The LCMS teaches that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who existed before his incarnation. John 1:1-3 affirms that the Word (Logos) was with God and was God, and through him all things were made. Jesus' preexistence is coequal with the Father and is not a temporal creation but an eternal reality.

The LCMS understands the Old Testament theophanies (appearances of God) and angelophanies as manifestations of the Son, the pre-incarnate Christ. The 'angel of the Lord' in many OT passages is understood as a Christophany—an appearance of the Son before his incarnation. This is grounded in the principle that the divine persons are distinguishable but never separated; when the Son appeared, he was revealing the will and nature of the Godhead.

Christ's preexistence is not merely a Christian theological inference but is grounded in Scripture and affirmed by the early church. His incarnation did not mark the beginning of his existence but rather his entering into human flesh and human history while remaining fully divine. This preexistence undergirds his divine authority, his identity as Creator, and his capacity to be the Redeemer.