Does Hebrews 1:10 teach the pre-existence of the Christ?

The organization known as the "Iglesia Ni Cristo" does not believe that Jesus had any pre-existence. That is, they do not believe he existed as a person before his conception and birth in Bethlehem. Is this what the Bible teaches?

Examining many verses of the Bible, we find that Jesus did indeed exist before his birth. One of these verses is Hebrews 1:10.

Hebrews 1:10 (ESV) - "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;

If this speaks of Jesus, then he clearly existed before the world because this says he actively took part in creating the world. However, the INC doubts that this passage actually speaks of the Son. Let's walk through the surrounding passage to see if it is really talking about Jesus.

The Father is the speaker.

In verses 5-7, the Father is clearly the speaker:

Hebrews 1:5-7 (ESV) - 1 For to which of the angels did God ever say,
"You are my Son,
today I have begotten you"?
Or again,
"I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son"?
6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
"Let all God's angels worship him."
7 Of the angels he says,
"He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire."

The Father is the speaker in all these quotes. We will see that the author of Hebrews continues to quote the Father more as we continue through the passage.

It should also be noted that there is a lot here about the deity of the Son. For example, the angels worship him, even though we are only to worship God as Jesus teaches in Luke 4:8. We will also see that the Son is called God in Hebrews 1:8. However, for the sake of this article, we will pass over such points and just establish that the Father speaks to the Son in verse 10.

The Son is being spoken to.

The Father continues speaking to the Son.

Hebrews 1:8-10 (ESV) - 8 But of the Son he says,
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
10 And,
"You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;

It is clear that verse 8 continues with the Father speaking about the Son all the way to verse 10. There is no legitimate reason to believe that the speaker or the one being spoken to has changed. The INC teaches that the Father is being spoken of in verse 10, but it is impossible to read this passage and come to that conclusion. The author of Hebrews is very clear on who is speaking and who that person is speaking about.

It seems the INC's only reason to reject what this passage clearly teaches is because they are trying to push an idea of Jesus onto the the passage that is clearly contradictory to what the Bible is teaching. This is a serious problem for the INC becuase it shows very clearly that what the INC teaches about Jesus is not biblical and will never be able to harmonize with what Scripture really teaches.

The Lord our God is being spoken to.

Hebrews 1:10-12 (ESV) 10 And
"You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of your hands;
11 they will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment,
12 like a robe you will roll them up,
like a garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and your years will have no end."

This passage in Hebrews 1:10-12 is a quote from Psalm 102, which speaks of the Lord our God. INC ministers always point out that Psalm 102 cannot be speaking of the Son because it is speaking of God, but that is the very connection the author of Hebrews is clearly making. In making this statement, the INC is not actually dealing with what the author of Hebrews is teaching us. The INC dodges the very heart of the argument the author of Hebrews is making.

The claim the author of Hebrews is making is that something that can only be said of God is said about the Son by the Father. This must be accounted for in any attempt to understand the passage. It can only mean that Christ is God!

Conclusion

Hebrews 1:10 conclusively speaks of the pre-existence of Christ as a person who acts in ways mere ideas cannot. The INC claims the verse does not speak about Jesus at all, but they have no legitimate reason to make such a claim as this article has demonstrated. They are assuming their doctrine and not permitting the Bible to speak.

Additionally, we do not only see the pre-existence of Christ, but his deity. If he laid the foundation of the earth, then he is the creator. If he is the creator and there is only one God, he must be God since only God created.

Isaiah 44:24 (ESV) - Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,