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JESUS CHRIST: GOD-MAN - Vital Christianity

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124<br />

THE PREINCARNATION OF <strong>CHRIST</strong><br />

Preincarnation denotes the time before Jesus Christ was embodied with flesh and bodily<br />

form. The Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ existed before His incarnation.<br />

● "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word<br />

was God" (Jn 1:1).<br />

● "Jesus said unto them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am'" (8:58).<br />

● "And now, Father, glorify Me with Your own self with the glory which I had with You<br />

before the world was" (17:5).<br />

● "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation" (Col 1:15).<br />

● "He is before all things . . ." (v. 17).<br />

THE PREINCARNATE <strong>CHRIST</strong>'S RELATIONSHIP WITH <strong>GOD</strong> THE FATHER<br />

His Relationship to God in Essence<br />

John 1:1 teaches us that in the beginning the Word was with God, indeed, the Word was<br />

God. The word used here in John is logos indicating that Christ is the Word. The logos indicates<br />

the eternal character of Jesus Christ and thus proves His pre-incarnation.<br />

● As logos, He was in the beginning, thus having an existence that is beyond<br />

time—eternal.<br />

● As logos, He was with God, thus having a personal existence in eternal communion<br />

with God.<br />

● As logos, He was with God, thus in nature He is very God in essence.<br />

Logos is a philosophical term denoting "reason" and "speech" to express the<br />

manifestation of an unseen God. It includes the modes by which God makes Himself known to<br />

man. Therefore logos or Word, has come to mean the Word as a divine Person, Jesus Christ.<br />

The Problem of Christ being "begotten" or "firstborn"<br />

John 1:14 states that Jesus is the "only begotten from the Father." Colossians 1:15 says<br />

that He is the "firstborn of all creation." The Arians used these statements to prove that Christ<br />

was a created being and not coeternal with the Father.

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