The Pre-existence Of Christ
John 1:1-5
INTRODUCTION
1. The gospel of John was written for a simple purpose...
a. To produce faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God
b. To share the "life" that comes through such faith
2. To encourage us in such a faith in Jesus Christ John begins his
gospel with a encouraging prologue with solid claims
READ JOHN 1:1-18
3. The very first claim pertains to the pre-existence of Christ...
a. That He existed in the beginning, long before being born of
Mary - Jn 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with
God in the beginning.
b. That His work in the beginning has great significance for us today– Jn 1:3-5
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him
was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has
not understood it.
**John is not alone in proclaiming "The Pre-Existence of
Christ." Elsewhere in the Scriptures we find...
I. EVIDENCE FOR THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST
A. FORETOLD BY THE PROPHETS...
1. Micah prophesied of the pre-existence of the Messiah to
come - Mic 5:2
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will
come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
2. Isaiah spoke of the King to come as "Everlasting Father" – Isa 9:6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he
will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the
increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and
over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on
and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
3. Zechariah recorded the Messiah’s own promise to come
- Zech 2:10-11
"Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming and I will live among you," declares
the Lord. "Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will
live among you and you will know that the Lord almighty has sent me to you.
B. AFFIRMED BY JESUS HIMSELF...
1. In His claim to have existed in Abraham’s day - Jn 8:56-58
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad. "You are
not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham"
2. In His prayer shortly before His arrest and crucifixion
- Jn. 17:4-5, 24
I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father,
glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
3. In the revelation He gave to John - Rev 22:13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
C. DECLARED BY HIS APOSTLES...
1. By John in his gospel, and also his epistle
- Jn 1:1-4; 1 Jn 2:14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with
God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has
been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
2. By Paul in his epistles
a. To the church in Corinth - 1 Cor 10:1-4; 2 Cor 8:9
For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the
cloud and that they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and
in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they
drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
b. To the church in Philippi - Phil 2:5-8
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God did not
consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very
nature of a servant being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he
humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!
c. To the church in Colosse - 1 Cor 1:16-17
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom,
lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
D. ILLUSTRATED BY THE CREATION...
1. All things were created by Jesus - Jn 1:3; He 1:2-3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.
2. Necessitating His existence before creation - 1 Cor 1:16-17
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom,
lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
3. Implying His own eternal power and divine nature
- Rom 1:20
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature –
have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without
excuse.
II. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST
A. HE IS DEITY...!
1. Especially when we consider the nature of His pre-existence
a. His going forth were "from everlasting" - Mic 5:2
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will
come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.
b. He was the eternal "I Am" - Jn 8:58
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
2. As made clear in John’s prologue - Jn 1:1-2
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with
God in the beginning
a. He was "with" God (implying a personal communion with God)
b. He "was" God (explicitly stating His deity)
B. HE IS LIFE...!
1. By virtue of being the Creator and the Sustainer of life
a. All things were made by Him - 1 Cor 1:16
Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t remember if I baptized anyone
else.)
b. All things are held together (NASV, NRSV) by Him - 1 Cor 1:17
For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel - not with words of human wisdom,
lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
2. Again, as John makes clear in his prologue - Jn 1:3-4
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him
was life, and that life was the light of men.
a. Without Him, nothing was made
b. In Him was life itself
-- Thus He gives us hope for our own resurrection!
C. HE IS LIGHT...!
1. We live in a world of darkness...
a. Where people spend their lives stumbling in ignorance
b. Alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance
- cf. Ep 4:17-19
So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the
futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of
God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all
sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of
impurity, with a continual lust for more.
2. As the Creator and Sustainer of life itself...
a. Jesus is uniquely qualified to bring light into the world
- Jn 1:4
In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
b. He calls for us to believe that we might become "sons of light" - Jn 12:35-36
Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you
have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know
where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of
light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them.
-- Thus Jesus offers us the "light of life" - Jn 8:12
CONCLUSION
1. Sadly, many resist the life and light Jesus offers...
a. Some tried to destroy Him, but did not succeed
b. Many try to avoid Him, knowing that it will mean changes to
their lifestyle - Jn 3:19-20
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because
their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for
fear that his deeds will be exposed.
2. But for those willing to come to Jesus...
a. He offers us hope and guidance in this life
b. He is capable of fulfilling His promises
