Re: YouTube Videos Christology
Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 8:43 pm
What do they think it meant?Most Unitarians would agree with the first paragraph but many would disagree that John 8:58 is meant to imply pre-existence.
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What do they think it meant?Most Unitarians would agree with the first paragraph but many would disagree that John 8:58 is meant to imply pre-existence.
I think most would say that He pre-existed in the mind of God — that He existed in God's foreknowledge -- that it was part of God’s plan that Jesus would be the Messiah. Similarly, that when Abraham saw the day of Christ, it was a figurative or prophetic vision. Others might say that "before" isn't temporal, but positional and that Jesus is merely saying He is the man to look at to see God and that He was greater than Abraham. Most I think would negate the supposed reference to Exodus since the terms aren't the same except in the English translations. "I will be what I will be" (a form of "to be") in Exodus being quite different from the simple "I am he" type of usage in John, therefore the similarities being artificial.
you missed the previous verse which is paramount.Paidion wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2019 6:54 pmJesus' statement was His answer to the question the Jews asked Him:
57 So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
58 Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am."
It seems to me that Jesus' response indicated that He existed prior to Abraham. If He had meant only that He pre-existed in the mind of God, or that He was greater than Abraham, how would that have answered the question?
Think about it.
Question: "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
Answer: "I existed in the mind of God."
Question: "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
Answer: I am greater than Abraham.
I cannot see that either one of these statements answers their question. But "Before Abraham existed, I existed" clearly does.