“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.” 1

“In speaking of His preexistence, 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.” 2

“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.” 3

“There are many who deny the preexistence of Christ, and therefore deny His divinity; they do not accept him as a personal Saviour. This is a total denial of Christ. He was the only-begotten Son of God, who was one with the Father from the beginning. By Him the worlds were made.” 4

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

“Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore. 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.

“He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent.” 5

Notice carefully the expressions: equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. What does the word infinite mean? “1. Having no boundaries or limits. 2. Immeasurably great or large; boundless: infinite importance.” 6

“1: extending indefinitely : endless; 2: immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive: inexhaustible; 3: subject to no limitation or external determination.” 7

The word omnipotent means: “1. Almighty. 2: having virtually unlimited authority or influence.” 8

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians 2:5, 6).

“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 fulness 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.” 9

“In Himself Christ possessed an absolute right to all things, but He gave Himself to a life of poverty that man might be rich in heavenly treasure. Commander in the heavenly courts, He took the lowest place on earth. Rich, yet for our sake He became poor. Though He was in the form of God, He ‘thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.’ ” 10

Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. He said of Himself:

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:12, 13).

“In Christ is God; and yet He, the Alpha—the beginning—the Omega—the ending—came as man. In taking upon Himself humanity, Christ is related to the whole human family; but to any church this relationship is of no avail without a personal faith—the identification of the individual heart and mind and soul and strength with Jesus Christ.” 11

One of Jesus’ disciples, Thomas, recognized that Jesus Christ was God: “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God” (John 20:26–28).

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16, 17).

“In fulfillment of the divine plan, the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost. If this work was not beneath the dignity of the world’s Redeemer, the Creator of worlds, should it be considered too humiliating for sinful mortals?”12

“The apostle Paul, writing by the Holy Spirit, declares of Christ that ‘all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; and He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together’ (Colossians 1:16,17, R.V., margin).”13

“The apostle exalted Christ before his brethren as the One by whom God had created all things and by whom He had wrought out their redemption.” 14

“When the Son of man came among men, He brought the intelligence of heaven with Him; for He created the worlds and all things that are therein.”15

“ ‘In him was life; and the life was the light of men’ (John 1:4). It is not physical life that is here specified, but immortality, the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the Life-giver, takes it again. Man has no control over his life. But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. ‘I lay it down of myself’ (John 10: 18), He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as His personal Saviour. ‘This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent’ (John 17:3). This is the open fountain of life for the world.” 16

“In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath the Son hath life’ (1 John 5:12). The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life.” 17

“In Jesus is our life derived. In Him is life, that is original, unborrowed, underived life. In us there is a streamlet from the fountain of life. In Him is the fountain of life. Our life is something that we receive, something that the Giver takes back again to Himself.” 18

From the above statements we understand that Jesus Christ has always existed, from eternity to eternity, that He has always been together with God the Father. Remember, as God, He is uncreated, ungenerated, because His life is underived, unborrowed, and is original.

“Jehovah is the name given to Christ.” 19

“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. In order fully to carry out this plan, it was decided that Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, should give Himself an offering for sin. What line can measure the depth of this love? God would make it impossible for man to say that He could have done more.” 20

The plan of salvation did not always exist. There was a time when it was formulated—but this was before the world was even created. We read:

“The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of ‘the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal’ (Romans 16:25, R. V.). It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency.”21

“In the councils of heaven, before the world was created, the Father and the Son covenanted together that if man proved disloyal to God, Christ, one with the Father, would take the place of the transgressor, and suffer the penalty of justice that must fall upon him. ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ (John 3:16). What a price was this for heaven to pay to ransom the transgressor of the law of Jehovah!” 22

We understand that from the moment the plan was made that Jesus Christ should come to this world He received the name “Son of God,” as a sure prediction of His incarnation. Later, when the time had come for Him to be born as a babe in Bethlehem, the angel Gabriel confirmed His identity as such. He then became a Son in the tangible sense, and the title “Son of God” was applied to Him in a new sense—no longer just prophetically, but now materially:

“Christ brought men and women power to overcome. He came to this world in human form, to live a man amongst men. He assumed the liabilities of human nature, to be proved and tried. In His humanity He was a partaker of the divine nature. In His incarnation He gained in a new sense the title of the Son of God. Said the angel to Mary, ‘The power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God’ (Luke 1:35). While the Son of a human being, He became the Son of God in a new sense. Thus He stood in our world—the Son of God, yet allied by birth to the human race.”23

Jesus bears the title, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Although in the plan He was slain from the foundation of the world, His actual death occurred on Calvary, about 4,000 years after creation. Similarly, He also bore the name “Son of God” (Luke 1:35) in a prophetic sense before it became materially so.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

“Christ did not make-believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality possess human nature. ‘As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same.’ He was the son of Mary; He was of the seed of David according to human descent. He is declared to be a man, even the man Christ Jesus.” 24

“When Jesus took human nature, and became in fashion as a man, He possessed all the human organism. His necessities were the necessities of a man. He had bodily wants to be supplied, bodily weariness to be relieved. By prayer to the Father He was braced for duty and for trial.” 25

“Jesus was the Commander of heaven, one equal with God, and yet He condescended to lay aside His kingly crown, His royal robe, and clothed His divinity with humanity. The incarnation of Christ in human flesh is a mystery. He could have come to earth as one with a remarkable appearance, unlike the sons of men. His countenance could have shone with glory, and His form could have been of remarkable grace. He could have presented such an appearance as to charm the beholder; but this was not according to the plan devised in the courts of God. He was to bear the characteristics of the human family, and the Jewish race. In all respects the Son of God was to wear the same features as did other human beings.”26

“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. . . . Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made slike unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:14, 15, 17).

“After the Fall, Christ became Adam’s instructor. He acted in God’s stead toward humanity, saving the race from immediate death. He took upon Him the work of mediator between God and man. In the fulness of time He was to be revealed in human form. He was to take His position at the head of humanity by taking the nature but not the sinfulness of man.” 27

“We should have no misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness of the human nature of Christ. Our faith must be an intelligent faith, looking unto Jesus in perfect confidence, in full and entire faith in the atoning sacrifice.” 28

“He clothed His divinity with humanity, and came into the world, in order that His humanity might touch humanity, and His divinity lay hold upon the throne of God in man’s behalf.”29

“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.”30

“But Christ reaches us where we are. He took our nature and overcame, that we through taking His nature might overcome. Made ‘in the likeness of sinful flesh’ (Romans 8:3), He lived a sinless life. Now by His divinity He lays hold upon the throne of heaven, while by His humanity He reaches us.” 31

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Who tempted Christ? How is this “temptation” described in the Spirit of Prophecy? Let us read:

“Would that we could comprehend the significance of the words, ‘Christ suffered being tempted.’ While He was free from the taint of sin, the refined sensibilities of His holy nature rendered contact with evil unspeakably painful to Him. Yet with human nature upon Him, He met the archapostate face to face, and single-handed withstood the foe of His throne. . . . The storms of temptation burst upon Him, but they could not cause Him to swerve from His allegiance to God.”32

“On not one occasion was there a response to his manifold temptations. Not once did Christ step on Satan’s ground, to give him any advantage. Satan found nothing in Him to encourage his advances.”33

“Temptation is enticement to sin, and this does not proceed from God, but from Satan and from the evil of our own hearts. ‘God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempteth no man’ (James 1:13, R.V.).

“Satan seeks to bring us into temptation, that the evil of our characters may be revealed before men and angels, that he may claim us as his own.”34

Temptations come from two sources: a) from Satan (coming from without); and b) from the evil of our own hearts (coming from within). Either way, the temptation originally comes from Satan, and he finds a lodging place in the hearts of sinful men. But he could never plant the seed of evil in Jesus’ heart. Did Jesus have an evil heart? Absolutely not. Therefore temptations were thrust upon Him by Satan, but no taint of evil could sink in. This is what we read:

“Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold; some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: ‘The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me’ (John 14:30). Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. He had kept His Father’s commandments, and there was no sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage.” 35

Could Jesus be tempted (enticed) to commit sin from His flesh? Read carefully what the Spirit of Prophecy says about the organs of the human body in relationship with the mind:

“Every organ of the body was made to be servant of the mind. The brain is the capital of the body, the seat of all the nervous forces and of mental action. The nerves proceeding from the brain control the body. By the brain nerves, mental impressions are conveyed to all the nerves of the body as by telegraph wires; and they control the vital action of every part of the system. All the organs of motion are governed by the communications they receive from the brain.” 36

Human flesh can do absolutely nothing without the consent of the mind. To be enticed to commit sin, the mind must be somehow corrupted.

Were the brain, mind, or thoughts of Jesus defiled or corrupted in any way? Never, no never. The word of inspiration says:

“For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:21, 22).

“Some sinful desire [with us] is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But [Satan] could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to gain the victory. Jesus did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought could He be brought to yield to the power of temptation.”37

“But Jesus Christ was the only begotten Son of God. He took upon Himself human nature, and was tempted in all points as human nature is tempted. He could have sinned; He could have fallen, but not for one moment was there in Him an evil propensity. He was assailed with temptations in the wilderness, as Adam was assailed with temptations in Eden. . . .

“Never, in any way, leave the slightest impression upon human minds that a taint of, or inclination to, corruption rested upon Christ, or that He in any way yielded to corruption. He was tempted in all points like as man is tempted, yet He is called ‘that holy thing.’ It is a mystery that is left unexplained to mortals that Christ could be tempted in all points like as we are, and yet be without sin. The incarnation of Christ has ever been, and will ever remain a mystery.”38