Eternality of Jesus

 Sermon from December 2020

This week we will consider ‘Before Bethlehem,” next week we will consider the ‘Virgin Birth’ followed by the “Purpose of Jesus’ Incarnation.”   Before we come to the birth of Jesus we need to take a step before Bethlehem.   Jesus’ birth was not his beginning.  The conception of Jesus in the virgin Mary was not his beginning.   Jesus’ entrance into humanity was not Jesus beginning. Rather Jesus the Christ pre-existed before coming to earth.  Not only did he preexist, as God he is eternal without beginning and without ending.   But don’t take my word for it! Let’s consider the Bible! This morning we will primarily focus our attention on the Gospel of John.

In the gospels we find some debate from Jesus’ contemporaries about Jesus’ geographical origins.  

While Jesus was born in Bethlehem he was raised in Galilee.   In John 7:41-51 we find skepticism about Jesus authenticity as a prophet coming from Galilee.   READ John 7:41-51. Yet from the gospels we understand the prophecy of a Bethlehem birth was fulfilled (Micah 5:2).

Jesus preexisted.

Jesus focus in teaching was not an origin from Bethlehem bur rather his pre-existence before Bethlehem. Pre-existence meaning that Jesus was alive, existed before he was conceived, born of Mary.  He lived in heaven.   We find four threads of evidence for this in John’s gospel.  

John the Baptist’s testimony

John the Baptist testifies that while Jesus came after him Jesus was before him. READ John 1:15. In Luke we understand that John the Baptist was born before Jesus was born.  Jesus was after John in order of birth.  Yet John asserts that Jesus is preferred before me, he has a higher rank than I.    John demonstrates this by stating that “He, Jesus was before me.” Jesus existed before John.    While John came to life at conception and then born Jesus existed before, earlier than John.  Jesus pre-existence was unique. His pre-existence proved his superiority and greatness! Again in John 3:31 John the Baptist proclaims the preeminence of Jesus.    John is responding to the growing fame of Jesus vs 26.  READ John 3:27-31. John has declared that Jesus is the Christ, Anointed One, Messiah.  Coming Deliver of King David’s line.   John explains his role as a servant of Jesus vs 30.   Jesus is the preeminent one over all, He is above all.  John’s proof of this is because he come from above, from heaven 31c.   Earth is contrasted with heaven.    Jesus is from above, from heaven and is above all.  Above all is the sense of importance, preeminence, and superiority.    Jesus pre-existence, coming from heaven indicates his preeminence and Divine Authority. Further in John we find Jesus came from Heaven.

Jesus first asserts this himself in his discussion with Nicodemus:

-           John 3:13, No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.

Later in Jesus ‘ lengthy discussion with physically hungry followers Jesus declares He is the true bread from Heaven. READ John 6:26-27.  Jesus confronts their base vain pursuit of following him simply for physical food, after he multiplied the bread and fed the 5000 (John 6:10). Now Jesus take the picture of physical food and explains the need for spiritual food for everlasting life. READ John 6:28-32.  Jesus stresses the proper response to God for such life is believe in Him that is sent.   These want proof that Jesus has been sent by God and they point to authenticity of Moses who provided manna, bread from heaven.   Jesus counters that He is the true bread and has come down from heaven.  Again asserting his existence in heaven before his conception in Mary or birth.    Jesus asserts He is the bread of life vs 35, the means to everlasting life. READ vs 35-40.  Everlasting life is obtained by trusting, believing in Jesus.   He is not simply a man but from heaven,  He is the Son, title of deity.   In verse 41 we see the objection to this claim as they asserted he was simply human.  In verses 50-51, 58 Jesus further asserts he came from heaven and he is the way of salvation. 

Sent from God

A third thread of evidence indicating Jesus’ pre-existence is that He was sent by God the Father.

In John 3:17, the same conversation with Nicodemus Jesus explains that God sent His son into the world.

-          John 3:17, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

In John 8 Jesus has a lengthy and testy debate with the Pharisees Jesus declares God the Father sent Him.

-          John 8:42, Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.

Later in John 16:27-28 in a discussion with His disciples Jesus explains again he has come from the Father and will return to him.

-          John 16:27-28, for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.

Proper response to Jesus is the belief that he came from God.   God sent Him.  

In John 16:28 we also see the fourth thread indicating Jesus pre-existence: Jesus return to the Father in heaven.  Jesus came from the Father and would return to Him.

In John 8:21-23, Jesus again is in discussion with the Pharisees. READ John 8:21-23.   Jesus indicates his future departure, ascension (Acts 1).    Jesus declares his origins are not from earth but from above, heaven.  

In John 17 we find Jesus High Priestly prayer. READ John 17:1-5. Again the possession of eternal life is through saving knowledge of God the Father and Jesus Christ.  In verse 5 we understand Jesus’s possession of Divine glory before the world began. Again indicating Jesus pre-existence for the creation of the world, humanity.   Here also we see the indication of Jesus full deity as he shares in the Father’s glory.  A prerogative that Jehovah does not share (Is 48:11).

Jesus did not begin in conception or his birth.  Jesus existed before in heaven. 

Jesus preexistence is unique.   Not assumed of all people. Human existence is begun at conception by either passing of physical and spiritual life from parents (Traduceanism) or by God’s individual creation of humans spiritual life.   The belief in the pre-existence of all humans is not a doctrine of the historic Christian Church.   It was only held by Origen of the Church Fathers, who had numerous interpretation errors.   It was found of the secular Plato and then later of Joseph Smith.  Smith’s main support from the Bible was Jeremiah 1:5,

-          Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

The sense is not that Jeremiah pre-existed before birth but that God is Sovereign and knows and has planned the future.  

n  John 1:15, Jesus before John.   Not both preexistent

n  John 3:31 One from above is over all.   Not all from above. Unique of Jesus.

n  John 6:41, Come from heaven is not normative.

n  John 8:21-23, I am going away. You are from beneath and I am from above. You are of this world: I am not of this world.

Contrary to Mormonism people don’t preexist prior to conception. While humans begin at conception and birth Jesus did not. He entered humanity but he preexisted and has always existed.   Pre-existence is a proof of Jesus divinity.

Not only did Jesus preexist before his entrance into humanity but was also eternal.

Pre-existence before human life would be a proof for eternality.  But what if one had a beginning in heaven?   We find in the Bible that Jesus both pre-existed before the incarnation and is himself eternal.

Again we will continue in the book of John.

John’s purpose in writing the gospel is explained in John 20:31.

-          these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.                    

John wrote to declare Jesus is the Christ, the son of God.   That as such sinners might have life by believing in him for salvation.  This purpose of declaring Jesus deity is realized in the very first verse of John’s gospel.  John 1:1,

The apostle John doesn’t waste any time getting down to the subject of his writing.  In verse one and two John unfolds concisely and yet powerfully the person of Christ.  4 short clauses yet immense in meaning.   In the beginning was the Word.  A start that immediately triggers the memory to Genesis 1:1, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  John declares at this point heralding back before creation of all things, before time itself ‘the Word was’.  The word did not become or was made as we see of all things in vs 3 but was. Like Gen 1:1 it assumes His present existence, his eternal existence.  He was or he was being.  Here John declares the existence of the “Word.’  We find in verse 14 and the remaining of the book that this “Word’ is identified as Jesus.   In the OT the word, spoken word of God was that which created, revealed in power and authority.   Here it is the ultimate self-disclosure, expression of God in person of Jesus. A title and declaration of Jesus much like He is the Shepherd, Door, Way. This Jesus who was born, became flesh vs 14, did not come into being at his human birth but ‘was being in the beginning.’  A reality true uniquely of Jehovah as in Gen 1:1. Thus the person of Jesus the Son of God didn’t begin at birth. He existed ‘in the beginning.’  John continues in his description of the Word. The Word was with God. Upon declaring the pre-existence of the Son, John declares the joint presence of the Word with God.  In the beginning God was present and the Word was present also.  John here indicates a distinction yet mutual existence of the Word and God. While God the Father existed so simultaneously did the Word.  God did not morph from Father into Son into Spirit, heresy of Modalism.  We see this mutual existence very clearly during the baptism of Jesus as Father speaks simultaneously as Son is baptized.  Also we see this same sense at Jesus’ Transfiguration and elsewhere.   “In the beginning”, eternally they both mutually existed. Yet though distinct in person John continues the Word was very God.   The Word was God.   Here affirming the absolute deity of the Word, full deity of this Jesus. Jesus was, is Theos, God.   Affirming equality and oneness as the OT Almighty God, Jehovah.  Some, Jehovah’s witness, have attacked the deity of Christ from this very clause.  Asserting from the Greek that since “God/ theos” does not have an article that it is therefore indefinite and may be ‘a god or divine like’.  First of all this is ridiculous given John was a monotheistic Jew. Second from the objective studies of the nature of Greek (secular and religious studies) this is sheer folly.   Greek word order reads ‘ and God was the Word’.  Word is the subject in the nominative case with the article.  Robertson a foremost Greek linguist explains: the presence of the article shows that it is the “Word” that is the subject. The fact that theos is a predicate shows that it is describing the nature of the Word; he is of the same nature and essence as the noun in the predicate; that is, the Word is divine (RHG, p. 767).[1]  Here rather in a forthright powerful manner is the affirmation that the Word, Son, Jesus is fully Divine, is God.  The declaration of Jesus deity can’t be any clearer!   Refuting the false teaching of Arianism, seen in present day Jehovah’s witness and Mormonism that Jesus was a god, created being or less than God.   They would hold to Jesus having a marked beginning as a created, procreated being.  That is not the Jesus of the Bible!  Jesus is fully, 100% God. He is Theos, God of the OT.  As such He is eternal.  While in this same verse asserting and protecting the nature of the person ofGod the Father.  1 God as verse 1 states in two persons existing eternally (in the beginning) simultaneously (word was with God) and coequally (Word was God). This is paramount to Christianity in the teaching of Scripture.  Cornerstone of Christiainity!  Deny Jesus as God (Son of God) is to deny eternal life! John 30:31. 

In Vs 2 John further affirms the mutual simultaneous existence of the Word and God in the beginning.   Restating and re-emphasizing the truths of vs 1.  Not one became the other: refuting the false teaching of Modalism.  But simultaneously both existed together. Lest one disconnect the first two phrases John nullifies that possibility. Not the Word in the Beginning and at some point God came along.  In the beginning this one, Word, was with God. Again in the beginning is not the mark of origination of the Word or God but the period of recognizable time before God would create.  Before Creation before this beginning Father and Son eternally existed forever.

In vs 1 and two we see the foundation for the fundamental, essential doctrine of the Trinity. The God head exists in a tri-unity. One God in three persons, Father, Son and Spirit.  Co-eternal, co-equal, consubstantial. Essential doctrine of Christianity.  Unity yet distinctiveness as persons. 

Later in John John 8:58, Jesus asserts his eternality in a heated battle with the Jews.   John 8:56-59

-          56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” 57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

Here Jesus refers to Abraham as anticipating and rejoicing in the future coming of Jesus, the Messiah.   The Jews misunderstand Jesus to say that he saw Abraham.  Jesus actually agrees with their misunderstanding as he asserts, ‘before Abraham’ 1600+ years earlier to this discussion, ‘I am.”   ‘I am’ echoes Jehovah’s declaration to Moses of his covenant name Jehovah, I Am.  Self existence, transcendent living One.              

Micah 5:2, But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”

Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 Conclusion:While Jesus was born in Bethlehem that was not his beginning! Jesus the Son of God is God.  He is eternal without beginning and without ending.   He is the mighty God co-equal, coeternal with the Father. 

 Everlasting life is found in rightly believing in Jesus.  He is the mighty eternal God, come from heaven.   He is the living bread and water.

-          John 8:24, Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

Crucial to salvation is believing that Jesus is the eternal mighty God.

RHG Robertson’s Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research

[1] Tenney, M. C. (1981). John. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Volume 9: John and Acts (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) (29). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.