Jeremy approaches Bible teaching with a passion for getting the basic doctrines explained so that the individual can understand them and then apply them to circumstances in their life. These basic and important lessons are nestled in a framework of history and progression of revelation from the Bible so the whole of Scripture can be applied to your physical and spiritual life.
Jeremy Thomas is the pastor at Spokane Bible Church in Spokane, Washington and a professor at Chafer Theological Seminary. He has been teaching the Bible for over 20 years, always seeking to present its truths in a clear and understandable manner.
Welcome to Beyond the Walls with Jeremy Thomas and our series on the New Testament framework. Today, a smaller, bite-sized piece from the larger lesson. We hope you enjoy
So, what did the only begotten God, which is obviously a reference to the Son, what did he draw out? He drew out who the Father was. He has exegeted him, he has explained him, he has shown us who the Father is. They kept saying, Show us the Father, right? What did Jesus say? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. He said, Why do you say that? Just look at me. I am exegeting him. I am showing you who he is in nature.
And so we have this description, though, of the Son being begotten. You never read the Father is begotten, and you never read of the Spirit being begotten. So we need to understand what this word begotten means, and specifically that it signifies that he took a subordinate role. A subordinate, but that doesn't mean inferior. He's not less than God. He still shares the same essence of God. So this is a voluntary role that the second member of the Trinity took. He is the only begotten.
Now, this is the point in church history that starts the story that ends up resulting in the oppression and tyranny, political tyranny in Eastern Europe and Russia. And this discussion started around, let's just say about 300 AD, with Arius. And Arius came along and he saw this concept of the only begotten. And he developed the concept that the second person of the Trinity, because he was begotten, was a creature and not eternal. That he was made and therefore the first thing that God created. And therefore, of course, this impacts the Trinity, right? Because, well, if he was created, he's not God in the same sense that the Father is God. Definitely not on that level. So Arius interpreted Jesus as having a beginning and not being co-eternal with the Father. He was, in Arius' eyes, the first creation of God. And that's why you'll read in the early creeds things like about the Son, it will say, begotten, not made. Because they're reacting to Arius, that heresy had to be stopped. Now, what then does it mean, begotten? That's the key, right? Arius was mistaken on the meaning of this term. Most people think of this term, probably the first time they read it, as born.
Begotten. Born. That's not exactly the meaning of the term. The term has its origin actually in the days of Genesis 22, when there's a story of Abraham and Isaac. And Abraham is told to take Isaac up to Mount Moriah. So if you take a look at Genesis 22:2, you'll see the origin of only begotten. That it wasn't new with Jesus in John 3.16 or something. That this has been around, and that we understand it because we've already previously understood Genesis 22. You'll see it in Genesis 22, God testing Abraham, saying to him, Abraham, and he said, Here I am. And he said, Take now your son, your only son, you whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land Moriah, offer in there as a burnt offering. Right? Take your son, your only son. That's the root and origin of the concept of only begottenness. Because, let me ask a question. At this time, did Abraham have other sons? Well, yes. So how can you say, take your son, your only son, if he has other sons? Because the concept of only son or only begottenness is not just having birth.
SPEAKER_00
That's not the concept of it. Look also at verse 12.
SPEAKER_01
The angel is speaking to him, and he and uh the angel says to him in verse 12, Do not stretch out your hand against the lad and do nothing to him, for I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. Again, are you serious? This is not his only son. Not only in the sense of natural birth, but he is the only son, or the monogenes in the biblical sense of what it means. What then does that mean? It means one who is uniquely brought into the world to serve a specific or vital link in the sovereign plan of God, someone who is uniquely born so that they are a part of the sovereign plan of God.
SPEAKER_00
Was Isaac uniquely born? Well, anybody today who's 90 years old giving birth to babies?
SPEAKER_01
Has anybody in the history of the world since then, at 90 years of age, had a baby?
SPEAKER_00
I think we're safe to say no, nobody has. So this was a unique birth.
SPEAKER_01
A monogenais, a unique one, and he is the heir. Isaac is the heir of the promises that God made to Abraham.
And so when we read that of Jesus in John 1 or John 3, what are we reading? We're reading, for God so loved the world that he brought his unique one, the heir, who is the sovereign link in his plan into the world, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish, right, but have everlasting life. That's what we're reading. And so this is what it means to be begotten, that the second person of the Trinity took on a specific role as the begotten one, and he subordinated himself to the Father to serve in this capacity, to serve us, to serve us with salvation. So the Son is subordinate to the Father in role, not in his essence, he is truly God of truly God, and he has all the attributes of God, right?
If you found this podcast to be useful and helpful, then please consider rating us in your favorite podcast app. And until next time, we hope you have a blessed and wonderful day.
