Jesus Has Always Been

One of the most important questions any person can answer is the question Jesus asked His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15.

That question is still at the heart of the Christian faith.  

Jesus is not merely a good teacher. He is not simply a prophet, a moral example, a spiritual guide, or the greatest being God ever created. The historic Christian faith boldly declares something far greater: Jesus Christ is God. He has always existed. He was not created. He is the eternal Son, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the one true God revealed in three Persons.

John begins his Gospel with some of the clearest and most powerful words in all of Scripture: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

Every phrase matters. “In the beginning was the Word.”  John does not say that in the beginning the Word came into existence. He says the Word was. Before Bethlehem, Jesus was. Before Abraham, Jesus was. Before creation, Jesus was. Before time as we understand it, the eternal Son existed.

This is why Jesus could say in John 8:58: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”  Jesus was not simply claiming to be older than Abraham. He was identifying Himself with the divine name - the eternal “I AM.”

John continues: “The Word was with God.”  Here we see distinction. The Son is not the Father. The Father is not the Son. The Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. Christianity does not teach that God simply changes masks or appears in different modes. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons.

And yet John also says:  “The Word was God.”  Here we see full deity. Jesus is not a god. He is not partially divine. He is not a lesser divine being. He is not a created intermediary standing somewhere between God and humanity. The Word was God.

This is the mystery and beauty of the Trinity: one God, eternally existing in three distinct Persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not three gods. Not one Person pretending to be three. One God in three Persons, equal in divine nature, eternal in existence, united in essence.

Jesus Was Not Created

This matters because there have always been voices willing to make Jesus smaller than He is.  Some will gladly call Him a prophet. Others will call Him a great moral teacher. Some religious systems describe Him as a created being—the highest creature perhaps, but still a creature.  Scripture will not allow us to do that.  John 1:3 says: “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Think about the logic of that statement. Everything that was made was made through Jesus. If Jesus Himself were a created being, He would belong to the category of “things that were made.” But John places Him outside that category. He is not part of creation. He is the One through whom creation came into being.

Paul says the same in Colossians 1:16–17:  “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Jesus did not begin in Bethlehem.  Bethlehem was the incarnation - not the beginning of the Son.  The eternal Son took on human flesh. The One who had always existed entered His creation. The Creator became a servant. The eternal Word became flesh.  John 1:14 declares:  “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”

That is the wonder of the gospel. God did not create someone else to save us. God came to us.

Why Does a Right Understanding of Jesus Matter?

Some may wonder whether this is simply theological detail. Does it really matter whether someone believes Jesus is eternal God or a created being, as long as they admire Him and try to follow His teachings?

Yes. It matters deeply.  Because the identity of Jesus is at the center of Christianity.  If Jesus is merely a created being, then Christian worship of Him would be idolatry. Yet throughout Scripture, Jesus receives worship. Thomas sees the risen Christ and declares: “My Lord and my God!” John 20:28  Jesus does not correct him.

If Jesus is merely a created being, then His death cannot carry the infinite weight Scripture gives it. Our salvation is not accomplished by a noble creature trying his best on our behalf. The cross is powerful because the eternal Son of God willingly gave Himself for us.

If Jesus is merely a created being, then He cannot reveal God to us as Scripture claims. Yet Jesus says: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9  And if Jesus is merely a created being, then He cannot rightly stand at the center of our worship, our obedience, our hope, and our eternal destiny.  But He is not merely a created being.  He is God the Son.

We Must Know the Jesus Who Is

This is especially important in a culture where nearly everyone is willing to have some version of Jesus.  Some want a Jesus who is merely loving but never Lord. Some want a Jesus who affirms but never confronts. Some want a political Jesus, a therapeutic Jesus, a revolutionary Jesus, a philosophical Jesus, or a Jesus who simply helps us become better versions of ourselves.  But we do not have the authority to recreate Jesus in our own image.

We are called to know Him as He has revealed Himself.

The eternal Son.
The Word made flesh.
The image of the invisible God.
The Creator of all things.
The Savior of the world.
The crucified and risen King.
The Lord before whom every knee will bow.

A diminished Jesus produces a diminished faith.

But when we see Jesus rightly, worship deepens. Grace becomes more astonishing. The cross becomes more overwhelming. Prayer becomes more personal. Obedience becomes more urgent. Mission becomes more compelling.

Because the One who saved us is the One who made us.  The One who hung on the cross is the One through whom the universe came into being.  The hands pierced by nails are the hands that formed creation.  The voice that cried, “It is finished,” is the voice through whom all things were made.  And the One who walked out of the tomb is not merely a teacher whose ideas survived Him. He is the eternal Son of God who conquered sin and death.

The Question Still Stands

Jesus still asks: “Who do you say that I am?”

Our answer matters. Christianity is not built upon admiration for Jesus. It is built upon the truth of who He is. He was not created. He did not begin in Bethlehem. He has always been. He is the eternal Word. He is God the Son. He is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the mystery of the Trinity.

And because Jesus is truly God and truly man, He is able to do what no mere creature could ever do: reveal the Father, bear our sin, conquer death, reconcile us to God, and reign forever.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

That is not a minor doctrine tucked away in the corner of Christianity. That is the foundation beneath our feet. And getting Jesus right changes everything.