christianmonotheism  resources   get involved   contact us   podcast
Calling Christians Worldwide to Return to the Creed of Jesus

found 22 items matching pre-existence

Incarnation of the Word  [83:04]
by Sean Finnegan rated at 2.0 (7 votes so far)

What does John 1.14 mean? Who or What is the Word and what does it mean for the Word to become flesh?

Colossians 1.15-20: Preexistence or Preeminence  [6 pages]
by William Wachtel rated at 1.9 (7 votes so far)

In standard evangelical commentary, two texts from Paul's writings are constantly used to teach the personal preexistence of Christ: Philippians 2:5-11 and Colossians 1:15-20. William Wachtel questions seriously, however, whether any such ideas were in Paul's mind. In Philippians 2:5, for instance, Paul declares he is holding forth the historical example of the man Christ Jesus, not some prehistoric example into which can be read ideas of personal preexistence. Can the same be said to be true of Colossians 1:15-20?

Jesus was in the Form of God  [17:11]
by Dustin Smith & J.J. Fletcher rated at 2.4 (10 votes so far)

To be 'in the form' of God has led many to believe that Jesus is God Himself. Is this true? What is Paul trying to tell the reader in Philippians 2 when he identifies Jesus as being 'in the form of God?' Continuing the Exegetical Insights tradition, this episode endeavors to unpack the meaning of this section from the passage itself. (This video is also available on Google Video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8141076350056654189&q=source:004275304184530516831&hl=en).

The Doctrine of God and Christ  [52:40]
by Steve Katsaras rated at 2.0 (7 votes so far)

Citing more than 60 verses, Steve Katsaras of Australia thoroughly explains the biblical doctrines of God and Christ before telling the story of how these truths were corrupted in the ecumenical counsels of the fourth and fifth centuries.

Yahweh is one, not two or three, and there is no God besides him. The Bible uses singular pronouns in reference to God thousands upon thousands of time, a fact that clearly teaches God is a singular individual. This one God is the eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent creator of heaven and earth.

Jesus is the human mediator who called God his Father. Jesus had a beginning in time and is the miraculously born son of God. Jesus recognized his Father as the only true God who was his superior. Jesus admitted to possessing limited knowledge; he was a mortal man who experienced temptation, hunger, thirst, weariness, suffering, death, and resurrection.

The doctrines of God and Christ mutated over time and continued to develop in new and unbiblical ways after the New Testament was written. Steve talks about the first four ecumenical counsels (Nicea in a.d. 325, Constantinople in a.d. 381, Ephesus in a.d. 431, and Chalcedon in a.d. 451) to demonstrate how these doctrines evolved over time.

Debate: Is Yeshua the One God of Israel  [358:35]
by Matthew Janzen vs. Michael Bugg rated at 1.6 (7 votes so far)

On May 24th and 25th of 2008, Michael Bugg and Matthew Janzen debated the question Is Yeshua the One God of Israel?. The debate occurred over two nights. The first night was at Michael Bugg's church (he is a messianic Jew who holds to a modified version of the Trinity). The second night of the debate was held at Matthew Janzen's church (he is the biblical unitarian).
An interesting feature of the debate was that it occurred in twenty minute speeches all throughout. Rather than having an opening statement followed by a couple of rebuttals, every speech was twenty minutes (at least until the question and answer time).

On the Errors of the Trinity  [12 mp3s]
by Don Snedeker rated at 3.3 (15 votes so far)

A thorough consideration and refutation of the doctrine of the Trinity. Originally released as 12 tapes but now available on mp3, this series examines the doctrine of the Trinity proposition by proposition. Not only is this series approached from a biblical perspective, Don Snedeker also taps into the rich biblical unitarian resources of several authors from the 19th century. Furthermore, Don works through a number of texts typically used to support the Trinity and he demonstrates their true meaning based on their context. Click on the audio icon above to see the titles for each of the 12 mp3s in this comprehensive examination.

Unitarianism Explained and Defended  [183:08]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 3.0 (16 votes so far)

Anthony Buzzard presents the biblical unitarian position and then answers questions from trinitarians for more than two hours. Listen in to an invigorating dialogue that covers most of the big questions that perennially surface in this type of conversation.

The Plan of God: Jesus  [34:17]
by Dave Hixon rated at 2.8 (12 votes so far)

Who was Jesus of Nazareth? Where did he come from? Who was he? What is his true identity? How does God's plan relate to Jesus? Was he just a teacher, a wise man, or a Jewish scholar? Or is there more too it than that? Pastor Dave guides us in the first message of two explaining and understanding one of the greatest, most controversial, and most crucial topics in all of Christianity.

Christ the Firstborn Head of the Universe  [78:23]
by Nathan Crowder rated at 2.8 (13 votes so far)

Jesus is the highest exalted man in the universe. Does this mean that he must be God? He is the beginning and creator of the new creation.

By Him all Things were Created  [24:33]
by Dustin Smith & Sean Finnegan rated at 2.5 (10 votes so far)

The Hebrew Scriptures testify consistently that Yahweh created the heavens and the earth, by Himself. What does it mean for Paul to write late that Jesus was involved with some sort of creative process? Does this mean Jesus is in fact God? Does this mean that Jesus literally pre-existed? A survey and exegesis of Colossians 1.16. (This video is also available on Google Video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5078832950735204329).

An Explanation of Philippians 2:5-6  [77:01]
by Alex Hall rated at 2.2 (8 votes so far)

Was Jesus is the form of God? If so, what does that mean? Did Jesus empty himself of his divinity to become man? Join Alex Hall as he explains the most famous Christological hymn in the New Testament.

The Radical Deformation: What Happened in the Second Century  [64:04]
by Alex Hall rated at 2.2 (8 votes so far)

Alex Hall documents via his research into Adolf Harnack's the History of Dogma, Volume I, how the second century church shifted from believing that Jesus was a miraculously begotten human being to thinking that he was a pre-existent being who became human.

Who is Jesus? (Booklet)  [25 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 3.9 (20 votes so far)

It is a striking fact that Jesus never referred to himself as "God." Equally remarkable is the New Testament's use of the word "God"--in Greek ho theos--to refer to the Father alone, some 1325 times. In sharp contrast, Jesus is called "god" in a handful of texts only--perhaps no more than two. Why this impressive difference in New Testament usage, when so many seem to think that Jesus is no less "God" than his Father?

The Nature of Preexistence in the New Testament  [12 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 2.0 (7 votes so far)

The so-called "preexistence" of Jesus in John refers to his "existence" in the Plan of God. The church has been plagued by the introduction of non-biblical language. There is a perfectly good word for "real" preexistence in the Greek language (pro-uparchon). It is very significant that it appears nowhere in Scripture, but it does in the writings of Greek church fathers of the second century. These Greek commentators on Scripture failed to understand the Hebrew categories of thought in which the New Testament is written.

Jesus had a Beginning  [25:25]
by Dustin Smith & Sean Finnegan rated at 2.3 (9 votes so far)

John 3.16 is probably the most famous verse in the Bible. From John 3.16 and many other places, we learn that Jesus is the 'only begotten son of God.' This important but overlooked word gives wonderful insight to the identity and origin of Jesus. Can someone who has a beginning have no beginning at the same time? (This video can also be viewed on Google Video http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8001812102575252724

Jesus Son of God from Matthew and Luke  [77:44]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.1 (6 votes so far)

A study of the origin of Jesus from Matthew and Luke reveals that Jesus is originated as a human being in the womb of his mother via the miracle of the holy spirit.

Is Philippians 2.5-9 about a Pre-Existent Being?  [9 pages]
by Ray Faircloth rated at 1.0 (6 votes so far)

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-9 is best read from a word for word Greek interlinear translation. Because of a docetic and often trinitarian pre-existence bias, our current translations do not accurately express the thoughts of these verses. Of course, some translations are better than others and all render many parts of these texts accurately.

Jesus had a Beginning  [4 pages]
by Sean Finnegan rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)

Did Jesus have a beginning? Has he always existed? Read this article to get an understanding of the 'begotten' texts. It may surprise you to discover that the Bible teaches.

The Early Shift from Historical Jesus to Pre-existence  [1 page]
by Friedrich Loofs rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)

The Hidden Flaw in Traditional Christianity: A Perversion of Monotheism. A short quotation from Friedrich Loofs, church historian, who lived from 1858-1928.

Did Jesus Volunteer to be our Savior?  [49:55]
by Mel Hershberger rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)

A study of Philippians 2 and other relevant sections that are traditionally used to show that Christ volunteered to become a human to save us.

What Does Pre-human Existence Really Mean?  [10 pages]
by Ray Faircloth rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)

Jehovah’s Witnesses and the various Bible Student groups teach that Jesus, on earth, was fully human and was the equal of the pristine Adam. This teaching means that he was not a hybrid - part human/part spirit creature. Yet these denominations also teach that Jesus had a pre-human existence, having been created as a spirit before the Genesis creation. Then at the time of Jesus’ conception the spirit creature’s life was transferred to Mary’s womb. The Bible Student groups generally do not accept the Jehovah’s Witnesses teaching that Jesus was previously the archangel Michael; but nevertheless they believe that he previously was a spirit person existing in heaven.



<< back to the options
difficult texts (118) 
Who is Jesus? (73) 
Trinity (57) 
Who is God? (41) 
unitarian texts (35) 
Jesus is Human (25) 
pre-existence (22) 
What is the Holy Spirit? (21) 
three persons (21) 
debates (20) 
Church History (20) 
The Shema (19) 
Old Testament God (19) 
incarnation (18) 
Creed of Jesus (15) 
Jesus is God (15) 
New Testament God (14) 
Jesus as Messiah (13) 
co-eternality (13) 
Jesus is God's Agent (13) 
Nicene Creed (12) 
Jesus' Birth (12) 
Eternal Generation (11) 
Dual Natures (11) 
Elohim (11) 
Jesus had a Beginning (11) 
Faith Story (10) 
Jesus Died (10) 
co-equality (9) 
Singular Pronouns (9) 
Son of God (9) 
Worship (9) 
Echad (9) 
God the Son (8) 
The Word (8) 
Importance of this Truth (8) 
Adoni (7) 
oneness (7) 
Chacedonian Creed (7) 
Idolatry (7) 
Heretics (7) 
Form of God (7) 
Jesus has a God (7) 
Jesus was Tempted (7) 
Creator (7) 
Adam Christology (6) 
Representational Deity (6) 
My Lord and My God (5) 
mistranslation (5) 
atonement (4) 
Apostles' Creed (4) 
Son of Man (4) 
I AM (4) 
Salvation (4) 
Let Us Make Man (4) 
Jesus Only (4) 
Persecution (4) 
Constantinopolitan Creed (4) 
Granville Sharp (4) 
Jesus' Sacrifice for Sin (3) 
The Gospel (3) 
Kenosis (3) 
Paraklete (3) 
Jesus was Worshiped (3) 
Mediator (3) 
Ante Nicene Fathers (3) 
Jewish Roots (3) 
Immanuel (3) 
History of the Trinity (3) 
Resurrection of Jesus (2) 
Wisdom of God (2) 
Angel of the LORD (2) 
Alpha and Omega (2) 
Only Begotten God (2) 
circular logic (2) 
Praying to Jesus (2) 
Open Theism (1) 
Faith of Jesus (1) 
No One Has Seen God (1) 
Jehovah's Witnesses (1) 
Cult (1) 
Agency (1) 
God with Us (1) 
Theos (1) 
Michael Servetus (1) 
Talking to Jesus (1) 
Jesus Forgave Sins (1) 
Jesus Raised the Dead (1) 
Shared Titles (1) 
King of Kings (1) 
translation bias (1) 
Adam Pastor (1) 
Claude of Savoy (1) 
Faustus Socinus (1) 
Laelius Socinus (1) 
Fausto Sozzini (1) 
Lelio Sozzini (1) 
Peter Gonesius (1) 
Georg Schomann (1) 
Racovian Academy (1) 
Racovian Catechism (1) 
Ferenc David (1) 
Andreas Wissowatius (1) 
Socinians (1) 



books

These books, written by people from diverse backgrounds, express the simple truth that God is one. Some of them are more scholary while others are more autobiographical. In addition, a few of them are available to read online. If you would like more in depth treatment of christian monotheism, these books are the next step to take. Note: if you know of other books, not listed here, please leave us feedback.

home | media center | get involved | contact info