Who Is the God Before Jesus? A Journey Through Ancient Beliefs and Biblical Origins
Before Jesus walked the earth, there was already a rich and deeply rooted spiritual history that laid the foundation for what would eventually become Christianity. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering who was considered God before Jesus, you’re definitely not alone. It’s a question that has fascinated theologians, historians, and everyday believers for centuries. In this article, we’ll explore the evolution of divine worship from ancient times to the era of Jesus, with a special focus on the Judeo-Christian tradition. This isn’t a heavy theological debate—just a warm, clear, and enlightening journey through the ages of faith.
🙏 God the Father: Yahweh in the Old Testament
In the Hebrew Bible—what Christians refer to as the Old Testament—Yahweh (often represented in English translations as LORD in all caps) is the personal name of the God of Israel.
Long before Jesus's earthly ministry, Yahweh was already central to Jewish faith. He is portrayed as the eternal Creator of the universe, the one who formed humanity from dust, who struck covenants with patriarchs, led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, and gave them laws through Moses.
Yahweh was not only the God of Israel but also deeply relational, choosing to dwell among His people and guide them. This is the very same God that Jesus referred to as “Father,” showing the continuity of divine identity from Judaism to Christianity.
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📜 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
Going back to the roots of Israel’s story, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worshipped Yahweh, who identified Himself as their God throughout Scripture.
In Genesis, we see God calling Abraham to leave his homeland with the promise of becoming the father of many nations. The God of Abraham continues to guide and bless his descendants—Isaac and Jacob—establishing a covenantal relationship that is foundational to Jewish identity. Christians recognise this same God as the Father of Jesus, making the God of Abraham also the God of Christianity. This seamless spiritual lineage shows how Yahweh spans generations and covenants.
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🌩️ God Revealed to Moses: The “I AM”
A pivotal moment in the biblical story comes when Moses encounters God in the burning bush. When asked for His name, God responds,
“I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14)—a statement packed with meaning and mystery.
This declaration, in Hebrew Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, signifies eternal existence, unchangeability, and self-sufficiency. It marks Yahweh not as a local or tribal god but as the timeless, sovereign ruler of all creation. In the New Testament, Jesus echoes this powerful identity when He says, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), making a direct connection to the God of Moses. This was revolutionary—and controversial—because it equated Jesus with the eternal Yahweh.
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🌍 Pre-Biblical Gods: Ancient Deities and Cultures
Before the rise of Judaism, the ancient world was filled with gods and goddesses. From the towering ziggurats of Mesopotamia to the grand temples of Egypt, people worshipped deities like
Enlil, Anu, Ra, and Osiris.
These gods represented natural forces—sun, rain, fertility, war—and were often depicted as deeply flawed or battling each other for dominance. In contrast, Yahweh introduced the revolutionary idea of monotheism—one perfect, all-powerful God who demands moral behaviour and offers personal relationship. This shift set Judaism apart and prepared the way for Christianity. Though Jesus did not directly address these ancient gods, understanding them provides vital context for why the worship of Yahweh was so radical and transformative.
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✡️ Jewish Monotheism: The Foundation of Christianity
Jesus was not just a figure in history—He was born into a devout Jewish household. He observed Jewish laws, attended synagogue, and taught using the Hebrew Scriptures.
The God Jesus worshipped was Yahweh
, the same God honoured by generations of Jews. He didn't replace this God; rather, He deepened humanity’s understanding of Him. Jesus taught that Yahweh wasn’t just a distant deity but a close, loving Father. This laid the groundwork for the Christian view of God as loving, merciful, and intimately involved in human lives. Importantly, Jesus affirmed that He came not to abolish the Law, but to fulfil it—strengthening the bridge between the Old and New Covenants.
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🔁 The Trinity: One God in Three Persons
Following Jesus’s death and resurrection, early Christians began to articulate the mystery of the Trinity—the belief that God exists as three distinct persons but one essence: Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit.
This doctrine doesn’t suggest multiple gods but rather a multi-dimensional understanding of the one God who was always present. The Trinity helps explain how Jesus and the Holy Spirit can be divine without replacing Yahweh. Instead, they fully embody Him. This was not a departure from Judaism, but a divine revelation building upon its foundation. Jesus wasn’t a separate or later God—He was God made flesh, co-eternal with the Father.
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🕊️ Jesus’s Teachings About God the Father
Central to Jesus’s message was His relationship with God as Father. In prayers, parables, and sermons, He portrayed God not as distant or wrathful, but as approachable, loving, and forgiving.
Think of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, where the father runs to embrace his lost child. This was a radically intimate view of God that struck many as new—yet it was always rooted in the loving character of Yahweh.
Jesus expanded the understanding of God’s nature, helping people experience Yahweh not only as Lord but as Abba—an Aramaic word for “Dad.”
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📖 Echoes of the Eternal: Jesus and the Continuity of God
Throughout His teachings, Jesus continually affirmed that He was not introducing a new deity. Instead,
He pointed His followers back to the God of their ancestors, showing that His life, death, and resurrection fulfilled ancient prophecies.
The Old Testament is filled with messianic promises—hints and shadows pointing toward a Saviour. Jesus saw His mission as the culmination of those divine plans. He quoted Isaiah, referred to Moses, and upheld the Law—all to show that He and Yahweh were not opposed but unified. In Jesus, the eternal Yahweh stepped into time and space
, taking on human form to redeem humanity.
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🤔 Final Thoughts: So, Who Was God Before Jesus?
To summarise in the clearest way: God before Jesus was Yahweh—the eternal, personal, and holy God of Israel.
This is the same God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the prophets.
Jesus didn’t replace or rewrite this God. Instead, He revealed more of His character, made Him accessible in a human body, and invited people into a deeper relationship. Christianity didn’t invent a new deity—it expanded the understanding of the one true God already present throughout Scripture.
Whether you’re diving into Bible study, exploring your faith, or simply curious about the spiritual evolution of divine belief, remember this: the God before Jesus is the same God we encounter in Jesus—loving, eternal, and deeply invested in the human story.
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