Questions tagged [pre-existence]
Questions about existence prior to mortal life
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“Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” - why did the Jews want to throw stones at Jesus for saying this?
John 8:53-59 (NRSV):
53 Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” 54 Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my ...
user38524
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In Colossians 1:15, what does “firstborn of every creature” mean?
I was studying passages on the Bible about Jesus and its origin. One verse is, to me, somewhat hard to understand (Colossians 1:15, in King James version):
Who is the image of the invisible God, ...
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Is there room for interpreting John 17:5 as Jesus having notional/ideal pre-existence in light of 2 Timothy 1:9?
This question is inspired by a Biblical Unitarian article on Jesus' Pre-Existence. The thesis defended by the article is that Jesus had notional or ideal pre-existence in God's mind rather than a ...
user38524
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What does it mean that Jesus is before all things (Colossians 1:17)?
Colossians 1:17:
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. [ESV]
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. [KJV]
17 He is before all things, and in Him ...
user38524
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The children/sons of God - Job 38:7 & Romans 8:16 - same children or different children?
This question is similar to one asked here, but applied to a different combination of texts & contexts.
From Romans 8:16:
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
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When was Jesus rich? 2 Corinthian 8:9
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
2 Corinthians 8:9
This either means ...
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In Genesis 16 is the angel that comes to Hagar the Lord in angel form or a different angel?
In Genesis 16 when Hagar runs away from Sarai and is crying in the wilderness, an Angel of the Lord appears to her. Now I know there are instances in Joshua and even later in Abraham's story where '...
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Was the Angel of the Lord the Preincarnate Christ? [closed]
Hopefully, this question won't ignite too many brush fires. I've read several commentaries that I believe fall short of addressing this subject. Here are some of the instances where this being appears:...
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Does "Jesus has come in the flesh" in 1 John 4:2 imply a fleshless pre-existence?
1 John 4:2 (ESV):
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
When I read this verse, my immediate impression is that of ...
user38524
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In what sense did Jesus descend/come from heaven? John 3:13 & 3:31
John 3:12-13 (ESV):
12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from ...
user38524
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Who was the Rock in the Old Testament? God or Christ?
Psalms 18:2 (ESV):
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
1 Corinthians 10:1-5 (ESV):
...
user38524
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Does Colossians 1:15, refer to the Genesis creation, or merely present Jesus as the beginning of those raised from the dead?
The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or ...
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