The article argues against the Iglesia Ni Cristo doctrine that denies the pre-existence of Jesus Christ. It presents Genesis 18 as evidence that Jesus existed before his incarnation, appearing to Abraham in human form. The author contends that one of the three men who visited Abraham is referred to as “LORD” (YHVH), the divine name of God, and speaks as God while also distinguishing himself from God the Father. This figure, the article claims, must be Jesus, as he embodies both human form and divine nature. The article concludes by urging the INC to reconsider their teachings and accept the pre-existence and deity of Christ.
The author’s argument that Genesis 18 supports the pre-existence of Christ makes a significant interpretive error by assuming the man who appeared to Abraham was Jesus. First, there is no direct evidence in Genesis 18 that the figure who visited Abraham was Jesus or that this event implies Christ’s pre-existence. The claim that this visitor is Jesus imposes a later Christian theological framework on an ancient Hebrew text that, in its context, offers no explicit reference to the pre-incarnate Christ. The text describes the figure as “LORD” (YHVH), but in the Hebrew Bible, divine messengers—often angels—frequently speak and act on God’s behalf and are addressed with divine titles without being God themselves. For instance, in Exodus 3, the “angel of the Lord” is also referred to as God, yet no one suggests that this angel was Jesus. The article fails to acknowledge this broader biblical pattern of theophany, where divine agents represent God but are not literally incarnations of God.
Moreover, attributing pre-existence to Jesus based on this passage contradicts other scriptural teachings about Christ’s humanity. John 1:14 states that “the Word became flesh,” indicating that Jesus’ existence began with his birth. The article’s argument is built on an interpretive leap that fails to consider both the historical context of Genesis 18 and the broader biblical narrative about God’s interaction with humanity through messengers, not through a pre-existent Christ. Therefore, the conclusion that the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s rejection of Christ’s pre-existence is “foolish” is unsupported and misguided.
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