[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":966},["ShallowReactive",2],{"footer-links":3,"content-\u002Fdivine\u002Fpreexistance":12},[4,9],{"path":5,"title":6,"type":7,"isExternal":8},"\u002Fabout","About","link",false,{"path":10,"title":11,"type":7,"isExternal":8},"\u002Fdisclaimer","Disclaimer",{"id":13,"title":14,"body":15,"description":957,"extension":958,"meta":959,"navigation":961,"path":962,"seo":963,"stem":964,"__hash__":965},"content\u002Fdivine\u002Fpreexistance.md","Did Jesus Exist Before His Birth?",{"type":16,"value":17,"toc":937},"minimark",[18,22,26,29,32,91,94,163,173,178,199,202,210,213,223,226,240,265,273,279,293,301,312,320,329,332,340,347,363,369,399,402,410,438,441,457,460,484,487,529,536,539,552,555,576,592,606,614,622,630,634,637,640,644,659,666,677,697,701,718,748,752,759,789,792,801,806,817,820,853,856,905,909,927],[19,20,14],"h1",{"id":21},"did-jesus-exist-before-his-birth",[23,24,25],"p",{},"Did Jesus live before his birth, or did God the Father’s promise exist before he did? The question concerns whether Jesus was conscious before his human birth, not simply his importance or authority.",[23,27,28],{},"Several passages appear to describe an earlier heavenly life. Others present a promised human descendant whose coming was planned beforehand. A fair judgement must consider both patterns without confusing prior existence with deity. Scripture summaries below are paraphrases.",[23,30,31],{},"Conscious preexistence means a conscious Jesus living before his human birth. Evidence this are:",[33,34,35,53,67,78,85],"ul",{},[36,37,38,43,44,43,48,52],"li",{},[39,40,42],"a",{"href":41},"#john-313-descended-from-heaven","John 3:13",", ",[39,45,47],{"href":46},"#john-638-62-come-down-from-heaven","6:38-62",[39,49,51],{"href":50},"#john-1626-30-came-from-god","16:28"," connect descent from heaven with departure to God the Father.",[36,54,55,61,62,66],{},[56,57,60],"span",{"className":58,"dataReference":60},[59],"bible-ref","John 8:58"," places Jesus before Abraham in language that naturally suggests ",[39,63,65],{"href":64},"claims\u002Fi-am","conscious temporal priority addressed in a different article",".",[36,68,69,73,74,66],{},[56,70,72],{"className":71,"dataReference":72},[59],"John 17:5",",24 describes glory and love before the world. This supports ",[39,75,77],{"href":76},"#john-175-glory-before-the-world","an earlier relationship with God the Father",[36,79,80,81,66],{},"Various other scriptures implying ",[39,82,84],{"href":83},"creator","Jesus is the Creator addressed in a different article",[36,86,80,87],{},[39,88,90],{"href":89},"body-of-god","Jesus is God's human body",[23,92,93],{},"Existence in foreknowledge means a future Messiah already known and appointed by God the Father, without an earlier conscious life. Foreordination means appointment beforehand. Evidence this are:",[33,95,96,112,128,143],{},[36,97,98,102,103,107,108,66],{},[56,99,101],{"className":100,"dataReference":101},[59],"Matthew 1:1",",18-20 and ",[56,104,106],{"className":105,"dataReference":106},[59],"Romans 1:3-4"," locate Jesus within human descent and birth. This directly supports ",[39,109,111],{"href":110},"#birth-and-human-sonship","a genuinely human Messiah",[36,113,114,118,119,123,124,66],{},[56,115,117],{"className":116,"dataReference":117},[59],"Romans 5:12-19"," and ",[56,120,122],{"className":121,"dataReference":122},[59],"1 Corinthians 15:21",",45-49 present Jesus as Adam’s human counterpart, with ",[39,125,127],{"href":126},"#resurrection-exaltation-and-dependence","heavenly life understood through resurrection",[36,129,130,134,135,139,140,66],{},[56,131,133],{"className":132,"dataReference":133},[59],"John 17:3",", 20:17 and ",[56,136,138],{"className":137,"dataReference":138},[59],"1 Corinthians 15:24-28"," distinguish Jesus from his God. This supports ",[39,141,142],{"href":126},"continuing dependence rather than independent deity",[36,144,145,149,150,149,154,158,159,66],{},[56,146,148],{"className":147,"dataReference":148},[59],"Ephesians 1:4","; ",[56,151,153],{"className":152,"dataReference":153},[59],"2 Timothy 1:9",[56,155,157],{"className":156,"dataReference":157},[59],"1 Peter 1:20"," describe prior choice, grace and foreknowledge. They establish ",[39,160,162],{"href":161},"#foreknowledge-without-a-prior-human-life","purpose before personal manifestation",[23,164,165,166,172],{},"Does ",[39,167,171],{"href":168,"rel":169},"https:\u002F\u002Fword.ofgod.info\u002Fdownloads",[170],"nofollow","the Bible"," contradict itself?",[174,175,177],"h2",{"id":176},"examining-conscious-preexistence","Examining Conscious preexistence",[23,179,180,181,43,185,43,189,193,194,198],{},"Some Unitarians, who identify God as one personal being, accept Jesus’ prior conscious existence. Even if the preexistance of Jesus could be proven, it would still not proof ",[39,182,184],{"href":183},"..\u002F..\u002Fmodalism","modalism",[39,186,188],{"href":187},"..\u002F..\u002Fpartialism","partialism",[39,190,192],{"href":191},"..\u002F..\u002Fsubordinationism","subordinationism"," or ",[39,195,197],{"href":196},"..\u002F..\u002Ftrinity","trinitarianism",". For example Mormons and Jehova Witnesses also belief in the preexistance of Jesus, yet they do not associate with all these mentioned groups. Debating whether Jesus eternally preexisted or was created at some point in time is a different topic not addressed by this article.",[23,200,201],{},"Let's examamine the evidence for concious preexistance:",[203,204,206,209],"h3",{"id":205},"john-313-descended-from-heaven",[56,207,42],{"className":208,"dataReference":42},[59]," (Descended from Heaven)",[23,211,212],{},"Short version:",[214,215,216],"blockquote",{},[23,217,218,219],{},"No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. — ",[56,220,222],{"className":221,"dataReference":222},[59],"John 3:13 (ESV)",[23,224,225],{},"Longer version:",[214,227,228],{},[23,229,230,231,235,236],{},"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man ",[232,233,234],"em",{},"who is in heaven",". — ",[56,237,239],{"className":238,"dataReference":239},[59],"John 3:13 (NKJV)",[23,241,242,243,246,247,252,253,258,259,264],{},"This is a textual variation. The longer reading of ",[56,244,42],{"className":245,"dataReference":42},[59]," includes “who is in heaven,” but several early Greek manuscripts, including P66 and P75, omit this clause, as documented in the ",[39,248,251],{"href":249,"rel":250},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.biblegateway.com\u002Fpassage\u002F?search=John%203%3A13&version=NET",[170],"NET Bible’s textual note",". The clause also appears in the ",[39,254,257],{"href":255,"rel":256},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.thelatinlibrary.com\u002Fnovatian.html",[170],"Latin text of Novatian’s On the Trinity, chapter 13",", a work ",[39,260,263],{"href":261,"rel":262},"https:\u002F\u002Fccel.org\u002Fccel\u002Fschaff\u002Fanf05\u002Fanf05.vi.ii.html",[170],"dated to the third century"," on which Jerome based his Vulgate which was used to translate the KJV and NKJV translations.",[23,266,267,268,272],{},"While it is true that the disciples witnessed Jesus been taken up in heaven (",[56,269,271],{"className":270,"dataReference":271},[59],"Acts 1:9","), it significantly changes the meaning of the first occurrence of \"heaven\" in the same sentence.",[23,274,275,276,66],{},"If the longer reading is correct, then it means the first occurrence of \"heaven\" should have the same meaning because John did not qualify that they have different meanings. Therefore, if the last instace of \"heaven\" means a physical location, then the first instance should also mean a physical location. Since there is no record that Jesus had been in heaven at that point in his life, the logical explanation is that he ",[232,277,278],{},"must have preexisted in a literal \"heavenly realm\"",[23,280,281,282,287,288,292],{},"However, if the shorter reading is correct, then \"coming down from heaven\" is most likely an ",[39,283,286],{"href":284,"rel":285},"https:\u002F\u002Fword.ofgod.info\u002Fterms\u002Fheaven#idiomatic-usage",[170],"idiom which means \"send by God\""," and do not support the preexistance claim. Jesus said multiple times directly that he was ",[39,289,291],{"href":290},"..\u002Fhuman\u002Fserve-god","send by God",", but nowhere in Scripture does Jesus say directly that he preexisted or that he literally came down from heaven.",[23,294,295,296,300],{},"The context is Nicodemus, a Pharisee, asking questions to Jesus about the Kingdom of God. From the conversation we can see that Nicodemus did not understand the concept of being \"born again in the Spirit\". Jesus replied that if Nicodemus does not even accept their plain (earthly) testimonies, it would be useless to explain of how spiritual (heavenly) things work. Then ",[297,298,299],"strong",{},"the narrator",", not Jesus, adds a comment \"No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven\" which qualifies Jesus as someone who would have been able to answer Nicodemus. Jesus did not avoid the answer because he was uncertain.",[302,303,305],"markdown-alert",{"type":304},"important",[23,306,307,308,311],{},"Some bible translations put ",[56,309,42],{"className":310,"dataReference":42},[59]," in red text to imply that this was part of Jesus' dialogue. However, here the narrator refer to \"the son of man\" as another person.",[23,313,314,315,319],{},"Then the narrator explains what he meant by \"ascended into heaven\" as an example by referring to \"Moses who lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up\" (",[56,316,318],{"className":317,"dataReference":318},[59],"John 3:14","). What does that mean?",[214,321,322],{},[23,323,324,325],{},"whoever believes in him may have eternal life — ",[56,326,328],{"className":327,"dataReference":328},[59],"John 3:14 (ESV)",[23,330,331],{},"Believing that Jesus testimonies are true, means to \"lift up\" the \"Son of Man\" to receive salvation, just as the Israelites were saved when Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.",[203,333,335,339],{"id":334},"john-638-62-come-down-from-heaven",[56,336,338],{"className":337,"dataReference":338},[59],"John 6:38-62"," (Come Down From Heaven)",[23,341,342,343,346],{},"In ",[56,344,338],{"className":345,"dataReference":338},[59]," it seems like Jesus speaks of his own descent, not merely a message sent to him.",[214,348,349],{},[23,350,351,352,355,356,235,359],{},"For I have ",[297,353,354],{},"come down from heaven",", not to do my own will but the will of ",[297,357,358],{},"Him Who sent me",[56,360,362],{"className":361,"dataReference":362},[59],"John 6:38 (ESV)",[23,364,365,368],{},[39,366,367],{"href":41},"As mentioned before",", \"come down from heaven\" is an idiom which means \"send by God\". The context support this view:",[214,370,371],{},[23,372,373,374,377,378,381,382,355,385,387,388,390,391,394,395],{},"Jesus said to them, “",[297,375,376],{},"I am the bread"," of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that ",[297,379,380],{},"the Father gives"," me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For ",[297,383,384],{},"I have come down from heaven",[297,386,358],{},". And this is the will of ",[297,389,358],{},", that I should lose nothing of all that ",[297,392,393],{},"He has given me",", but raise it up on the last day. — ",[56,396,398],{"className":397,"dataReference":398},[59],"John 6:35-39 (ESV)",[23,400,401],{},"Here Jesus was addressing his audience using idioms or figures of speach. Nobody though that Jesus was a literal bread. He makes it clear that the authority he has was given by the Father and with this authority. Then he explains that \"come down from heaven\" means to be \"sent by Him\" (the Father) for our benefit.",[203,403,405,409],{"id":404},"john-1626-30-came-from-god",[56,406,408],{"className":407,"dataReference":408},[59],"John 16:26-30"," (Came from God)",[214,411,412],{},[23,413,414,415,418,419,421,422,427,428,433,434],{},"In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask ",[232,416],{"the":417},""," Father ",[232,420],{"behalf":417,"your":417},"; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that ",[297,423,424,425],{},"I came from ",[232,426],{"god":417},". ",[297,429,430,432],{},[232,431],{"the":417,"and":417,"came":417,"father":417,"from":417,"i":417}," have come into the world",", and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” — ",[56,435,437],{"className":436,"dataReference":437},[59],"John 16:26-28 (ESV)",[23,439,440],{},"As this scripture is usually translated, it appears that Jesus is describing an incarnation circuit: from God to the world and back to God.",[302,442,444],{"type":443},"warning",[23,445,446,449,450,453,454,456],{},[297,447,448],{},"Multiple textual variations"," exist in the source manuscripts, suggesting ",[297,451,452],{},"tampering"," with Scripture. I updated the above scripture with ",[232,455],{"braces":417,"curly":417,"italic":417}," to show where variations occur. The translators had to choose which manscripts to use, and which to ignore based on their understanding of the Scripture.",[23,458,459],{},"Without the textual variations, all that is left is:",[214,461,462],{},[23,463,414,464,469,470,473,474,118,477,480,481],{},[232,465,466],{},[297,467,468],{},"my"," Father; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that ",[297,471,472],{},"I have come into the world",", and now ",[297,475,476],{},"I am leaving the world",[297,478,479],{},"going to the Father",".” — ",[56,482,437],{"className":483,"dataReference":437},[59],[23,485,486],{},"This shows Jesus is distinct from the Father. The passage is not about incarnation, but it stead Jesus warned his disciples that his ministry in the world was about to end and that would be going to God, his Father.",[214,488,489],{},[23,490,491,492,427,498,502,503,506,507,510,511,514,515,518,519,523,524,66],{},"God fathered Jesus in Mary's womb; God was Jesus' source and origin. Jesus thus \"came from\" the Father when God brought him into existence. The phrase ",[297,493,494,497],{},[232,495,496],{},"\"came into the world\""," does not require prior existence outside the world any more than John the Baptist's \"coming\" did",[56,499,501],{"className":500,"dataReference":501},[59],"Luke 7:33-34"," provides a direct parallel: \"",[297,504,505],{},"John the Baptist has come"," eating no bread and drinking no wine... The Son of Man has come eating and drinking.\" ",[297,508,509],{},"Both \"came\" into public ministry—neither descended from heaven."," Jesus' statement that he is \"going to the Father\" refers to his ",[297,512,513],{},"post-resurrection exaltation",". Jesus knew from Scripture that after his suffering he would be glorified and seated at God's right hand. Speaking at the Last Supper on the eve of his arrest, he tells his disciples what is about to unfold. The language describes Jesus' origin from God, ",[297,516,517],{},"his earthly ministry, and his coming exaltation","—not a preexistent divine being incarnating and then returning to heaven. For fuller analysis, see ",[39,520,521],{"href":521,"rel":522},"https:\u002F\u002Fpreexistenceofchrist.com\u002Fpreexistence-passages-in-john\u002F",[170]," — ",[39,525,528],{"href":526,"rel":527},"https:\u002F\u002Fcorebible.app\u002FJHN\u002F16?verseNumber=%2226%22&translation=AICNT",[170],"AICNT Commentary",[203,530,532,535],{"id":531},"john-175-glory-before-the-world",[56,533,72],{"className":534,"dataReference":72},[59]," (Glory Before the World)",[23,537,538],{},"This verse has been used to prove that Jesus is God because of the phrase, “that I had with you before the world was.” There is no question that Jesus “existed” before the world began.",[214,540,541],{},[23,542,543,544,547,548],{},"“that ",[297,545,546],{},"I had with you"," before the world existed” — ",[56,549,551],{"className":550,"dataReference":551},[59],"John 17:5 (ESV)",[23,553,554],{},"God had planned to glorify His Son, and now that the time of Jesus’ death was drawing near, Jesus prayed that God would bring His plan to fruition.",[23,556,557,558,43,563,566,567,571,572,575],{},"Both Christ and those called to be in ",[39,559,562],{"href":560,"rel":561},"https:\u002F\u002Fkingdom.ofgod.info\u002Fchrist\u002Fbody",[170],"the Body of Christ",[297,564,565],{},"existed in God’s foreknowledge before being conciously alive",". Christ was ",[39,568,570],{"href":569},"..\u002Fname\u002Fword","the “logos,” the “plan”"," of God from the beginning, and ",[39,573,574],{"href":569},"that plan became flesh"," only when he was conceived.",[23,577,578,579,583,584,587,588,591],{},"It is ",[39,580,582],{"href":581},"..\u002Ftrinity","Trinitarian"," bias that causes people to read an actual physical existence into this verse rather than a figurative existence in the mind of God. When ",[56,585,153],{"className":586,"dataReference":153},[59]," says that each Christian was given grace “before the beginning of time”, no one tries to prove that we were actually alive with God back then. Everyone acknowledges that we existed in God’s foreknowledge. The same is true of Jesus Christ. His glory was “with the Father” before the world began, and in ",[56,589,72],{"className":590,"dataReference":72},[59]," he prayed that it will come into manifestation.",[23,593,594,595,598,599,602,603,66],{},"The immediate context shows that Jesus was speaking of being in God’s foreknowledge. Just two verses earlier, in ",[56,596,133],{"className":597,"dataReference":133},[59],", Jesus said that the Father was ",[297,600,601],{},"“the only true God.”"," ",[297,604,605],{},"Jesus could not have prayed that while at the same being God too",[23,607,608,609,613],{},"Furthermore, Jesus spoke again about things in God’s foreknowledge in ",[56,610,612],{"className":611,"dataReference":612},[59],"John 17:22"," when he said that he had given the glory from God to his disciples. But that had not happened yet either. Both the glory of Jesus and the glory that his disciples would have was in the foreknowledge of God, and Jesus prayed about it in his prayer.",[23,615,616,617,621],{},"The proper interpretation of ",[56,618,620],{"className":619,"dataReference":620},[59],"John 17"," is simple and biblical. Jesus knew he was the promised Messiah and Son of God, and God had spoken of his glory many centuries earlier. Now, on the eve of his arrest, he prayed to his Father, the “only true God,” and asked for God’s plan to glorify His Son to come to pass.",[23,623,624,625,66],{},"For more details read ",[39,626,629],{"href":627,"rel":628},"https:\u002F\u002Fpreexistenceofchrist.com\u002Fjohn175\u002F",[170],"this article",[174,631,633],{"id":632},"the-human-messiah-in-gods-purpose","The Human Messiah in God’s Purpose",[23,635,636],{},"The greatest challenge with a concious preexisting Jesus, is that it means he had to be an alien. No human conciously preexisted before his birth. This would put Jesus in the category an avatar or shape-shifter.",[23,638,639],{},"Conscious-preexistence interpretations can read the promises and birth accounts as describing the Son’s genuinely human life, while foreknowledge concerns someone already living. Deity interpretations must explain dependence within that human life and the Son’s relationship to God the Father. A created, subordinate Son can affirm dependence without claiming Almighty deity. The response below therefore distinguishes a case against Almighty deity from a judgement about personal origin; neither humanity nor foreknowledge alone decides the latter.",[203,641,643],{"id":642},"birth-and-human-sonship","Birth and Human Sonship",[23,645,646,649,650,654,655,658],{},[56,647,101],{"className":648,"dataReference":101},[59]," locates Jesus within Abraham’s and David’s family; ",[56,651,653],{"className":652,"dataReference":653},[59],"Matthew 1:18-20"," describes conception through the Holy Spirit. The origin narrative presents a human life brought into being through divine action. ",[56,656,106],{"className":657,"dataReference":106},[59]," connects Davidic descent with resurrection designation as Son of God in power.",[23,660,661,665],{},[56,662,664],{"className":663,"dataReference":664},[59],"Luke 1:35"," corroborates this by linking the child’s designation as Son of God with divine action in conception.",[23,667,668,118,672,676],{},[56,669,671],{"className":670,"dataReference":671},[59],"Romans 8:3",[56,673,675],{"className":674,"dataReference":675},[59],"Galatians 4:4"," describe God the Father sending his Son in human flesh, born of woman and under the law.",[23,678,679,682,683,687,688,691,692,696],{},[56,680,117],{"className":681,"dataReference":117},[59]," sets Jesus beside Adam as a human representative whose obedience answers disobedience. ",[56,684,686],{"className":685,"dataReference":686},[59],"1 Timothy 2:5"," explicitly identifies the mediator as ",[297,689,690],{},"the man"," Christ Jesus; ",[56,693,695],{"className":694,"dataReference":695},[59],"Hebrews 2:14-17"," corroborates shared flesh, blood and human solidarity. This is genuine human life, not a nonhuman disguise. Believers in prior conscious existence can also affirm it, so humanity alone cannot disprove their view.",[203,698,700],{"id":699},"resurrection-exaltation-and-dependence","Resurrection, Exaltation and Dependence",[23,702,703,707,708,712,713,717],{},[56,704,706],{"className":705,"dataReference":706},[59],"Acts 2:22",",30-36 presents a divinely attested man, David’s heir, who dies, is raised and is made Lord and Messiah. ",[56,709,711],{"className":710,"dataReference":711},[59],"Acts 10:38"," describes God the Father empowering Jesus with the Holy Spirit; ",[56,714,716],{"className":715,"dataReference":716},[59],"Acts 17:31"," identifies the appointed judge as a man whose resurrection guarantees his role. The movement from human life to exalted authority is explicit.",[23,719,720,723,724,728,729,733,734,738,739,742,743,747],{},[56,721,133],{"className":722,"dataReference":133},[59]," identifies God the Father as the only true God and Jesus as his sent Messiah. In ",[56,725,727],{"className":726,"dataReference":727},[59],"John 20:17"," the risen Jesus still calls him his God. ",[56,730,732],{"className":731,"dataReference":732},[59],"John 5:19",",30 describes the Son’s inability to act independently. ",[56,735,737],{"className":736,"dataReference":737},[59],"1 Corinthians 11:3"," and 15:24-28 continue the pattern of headship and final subjection beyond earthly weakness. ",[56,740,122],{"className":741,"dataReference":122},[59],",45-49 presents the last Adam and the second man from heaven within an argument about resurrection bodies. The natural-before-spiritual sequence concerns that transformation. It is not a universal rule excluding all earlier heavenly life. Equally, the heavenly man of ",[56,744,746],{"className":745,"dataReference":746},[59],"1 Corinthians 15:47"," can substantially describe the risen Messiah, without supplying a biography of a prior spirit-person.",[203,749,751],{"id":750},"foreknowledge-without-a-prior-human-life","Foreknowledge Without a Prior Human Life",[23,753,754,758],{},[56,755,757],{"className":756,"dataReference":757},[59],"Matthew 25:34"," describes a kingdom prepared for later heirs. This demonstrates that God proactively plans purposes and subsequent fulfilment. For example, Paul wrote:",[214,760,761],{},[23,762,763,766,767,602,770,776,777,780,781,784,785],{},[56,764,765],{},"God"," Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of His own purpose and grace, which ",[297,768,769],{},"He gave us",[232,771,772,773],{},"in ",[56,774,775],{},"with"," Christ Jesus ",[297,778,779],{},"before the ages began",", and which ",[297,782,783],{},"now has been manifested"," through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel — ",[56,786,788],{"className":787,"dataReference":788},[59],"2 Timothy 1:9-10 (ESV)",[23,790,791],{},"This shows:",[793,794,795,798],"ol",{},[36,796,797],{},"That God had a purpose for us, including Christ Jesus, before Creation (the ages began).",[36,799,800],{},"This purpose was only later manifested by Christ Jesus.",[302,802,803],{"type":443},[23,804,805],{},"The Greek word ἐν (en) is a preposition which could mean \"in\", \"with\", \"on\", \"at\", \"by\", \"among\" depending on the context. However the ESV and many other modern English translations consistenly translate it as \"in Christ\" to give the impression which are inside some divine Christ.",[23,807,808,811,812,816],{},[56,809,148],{"className":810,"dataReference":148},[59]," similarly places believers’ choice in Christ before the world. ",[56,813,815],{"className":814,"dataReference":815},[59],"Romans 8:29-30"," connects foreknowledge and appointment with glorification spoken of as accomplished.",[23,818,819],{},"Peter explains the same message more clearly:",[214,821,822],{},[23,823,824,825,830,831,834,835,838,839,118,842,845,846,235,849],{},"He ",[232,826,827],{},[56,828,829],{},"Jesus"," was ",[297,832,833],{},"foreknown before the foundation of the world"," but was ",[297,836,837],{},"made manifest in the last times"," for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, ",[297,840,841],{},"Who raised him from the dead",[297,843,844],{},"gave him glory",", so that your ",[297,847,848],{},"faith and hope are in God",[56,850,852],{"className":851,"dataReference":852},[59],"1 Peter 1:20-21 (ESV)",[23,854,855],{},"In this one sentence Peter make several important statements:",[793,857,858,867,876,885],{},[36,859,860,866],{},[297,861,862],{},[39,863,865],{"href":864},"#the-human-messiah-in-gods-purpose","Jesus did not preexist",": Jesus was \"foreknown\" before creation (\"foundation of the world\"). If Jesus conciously preexisted since eternity, then God would have already known Jesus instead of \"foreknown\". Peter also makes it clear that Jesus only manifested later. This shows that Jesus was not active since the beginning.",[36,868,869,875],{},[297,870,871],{},[39,872,874],{"href":873},"..\u002Fhuman\u002Fdistinct","God is distinct from Jesus",": God raised him from the dead. A dead person is dead and cannot do anything and that is why Jesus needed a distict God.",[36,877,878,884],{},[297,879,880],{},[39,881,883],{"href":882},"..\u002Fhuman\u002Fhas-a-god","Jesus has a God",": Peter also says that God gave him glory. Only a higher authority can give glory. If God was giving Himself glory then His glory would have been unearned and selfish.",[36,886,887,894,895,118,900,66],{},[297,888,889],{},[39,890,893],{"href":891,"rel":892},"https:\u002F\u002Fkingdom.ofgod.info\u002Flife\u002Frighteousness",[170],"Faith and hope are in God",": Peter focus his audience attention to God, distinct from Jesus, for ",[39,896,899],{"href":897,"rel":898},"https:\u002F\u002Fword.ofgod.info\u002Fterms\u002Ffaith",[170],"faith",[39,901,904],{"href":902,"rel":903},"https:\u002F\u002Fkingdom.ofgod.info\u002Flife",[170],"hope",[174,906,908],{"id":907},"conclusion","Conclusion",[23,910,911,912,915,916,118,918,920,921,193,924,66],{},"Jesus did not live as a conscious person before his human birth. John’s ",[39,913,914],{"href":569},"word"," can be understood as God’s purpose fulfilled in Jesus, while the descent-from-heaven language can describe the mission God sent him to carry out as seen in the sections, ",[39,917,42],{"href":41},[39,919,338],{"href":46},". Jesus’ glory before the world can likewise be understood as held in God’s purpose, just as Scripture speaks of grace and believers as ",[39,922,923],{"href":76},"chosen beforehand",[39,925,926],{"href":161},"foreknowledge without a prior human life",[23,928,929,930,149,933,936],{},"This reading fits the promised descendant who is born as a human, obeys God, and is later raised and exalted by Him (",[39,931,932],{"href":110},"birth and human sonship",[39,934,935],{"href":126},"resurrection, exaltation and dependence","). These passages do not make foreknowledge alone a proof that no earlier conscious life was possible. Rather, taken together, they support the conclusion that Jesus’ personal life began with his human birth and that the earlier language speaks of God’s promise, purpose, and Messiah’s later exaltation.",{"title":417,"searchDepth":938,"depth":938,"links":939},2,[940,951,956],{"id":176,"depth":938,"text":177,"children":941},[942,945,947,949],{"id":205,"depth":943,"text":944},3,"John 3:13 (Descended from Heaven)",{"id":334,"depth":943,"text":946},"John 6:38-62 (Come Down From Heaven)",{"id":404,"depth":943,"text":948},"John 16:26-30 (Came from God)",{"id":531,"depth":943,"text":950},"John 17:5 (Glory Before the World)",{"id":632,"depth":938,"text":633,"children":952},[953,954,955],{"id":642,"depth":943,"text":643},{"id":699,"depth":943,"text":700},{"id":750,"depth":943,"text":751},{"id":907,"depth":938,"text":908},"Did Jesus live before his birth, or was the human Messiah present beforehand in God’s promise and purpose? A balanced biblical examination.","md",{"keywords":960},"Jesus preexistence, human Messiah, Word of God, divine foreknowledge, \u003Cspan class=\"bible-ref\" data-reference=\"John 1\">John 1\u003C\u002Fspan>, \u003Cspan class=\"bible-ref\" data-reference=\"John 17:5\">John 17:5\u003C\u002Fspan>, biblical Unitarianism",true,"\u002Fdivine\u002Fpreexistance",{"title":14,"description":957},"divine\u002Fpreexistance","ngn5LrlTq3BIbIEzpl1If95qxNlmJuVm_mB-37U_5P0",1794459724701]