Jesus was not begotten the day of His water baptism. The KJV reports this in this way.
Matthew 3:[SUP]15 [/SUP]And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.[SUP]16 [/SUP]And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:[SUP]17 [/SUP]And lo a voice from heaven, saying,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus had existed before His incarnation as the God that men had seen.
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and
they are they which testify of me. 40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.......
46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. 47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?
John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 J
esus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
The above references is Jesus saying that He was the Lord that was seen by men in the O.T. .
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
This reference above is referring to man not having seen God the Father but the Son has. Again below;
John 6:46Not that any
man hath
seen the Father, save he which is of
God, he hath
seen the Father.
No man has seen the Father, and so when the Lord appeared to men in the O.T., this was the Son of God appearing unto men.
He appeared unto Abraham.
Genesis 12:7And the
Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the
Lord,
who appeared unto him.
Genesis 17:1And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the
Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him,
I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Genesis 18:1And the
Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
He appeared unto Isaac.
Genesis 26:1 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham.
And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. 2 And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and
I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;
He appeared unto Jacob;
Genesis 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
He appeared unto Moses;
Exodus 3:14 And
God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. 15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.16 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and s
ay unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt:
So before His incarnation, Jesus was the God that men had seen in the Old Testament that Moses had written about as led by the Holy Ghost.
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The Word of God is the Creator by Whom all things were made by.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.....10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
This is the testimony of Jesus before His incarnation as the God men had seen. Amen.
