as the divine agent through whom creation occurred ^[16].

Jesus himself affirmed his pre-existence, notably in John 8:58, where he declares, "Before Abraham came into being, I am" ^[6]. This statement uses the divine name "I AM," linking Jesus directly to God's self-revelation to Moses in the Old Testament ^{[6, 7]}. Other passages in the Old Testament are interpreted by some traditions as foreshadowing Christ's pre-incarnate appearances, such as the "Angel of the Lord" who manifested God's presence to humanity ^[2].

The pre-existence of Christ as God is crucial for understanding the significance of the incarnation. It means that the one who became human was already divine, rather than a human being who later became divine ^[9]. Charles Hodge, one theologian, emphasizes that the incarnation involved the Son of God "stooping to take into personal and perpetual union with Himself a nature infinitely lower than his own" ^[10]. This union is described as "hypostatical," meaning personal, where the divine and human natures are united in one person without losing their distinct properties ^{[1, 15]}.

The early Church Fathers also grappled with the nature of Christ's pre-existence and incarnation. Tertullian, for instance, discussed the "God-man" being born, with a soul acting as an intermediary between God and flesh, as it was "impossible for the nature of God to intermingle with a body without an intermediate instrument" ^[12]. Scholastic theologians like Aquinas affirmed that "God was made man," but not that "man was made God," underscoring that the divine nature assumed the human, and the human nature did not pre-exist as a subsisting entity before being assumed by the Word ^[9]. Aquinas also addressed the idea, attributed to Origen, that Christ's soul was created in the beginning but not immediately joined to the Word, arguing against it because it would imply the soul had a separate subsistence before its union with the Word, which would contradict the hypostatic union ^[14].

The incarnation is not merely a manifestation of God, but a true taking on of human nature, including "flesh and blood" ^[11]. Matthew Henry notes that Christ "took our nature into union with his divine nature, and became really and truly man" ^[11]. This act of grace allowed the divine Person to unite with human nature, making Christ both God and man ^[1]. The resurrection of Christ further demonstrated his divine power and glory, confirming his eternal existence as the Son of God ^{[8, 13]}.

Sources

Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Incarnation — That act of grace whereby Christ took our human nature into union with his Divine Person, became man. Christ is both God and man. Human attributes and actions are predicated of him, and he of whom they are predicated is God. A Divine Person was united to a human nature (Acts 20:28; Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 2:8; Heb. 2:11-14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Gal. 4:4, etc.). The union is hypostatical, i.e., is personal; the two natures are not mixed or confounded, and it is perpetual.”
Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Angel Of The Lord — (Genesis 16:7) etc. (The special form in which God manifested himself to man, and hence Christ's visible form before the incarnation. Compare (Acts 7:30-38) with the corresponding Old-Testament history; and (Genesis 18:1,13,14,33) and Genesis 19:1)”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Excellency and Glory of Christ, The — As God -- Joh 1:1-5; Php 2:6,9,10. As the Son of God -- Mt 3:17; Heb 1:6,8. As one with the Father -- Joh 10:30,38. As the First-born -- Col 1:15,18. As the First-begotten -- Heb 1:6. As Lord of lords, &c -- Re 17:14. As the image of God -- Col 1:15; Heb 1:3. As creator -- Joh 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2. As the Blessed of God -- Ps 45:2. As Mediator -- 1Ti 2:5; Heb 8:6. As Prophet -- De 18:15,16; Ac 3:22. As Priest -- Ps 110:4; Heb 4:15. As King -- Isa 6:1-5; Joh 12:41. As Judge -- Mt 16:27; 25:31,33. As Shepherd -- Isa 40:10,11; Joh”
Colossians “Colossians 1:15 (NASB) — He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”
John “John 1:2 (NASB) — He was in the beginning with God.”
John “John 8:58 (BBE) — Jesus said to them, Truly I say to you, Before Abraham came into being, I am.”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Christ is God — As Jehovah -- Isa 40:3; Mt 3:3. As Jehovah of glory -- Ps 24:7,10; 1Co 2:8; Jas 2:1. As Jehovah, our RIGHTEOUSNESS -- Jer 23:5,6; 1Co 1:30. As Jehovah, above all -- Ps 97:9; Joh 3:31. As Jehovah, the First and the Last -- Isa 44:6; Re 1:17; Isa 48:12-16; Re 22:13. As Jehovah's Fellow and Equal -- Zec 13:7; Php 2:6. As Jehovah of Hosts -- Isa 6:1-3; Joh 12:41; Isa 8:13,14; 1Pe 2:8. As Jehovah, the Shepherd -- Isa 40:11; Heb 13:20. As Jehovah, for whose glory all things were created -- Pr 16:4; Col 1:16. As Jehovah, the Messenger of the covenant -- Mal ”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Resurrection of Christ — One of the cardinal facts and doctrines of the gospel. If Christ be not risen, our faith is vain (1 Cor. 15:14). The whole of the New Testament revelation rests on this as an historical fact. On the day of Pentecost Peter argued the necessity of Christ's resurrection from the prediction in Ps. 16 (Acts 2:24-28). In his own discourses, also, our Lord clearly intimates his resurrection (Matt. 20:19; Mark 9:9; 14:28; Luke 18:33; John 2:19-22). The evangelists give circumstantial accounts of the facts connected with that event, and the apostles, ”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Mode and Order of Christ's Conception, Art. 3: Article: Whether Christ's flesh was first of all conceived and afterwards assumed? I answer that, As stated above, we may say properly that "God was made man," but not that "man was made God": because God took to Himself that which belongs to man---and that which belongs to man did not pre-exist, as subsisting in itself, before being assumed by the Word. But if Christ's flesh had been conceived before being assumed by the Word, it would have had at some time an hypostasis other than that ”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 126: substance of the Virgin Mary.” This is involved in the Scriptural statement that He was born of a woman, which can only mean that He was born in the sense in which other children of men are born of women. This is essential to his true humanity, and to that likeness to men which makes them his brethren, and which was se cured by his taking part in flesh and blood. ( Heb. ii. 14 .) The incarnation of the Son of God, his stooping to take into personal and perpetual union with Himself a nature infinitely lower than his own, was an act of uns”
Hebrews (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hebrews 2:14: Here the apostle proceeds to assert the incarnation of Christ, as taking upon him not the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham; and he shows the reason and design of his so doing. I. The incarnation of Christ is asserted (Heb 2:16): Verily he took not upon him the nature of angels, but he took upon him the seed of Abraham. He took part of flesh and blood. Though as God he pre-existed from all eternity, yet in the fulness of time he took our nature into union with his divine nature, and became really and truly man. He did not lay hold of angels, but he laid h”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. VI.--ON THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST. (part 4): Him in a pre-eminent degree[3] one spirit, according to the promise of the apostle to those who ought to imitate it, that "he who is joined in the Lord is one spirit."[4] This substance of a soul, then, being intermediate between God and the flesh--it being impossible for the nature of God to intermingle with a body without an intermediate instrument--the God-man is born, as we have said, that substance being the intermediary to whose nature it was not contrary to assume a body. But”
Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:4: 1:4 he was shown to be: Although Jesus eternally existed as the Son of God (1:3), his resurrection demonstrated him to be God’s Son, revealing him in all his power and glory.”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Third Part (Tertia Pars), Of the Order of Assumption, Art. 3: Article: Whether the soul was assumed before the flesh by the Son of God? I answer that, Origen (Peri Archon i, 7,8; ii, 8) maintained that all souls, amongst which he placed Christ's soul, were created in the beginning. But this is not fitting, if we suppose that it was first of all created, but not at once joined to the Word, since it would follow that this soul once had its proper subsistence without the Word; and thus, since it was assumed by the Word, either the union did not take place in the subsist”
CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 83: Church, admitted, concerned only the person and not the natures of Christ. Christ possessed all the attributes of humanity and of divinity, but the two natures remained distinct; just as a man is the subject of all that can be predicated of his body and of his soul, although the attributes of the one are not predicable of the other. The Lutherans maintained that, according to this view, the two natures were as separate as duo asseres agglutinatos . This they pronounced to be no real incarnation. The Reformed acknowledged that Jesus Christ”
Colossians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Colossians 1:15: They who have experienced in themselves "redemption" (Col 1:14), know Christ in the glorious character here described, as above the highest angels to whom the false teachers (Col 2:18) taught worship was to be paid. Paul describes Him: (1) in relation to God and creation (Col 1:15-17); (2) in relation to the Church (Col 1:18-20). As the former regards Him as the Creator (Col 1:15-16) and the Sustainer (Col 1:17) of the natural world; so the latter, as the source and stay of the new moral creation. image--exact likeness and perfect Representative.”

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