Before The Foundation Of The World

Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for you loved Me before the foundation of the world.  

John 17:24 

Christ has had an eternal relationship with His Father. He refers to it in His High Priestly prayer from which our text derives. He says, ‘You loved me before the foundation of the world.’ Thus when we speak of God, we must include Christ as one of those who are from eternity. Other passages lead us to include the Holy Spirit. For example, Genesis indicates the Holy Spirit was at work in creation. John 1 speaks of Christ, the Word, as creating all that is. Hebrews 1 tells us it was God Who employed His Son in creation. When we add together all the Scripture says about these three, we have good reason to believe in the Trinity. This means when we hear Christ speak of the love His Father had for Him, ‘before the foundation of the world,’ it is entirely consistent with everything else we know about Him as the essential, eternal Son of God. Our faith does not rest in some recent addition to the Trinity. Rather, from what Christ says, as well as from the rest of the Scripture, we conclude that as the Father is eternal, so also is the Son. The more convinced we are of the truth, the more willing we are to confess, as Thomas did, ‘My Lord, and my God!’ The longer we gaze upon Christ, the more worthy He appears to our wondering eyes.  

Our Holy, Triune God, 
we rejoice in every Person of the Trinity. 
We praise You that all of You are eternal. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning