The Pre-Existence of the Word of God – Not Jesus the Son of Mary

I am writing this upon hearing a number of preachers speaking about the word of God regarding especially John ch 1:1. When this chapter is expounded by them the word ‘Word’ is always directly connected to mean Jesus. When we read the book of Genesis about creation, we learn that God uttered words for things to be created. Therefore from what we gather from Genesis, it is clear that the word of God pre-existed. My understanding of John 1:1 therefore, is that the word which was at the beginning with God was indeed God Himself, not Jesus as others think.

Peter, speaking regarding Jesus, says “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake” (1 Peter 1:20, NIV). What Peter is saying is in accordance with the foreknowledge of God. The plan for man’s salvation was already planed in Jesus even though at the beginning of all things he was not physically there. When the angel Gabriel was heralding the good news of Jesus being born to Mary he said, “You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus” (Luke 1:31). When we talk of birth, the fact is that it is the beginning of life. As we have seen then, Jesus did not pre-exist except in the mind of God.

The patriarch Abraham and David had both received a promise from God regarding their ‘special’ son. Of Abraham God said, “Through your seed/son the whole world will be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). David was told the following by God: “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring/son to succeed you, who will come from your own body and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (2 Samuel 7:12-13). In this regard, God was not promising the two patriarchs the son who was already in existence but the one who had still to be born.

The Jewish expectation of the Messiah was in similar vein. The prophets foretold of Jesus’ birth through a woman and the exact place of birth, in Bethlehem Judah. In conclusion therefore, the special son promised to Abraham and David is Jesus, the son of Mary and at the same time the son of God, because God fathered him through His spirit power. And Jesus is also the Messiah of Israel.

Bro Sylvester Tembo (Mzuzu, Malawi)