The Eternal Pre-existence of Christ as God

“The world was made by Him, “and without Him was not anything made that was made.” If Christ made all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore.... {7ABC 438.1}

If Christ was sourced (derived) from the Father, He would not be God IN THE HIGHEST SENSE. He would not have been WITH GOD FROM ALL ETERNITY.

If Christ is God in the highest sense, He had to exist eternally for any existence future to the Father’s, would void Him being God in the highest sense.

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Chapter 2—Eternal Pre-existence of Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right. This was no robbery of God.—The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906, p. 8. {7ABC 440.3}

In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.—The Signs of the Times, August 29, 1900. {7ABC 440.4}

Here Christ shows them that, although they might reckon His life to be less than fifty years, yet His divine life could not be reckoned by human computation. The existence of Christ before His incarnation is not measured by figures.—The Signs of the Times, May 3, 1899. {7ABC 440.5}

From all eternity Christ was united with the Father, and when He took upon Himself human nature, He was still one with God.—The Signs of the Times, August 2, 1905, p. 10. {7ABC 440.6}

When Christ passed within the heavenly gates, He was enthroned amidst the adoration of the angels. As soon as this ceremony was completed, the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in rich currents, and Christ was indeed glorified, even with the glory which He had with the Father from all eternity.—The Acts of the Apostles, 38, 39. {7ABC 441.1}

But while God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His preexistence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the One in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed. “The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.—The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906. {7ABC 441.2}

A human being lives, but his is a given life, a life that will be quenched. “What is your life? It is even vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” But Christ’s life is not a vapor; it is never-ending, a life existing before the worlds were made.—The Signs of the Times, June 17, 1897, p. 5. {7ABC 441.3}

From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was “the image of God,” the image of His greatness and majesty, “the outshining of His glory.”—The Desire of Ages, 19. {7ABC 441.4}

He was one with the Father before the angels were created.—The Spirit of Prophecy 1:17. {7ABC 441.5}

Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore.—The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906, p. 8. {7ABC 441.6}

The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, margin.—The Desire of Ages, 469, 470. {7ABC 441.7}

In it [God’s Word] we may learn what our redemption has cost Him who from the beginning was equal with the Father.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 13. {7ABC 441.8}

Chapter 3—Three Persons in the Godhead

There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.—Evangelism, 615. {7ABC 441.9}

The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption.—Counsels on Health, 222. {7ABC 442.1}

Those who proclaim the third angel’s message must put on the whole armor of God, that they may stand boldly at their post, in the face of detraction and falsehood, fighting the good fight of faith, resisting the enemy with the word, “It is written.” Keep yourselves where the three great powers of heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, can be your efficiency. These powers work with the one who gives himself unreservedly to God. The strength of heaven is at the command of God’s believing ones. The man who takes God as his trust is barricaded by an impregnable wall.—The Southern Watchman, February 23, 1904, p. 122. {7ABC 442.2}

Our sanctification is the work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the fulfilment of the covenant that God has made with those who bind themselves up with Him, to stand with Him, with His Son, and with His Spirit in holy fellowship. Have you been born again? Have you become a new being in Christ Jesus? Then co-operate with the three great powers of heaven who are working in your behalf. Doing this you will reveal to the world the principles of righteousness.—The Signs of the Times, June 19, 1901. {7ABC 442.3}

The eternal heavenly dignitaries—God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit—arming them [the disciples] with more than mortal energy, ... would advance with them to the work and convince the world of sin.—Evangelism, 616. {7ABC 442.4}

We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven,—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,—and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.—Evangelism, 617. {7ABC 442.5}

Those who are baptized in the threefold name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, at the very entrance of their Christian life declare publicly that they have forsaken the service of Satan and have become members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King.—Testimonies for the Church 6:91. {7ABC 442.6}

"Christ declared that after his ascension, he would send to his church, as his crowning gift, the Comforter, who was to take his place. This Comforter is the Holy Spirit,--the soul of his life, the efficacy of his church, the light and life of the world. With his Spirit Christ sends a reconciling influence and a power that takes away sin.

In the gift of the Spirit [HIS LIFE--THE SOUL OF HIS LIFE], Jesus gave to man the highest good that heaven could bestow....

The Spirit was given as a regenerating agency, and without this the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail....

It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given his Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress his own character upon the church." E.G. White, Review and Herald Articles, May 19, 1904, vol. 5, p. 42.

Note by Ron: Some reformers are teaching that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father. That is in direct contradistinction to Ellen White, who stated that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, is the soul of Christ’s life. The only way that the Holy Spirit, Christ, and the Comforter can be three distinct persons, as Ellen White identifies them to be, is for the Holy Spirit of the Son of God, to have divested itself from the personality of His humanity at His Incarnation, to THEN become a third, distinct person. Did Ellen White say that the Son’s Holy Spirit was divested from His humanity at His Incarnation? Yes she did, to wit:

"Cumbered with humanity Christ could not be in every place personally, therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit.” E.G. White, (Manuscript Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.

“Christ had stooped to take upon Himself man’s nature; He was to bear an infinite weight of woe as He should make His soul an offering for sin; yet angels desire that even in His humiliation the Son of the Highest might appear before men with a dignity and glory befitting His character.” E.G. White, The Great Controversy, pp. 313, 314.

Again:

If Christ was sourced (derived) from the Father, He would not be God IN THE HIGHEST SENSE. He would not have been WITH GOD FROM ALL ETERNITY.

If Christ is God in the highest sense, He had to exist eternally for any existence future to the Father’s, would void Him being God in the highest sense.

*****

Appendix 2—Christ’s Nature During the Incarnation

Note.—The italicizing of key expressions throughout this compilation is to enable the eye to catch at a glance the pertinent point of each paragraph.—Editors. {7ABC 443.1}

Chapter 1—The Mystery of the Incarnation

The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This is to be our study. Christ was a real man; He gave proof of His humility in becoming a man. Yet He was God in the flesh. When we approach this subject, we would do well to heed the words spoken by Christ to Moses at the burning bush, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where on thou standest is holy ground.” We should come to this study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart. And the study of the incarnation of Christ is a fruitful field, which will repay the searcher who digs deep for hidden truth.—The Youth’s Instructor, October 13, 1898. {7ABC 443.2}

The only plan that could be devised to save the human race was that which called for the incarnation, humiliation, and crucifixion of the Son of God, the Majesty of heaven. After the plan of salvation was devised, Satan could have no ground upon which to found his suggestion that God, because so great, could care nothing for so insignificant a creature as man.—The Signs of the Times, January 20, 1890. {7ABC 443.3}

In contemplating the incarnation of Christ in humanity, we stand baffled before an unfathomable mystery, that the human mind cannot comprehend. The more we reflect upon it, the more amazing does it appear. How wide is the contrast between the divinity of Christ and the helpless infant in Bethlehem’s manger! How can we span the distance between the mighty God and a helpless child? And yet the Creator of worlds, He in whom was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, was manifest in the helpless babe in the manger. Far higher than any of the angels, equal with the Father in dignity and glory, and yet wearing the garb of humanity! Divinity and humanity were mysteriously combined, and man and God became one. It is in this union that we find the hope of our fallen race. Looking upon Christ in humanity, we look upon God, and see in Him the brightness of His glory, the express image of His person.—The Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896. {7ABC 443.4}

As the worker studies the life of Christ, and the character of His mission is dwelt upon, each fresh search will reveal something more deeply interesting than has yet been unfolded. The subject is inexhaustible. The study of the incarnation of Christ, His atoning sacrifice and mediatorial work, will employ the mind of the diligent student as long as time shall last.—Gospel Workers, 251. {7ABC 444.1}

That God should thus be manifest in the flesh is indeed a mystery; and without the help of the Holy Spirit we cannot hope to comprehend this subject. The most humbling lesson that man has to learn is the nothingness of human wisdom, and the folly of trying, by his own unaided efforts, to find out God.—The Review and Herald, April 5, 1906. {7ABC 444.2}

This is a great mystery, a mystery that will not be fully, completely understood in all its greatness until the translation of the redeemed shall take place. Then the power and greatness and efficacy of the gift of God to man will be understood. But the enemy is determined that this gift shall be so mystified that it will become as nothingness.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 5:1113. {7ABC 444.4}

We cannot explain the great mystery of the plan of redemption. Jesus took upon Himself humanity, that He might reach humanity; but we cannot explain how divinity was clothed with humanity. An angel would not have known how to sympathize with fallen man, but Christ came to the world and suffered all our temptations, and carried all our griefs.—The Review and Herald, October 1, 1889. {7ABC 444.5}

Chapter 2—Miraculous Union of Human and Divine

Laying aside His royal robe and kingly crown, Christ clothed His divinity with humanity, that human beings might be raised from their degradation and placed on vantage-ground. Christ could not have come to this earth with the glory that He had in the heavenly courts. Sinful human beings could not have borne the sight. He veiled His divinity with the garb of humanity, but He did not part with His divinity. A divine-human Saviour, He came to stand at the head of the fallen race, to share in their experience from childhood to manhood. That human beings might be partakers of the divine nature, He came to this earth, and lived a life of perfect obedience.—The Review and Herald, June 15, 1905. {7ABC 444.6}

Note: How Christ divested His human personality from His Divine Nature attributes to constitute His Divine Nature Holy Spirit an independent person and yet not part with His divinity is the mystery that no man can explain, but that is what He did:

· "Cumbered with humanity Christ could not be in every place personally, therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them to go to His Father and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit.” E.G. White, (Manuscript Releases Volume 14 (No’s 1081-1135) MR No.1084.

· The Son’s Holy Spirit essence, substance, which is the same as the Father’s ONE, ETERNAL SPIRIT, SUBSTANCE, was cumbered by His humanity, so His Holy Spirit was divested from the personality of His humanity and became [AT THE INCARNATION, FROM HIM BEING SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH IN THE HEAVENLY SANCTUARY/ATONEMENT], a third, distinct persons, though His Holy Spirit was always ETERNALLY extant. This is how the triune Godhead was formed, and not as the Trinity Doctrine teaches. That satanic doctrine says that the three persons always accrued from eternity, WITHOUT THE INCARNATION SANCTUAY/ATONEMENT SACRIFICE of the divestation of the Son’s Holy Spirit from His humanity, which meant an eternal death to His former being of DIVINE HOLY SPIRIT ONLY—to be thenceforth combined with humanity forever. This was the sacrifice of all sacrifices which met the prescribed limit of the Testator’s Testament or Everlasting Covenant. End note by Ron.

In Christ, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not degraded to humanity; divinity held its place, but humanity by being united to divinity, withstood the fiercest test of temptation in the wilderness. The prince of this world came to Christ after His long fast, when He was an hungered, and suggested to Him to command the stones to become bread. But the plan of God, devised for the salvation of man, provided that Christ should know hunger, and poverty, and every phase of man’s experience.—The Review and Herald, February 18, 1890. {7ABC 445.1}

The more we think about Christ’s becoming a babe here on earth, the more wonderful it appears. How can it be that the helpless babe in Bethlehem’s manger is still the divine Son of God? Though we cannot understand it, we can believe that He who made the worlds, for our sakes became a helpless babe. Though higher than any of the angels, though as great as the Father on the throne of heaven He became one with us. In Him God and man became one, and it is in this fact that we find the hope of our fallen race. Looking upon Christ in the flesh, we look upon God in humanity, and see in Him the brightness of divine glory, the express image of God the Father.—The Youth’s Instructor, November 21, 1895. {7ABC 445.2}

No one, looking upon the childlike countenance, shining with animation, could say that Christ was just like other children. He was God in human flesh. When urged by His companions to do wrong, divinity flashed through humanity, and He refused decidedly. In a moment He distinguished between right and wrong, and placed sin in the light of God’s commands, holding up the law as a mirror which reflected light upon wrong.—The Youth’s Instructor, September 8, 1898. {7ABC 445.3}

As a member of the human family He was mortal, but as a God He was the fountain of life to the world. He could, in His divine person, ever have withstood the advances of death, and refused to come under its dominion; but He voluntarily laid down His life, that in so doing He might give life and bring immortality to light.... What humility was this! It amazed angels. The tongue can never describe it; the imagination cannot take it in. The eternal Word consented to be made flesh! God became man! —The Review and Herald, July 5, 1887. {7ABC 445.4}

The apostle would call our attention from ourselves to the Author of our salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human.... He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God He for awhile relinquished.... He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His own free will.—Ibid. {7ABC 446.1}

Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No; the two natures were mysteriously blended in one person—the man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died. Deity did not sink and die; that would have been impossible.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 5:1113. {7ABC 446.2}