Firm Foundation: Part 10

Jesus Christ:  God’s Only Son, Our Lord

The Bible speaks of Jesus as “Son” in two primary ways: Son of God and Son of Man. Both are important titles that are alike in some ways but also unique. Let's look at Jesus as “Son of God”.

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, in relationship to the Father as a human father and son. The first and second persons of the Trinity.  

The phrase “only begotten Son” occurs in John 3:16, which reads in the King James Version as,

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The title of “Son of God” speaks not just to Jesus' special relationship to the Father but to his unique nature shared with the Father. An ancient document of the orthodox faith, the Nicene Creed, explains:



“…the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.”

The phrase "only begotten" is the translation of the Greek word “monogenes” (μονογενής). This word is variously translated into English as "only," "one and only," and "only begotten," “one of a kind,” and literally “one of a class, genos” (the only of its kind).

Unless the Greek understanding of the word is carefully translated and understood within its context, “monogenes” leaves room for misunderstanding; it may and actually has led to false teaching. The phrase “only begotten Son” must be carefully understood to be descriptive of Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father.

Unfortunately, false teachers have used this phrase to try to prove that Jesus Christ isn’t God; i.e., that Jesus isn’t equal in essence to God as the Second Person of the Trinity. They use the word "begotten" to promote a false teaching that Jesus is a created being because only someone who had a beginning in time can be "begotten." The problem is that the word “begotten” is an English translation of a Greek word requiring us to look at the original meaning of the Greek word rather than impose our English understanding onto the text.

According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BDAG, 3rd Edition), “monogenes” has two primary definitions. The first definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship." This is its meaning in Hebrews 11:17 when the writer refers to Isaac as Abraham’s "only begotten son" (KJV). Abraham had more than one son, but Isaac was the only son he had by Sarah and the only son of the covenant. Therefore, it is the uniqueness of Isaac among the other sons that allows for the use of “monogenes” in that context.

The second definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind." This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16 (see also John 1:14, 18; 3:18; 1 John 4:9). John was primarily concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31), and he uses “monogenes” to highlight Jesus as uniquely God’s Son—sharing the same divine nature as God—as opposed to believers who are God’s sons and daughters by adoption (Ephesians 1:5). Jesus is God’s “one and only” Son.

The bottom line is that terms such as "Father" and "Son," descriptive of God and Jesus, are human terms that help us understand the relationship between the different Persons of the Trinity. The analogy breaks down if we try to take it too far and teach, as some cults (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses), that Jesus was literally "begotten" as in “produced” or “created” by God the Father.

“God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)

When the Bible refers to Jesus as Son, it is declaring, pronouncing, and confessing His uniqueness … His deity.

“This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)

“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)

There should be no doubt in our minds that Jesus is God’s “monogenes” Son … God’s only begotten Son our Lord!!!