Did Jesus exist before Abraham?

from the old testament

• The question asks whether Jesus existed before Abraham. Long before Jesus’ birth, Scripture records moments when the Lord appeared in personal, tangible ways. When Abraham received three visitors, the narrative called one of them both “man” and “the LORD,” who spoke promises and judgments (Genesis 18:2, 10, 13, 16–17, 22). The scene begins, “the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day” (Genesis 18:1). Christians have long understood this encounter as a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son, because the figure is treated and speaks as God while appearing in human form.
• That personal presence of God connects to how He revealed His name to Moses. From the burning bush, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’” (Exodus 3:14), declaring self-existence and eternal life. We read that the one who declared Himself to be “I AM” was actually the "angel of the LORD" (Exodus 3:2). Other instances of the angel of the Lord refer to a physical, human-like appearance of God (i.e., Genesis 22:1–14), showing that there was a mysterious unity between the Messenger and the Lord. These examples prepared readers to recognize that when God came near in Jesus, He could do so both as God and man.

from the new testament

• Jesus spoke about existing before Abraham, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). By using the “I am” language, He was referencing the “I AM” statement the Lord gave Moses as His name in Exodus. The reaction from the Jews, specifically, picking up stones to kill Him, showed that they understood what Jesus meant (John 8:59; Leviticus 24:16). Being fully God means that, yes, Jesus existed before Abraham.
• Indeed, because He is divine, Jesus existed before all creation. John opened his Gospel by saying, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:1–3). He was emphasizing that Jesus 1) was with God, 2) was God, and 3) was the Creator. John then explained the incarnation: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). This means that the Son of God, the Word, was eternal. Jesus did not begin in Mary’s womb; rather, He added flesh to enter the world He had created.
• Paul described the same reality in cosmic terms. He wrote of Christ that “he is before all things” (Colossians 1:17), placing Jesus’ existence prior to Abraham and everything else as well. Paul also testified that all things were created through and for Him (Colossians 1:16) and identified Him as “God over all” (Romans 9:5). These statements only make sense if the Son shares the eternal divine identity.
• Jesus' use of the “I am” statement appears again as He prepared the disciples for His death. He told them that certain events were coming that "you may believe that I am he” (John 13:19). The word “he” is not present in the Greek text. Similar to John 8:58, it simply states, “I am.” Believing in Jesus means trusting that He is the great “I am,” the eternal God.

implications for today

When Jesus declared that He existed before Abraham, He revealed that He is the eternal God, not just a man. Yet, He also entered the world as truly human, taking on flesh, so He could live among us. Both truths are essential for salvation. If He were only divine, He could not have stood in our place as one of us. If He were only human, His life and death would not have the power to save the world. But as fully God and fully man, He is the one mediator who can reconcile us to the Father.

All people are sinners who fall short of God’s holiness and cannot remove their own guilt. The penalty of sin is death and separation from God, and no effort can erase it. Jesus, the eternal Son who became man, lived the perfect life we failed to live. On the cross, He bore the judgment our sins deserve, and in His resurrection, He conquered death once for all.

This salvation is offered freely, but it must be received by faith. To be saved, you must repent—turn from your sin—and believe in Christ, trusting that His death was for you and that His risen life secures your hope. In Him, you are forgiven, reconciled to God, and given the promise of eternal life. The eternal Christ, who existed before Abraham, invites you even now to come to Him and live.