The CRCNA affirms that Jesus Christ, as the eternal Son of God, pre-existed before his incarnation. The Logos (Word) of John 1:1–3 is identified with Jesus of Nazareth: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' This doctrine affirms that the historical person who walked the earth is the same eternal divine being who existed before all creation and was active in creation itself.

The CRCNA's confessions teach eternal sonship — that the Son has no temporal beginning. This is distinguished from adoptionist views that would place the beginning of the Son's divine status at his birth, baptism, or resurrection. The pre-existence of Christ is inseparable from his divinity and his role as the agent of creation and providential sustenance of all things.

This doctrine also grounds the efficacy of Christ's atonement. It is the eternal Son of God, not merely a created being, who became flesh, died, and rose. His sacrifice has infinite worth precisely because it is the sacrifice of the Son of God. The CRCNA's emphasis on the 'God-man' — the one who is truly and eternally divine — ensures that Christ's redemptive work is understood as the act of God himself.