Hebrews 1:10 Proves the Pre-Existence of Christ

And: “At the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands.” — Hebrews 1:10

At face value, this scripture indicates that Jesus was directly involved in creation, participating in the Father’s creative works. However, Unitarians (Socinians) typically advance one of two counterarguments, both of which will be addressed in this article:

1. Hebrews 1:10 refers to Christ, but concerns the new creation rather than the Genesis creation; or
2. It concerns the Genesis creation, but the quotation from Psalm 102 is instead reapplied to the Father.

‘New Creation’

At first glance, the Unitarian interpretation may appear reasonable, particularly because Hebrews 2 most notably verse 5 speaks of “the inhabited earth to come,” which could initially suggest that the writer is referring to a future, spiritual creation established under Christ’s rule. This seems to fit their claim that Hebrews 1:10 applies to the new creation that began after Jesus’ resurrection. However, upon closer examination, this interpretation fails to account for the full context of the passage. In Hebrews 1:11, the heavens and the earth that the Son “laid the foundations of” are described as perishable they will “wear out like a garment.” Such language cannot describe the new creation, which by nature is incorruptible and everlasting. Jesus explicitly states in John 10:28 that those who belong to him “will never perish,” and Peter affirms in 1 Peter 1:4 that the inheritance reserved for the faithful is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading.” These scriptural assurances make it clear that the “heavens” and “earth” mentioned in Hebrews 1:10–11 cannot represent the new spiritual order inaugurated by Christ’s resurrection. Instead, they must refer to the physical cosmos itself the Genesis creation thereby affirming the Son’s active involvement and pre-existence before the foundation of the material universe.

P1: Hebrews 1:2 says Jehovah made the systems of things through the Son.

P2: Hebrews 1:10 says the Son laid the foundations of the earth and heavens.

P3: Hebrews 1:11 says those heavens will perish, but the Son remains.

P4: The new creation never perishes.

C∴ Therefore, Hebrews 1:10–12 refers to the original creation.

‘The Lord is the Father not the Son’

The original scripture quoted in Hebrews 1:10 is Psalm 102:25, which reads: “Long ago you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” Socinians contend that this verse, originally addressing Yahweh, is in Hebrews reapplied to the Father, interpreting “Lord” as referring to Jehovah Himself. However, this interpretation fails for two key reasons: first, it contradicts the consistent pattern of reapplication in the New Testament, where such Yahweh texts are uniformly applied to the Son, not the Father; and second, it breaks down grammatically and contextually within the structure and argument of Hebrews 1.

In the New Testament, Old Testament quotations made by writers other than Jesus are almost always applied to the Son, not to the Father. Paul provides only one possible exception in Romans 10:13, where he quotes Joel 2:32 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Even here, scholars debate whether Paul is referring to Jehovah or to Christ, highlighting how rare it is for a quotation to be redirected toward the Father in a new context. In the book of Hebrews, particularly chapters 4 and 6, Old Testament references to the Father occur only when recounting historical narratives, such as the promises made to Abraham and his descendants. In those cases, the subject is explicit and tied to the original story. Hebrews 1:10, however, stands apart. The writer uses Kyrios (“Lord”), a title that can refer to either Jehovah or Jesus, yet here it is applied in a fresh, theological context rather than a historical retelling. This is consistent with how the author applies Scripture elsewhere in the chapter — verses 8 and 9 quote Psalm 45:6–7 about the Son’s divine kingship, and verse 13 cites Psalm 110:1, again referring to the Son’s exaltation. Throughout Hebrews, Old Testament texts are consistently reapplied to the Son or to His redemptive work, never newly redirected to the Father. There is no clear example anywhere in the letter where a passage originally referring to Jehovah is reapplied in a new way to the Father.

The grammatical flow of Hebrews 1:8–10 strongly supports that verse 10 continues to speak about the Son, not the Father. The passage reads: “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever… therefore God, your God, has anointed you… and, You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth.’” The Greek conjunction καί (“and”) directly connects verse 10 with the preceding statements concerning the Son, without introducing any new subject. There is no grammatical or contextual indication that the author has shifted focus from the Son to the Father. The address “You, Lord” (σὺ, κύριε) in verse 10 naturally refers back to the same person addressed in verse 8 — the Son. To reinterpret this as a sudden reference to the Father would disrupt the clear syntactical pattern established throughout the passage. Furthermore, the structural consistency of the chapter reinforces this point. In verses 5–7, God speaks about the angels, but the writer explicitly signals a change in subject with the phrase, “But about the Son he says,” in verse 8. No such grammatical marker exists between verses 9–10 or verses 12–13, where some claim the subject returns to the Father. In fact, verse 13 once again applies an Old Testament quotation — Psalm 110:1 — to the Son, confirming the continuity of subject from verse 8 through 13. The consistent grammatical and contextual flow demonstrates that Hebrews 1:10, like the surrounding verses, speaks of the Son’s divine role and pre-existence.