Was Jesus Christ always God?

Jesus Christ was always God, born of the Father from all eternity.

Explanation

Jesus did not begin to exist at His birth in Bethlehem. His human nature began at the Incarnation, but as the eternal Son of God He has always existed. Before all creation, before the world existed, the Son was with the Father and shared fully in the divine life. The Church teaches that the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, meaning that His divine origin is outside of time and unlike any human birth. There was never a moment when the Son did not exist. This truth distinguishes Christian belief from the mistaken idea that Jesus was merely a great man who later became divine. The Son is eternal God who entered human history for our salvation. Because Jesus is eternal, His power, authority, and saving work extend to every age and every generation.