It’s one of the deeply strange truths of Christianity—that the Son of God became man and, as the Scriptures say, “dwelt among us.” But while many may have heard those words before, they don’t always connect them to the fact that Jesus existed before he was born in Bethlehem.

While it may seem like splitting hairs, it isn’t: Jesus’ existing eternally before he became man is part of the incredible news of Christmas. We were not merely sent a sacrifice from God—we were sent God himself in human form. Fully God and fully man, he lived and died so that we might be reconciled to God and have eternal life.

As we celebrate this Christmas season, let’s remember—and even tell our children—that our hope is as secure as can be not only because Jesus walked on the earth temporarily, but because he has existed eternally.