Key Proof Texts Against a Literally
Pre-Existent Jesus
Pre-Existent Jesus
Jesus Was Never an Archangel
Heb. 1:5 and 13:“To which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son’.” Therefore, Jesus was not an archangel.
Dan. 10:13: Michael, one of the foremost (“chief” Gk arche) princes.” An archangel is still an angel.
1 Cor. 15:46:
“It is not the spiritual that is first; but the natural; then the spiritual.” Jesus had a natural body first.
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Jesus Was Not the Creator of the Universe
Isa. 44:24:
“I am Yahweh who made everything. I stretched out the heavens by myself. Who was with me?”
Isa. 45:1, 12
“Yahweh…I who made the earth…mine were the hands that spread out the heavens.”
(Also, Isa. 48:13; Jer. 10:12; Job 9:8; 38:4, 7; and Neh. 9:6)
Mark 13:19: “The creation which God created.”
Matt. 19:4: “He (God) who created them from the beginning.”
Acts 17:24: “The God who made the world and everything in it.”
Gen. 2:3: “God has been resting from all the work he has created.” If Jesus were the creator he would have rested.
Heb. 3:4: “The builder of everything is God.” Not Jesus!
Jesus is head of the New Creation: Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:10-12; Rev. 3:14 by examination of the context.
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Jesus Came into Existence in Mary
Luke 1:35:
“Holy spirit/power will overshadow you. Precisely for this reason the child being brought into existence (Gk gennomenon) ...will be called God’s son.” ‘Begotten’ means “brought into existence” and exactly for this reason.
Matt. 1:1 “The book of the origin (Gk genesis) of Jesus…” Then all of Jesus’ ancestors from Abraham are shown, but nothing about pre-existence.
Matt. 1:18, 20:
“the origin (Gk genesis) of Jesus was this way ... the child fathered (Gk gennethen = brought into existence) in her [i.e. Mary] is by holy spirit.
Gal. 4:4:
“His son having come into existence (Gk genomenon)...from (not through) a woman.”
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Messiah Was Prophesied to Be Fully Human
Acts 3:22: “Raised up a prophet like [Moses] from among his brothers” (Deut. 18:18).
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No Pre-Existence in the History of Jesus
Luke 1:3, 4: Luke says: “I traced all things from the beginning accurately…orderly.” In this chronological account there is no mention of any pre-existence, but Jesus comes into existence in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:35) as above.Luke 2:52: “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man.” (Not needed if he pre-existed. Recollection of a past life would have rendered his temptations futile).
Heb. 1:1-2: “Now at the end of these days he has spoken to us by means of a son.” So, Jesus could not have been the angel of Yahweh leading Israel out of Egypt etc.
Acts 3:26: “God having raised up His servant [Jesus], sent him to you.” Raised up in the scene of history at his birth and then sent (commissioned at baptism) to preach to Israel, like any other prophet – not sent from heaven.
Phil. 2:6-7: when correctly rendered shows Jesus as having “the visible form of God” but taking “the visible form of a servant”
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Notional/Ideal (Conceptual) Pre-existence – as Foreordained – Known in God’s Mind
Rom. 4:17: “God…calls things which do not yet exist as though they already exist.”
Rev. 13:8: Jesus was “the lamb slaughtered from the foundation of the world.” – not literally slaughtered, but in God’s mind as His plan.
1 Pet. 1:20: [Jesus] was foreknown before the foundation of the world.” This is not the same as “known” but has the thought of pre-destined and so not then literally existing, but only an idea in God’s mind.
John 16:25: “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language.” So, in Jesus’ sayings in John’s gospel a very large number are not subject to a literal interpretation.
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NOTE
John 1:1-3 “Word i.e. logos” for over 300 times in the NT is not a person. The Greek word autos can be rendered as “it” not “he” as in over 40 NT translations.——— ———