Pre-existence of Christ

Whether Christ existed before his human birth — as the eternal Logos, as a created angel, or not at all before Bethlehem.

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Overall consensus88/100

Amish (Old Order)

Amish (Old Order)

Anabaptist

Affirms

Christ is the eternal Son who existed with God before the Incarnation

The Amish affirm the pre-existence of Christ as the eternal Word who became flesh in the Incarnation, consistent with the Dordrecht Confession's Christology. Christ is not a created being but the eternal Son of the eternal Father.

This doctrine is affirmed in Amish preaching and teaching, though not through elaborate academic theology. The hymns of the Ausbund — the Amish hymnal dating to the 16th century — contain rich Christological content reflecting these convictions.

Key Distinctions

Preexistence affirmed:
affirmed — the Son/Logos eternally pre-existed the Incarnation
Ot identity:
the eternal Word and agent of creation (John 1:1-3); identified with YHWH in various OT theophanies

Scripture References

Sources

  • Dordrecht Confession of Faith (1632), Articles 1–2
  • Ausbund (Amish hymnal, 1564)