Onomaticon: Only Begotten Son and Everlasting Father
Only Begotten Son
“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.” — John 3:16
What does it mean for Jesus to be the Only Begotten Son? Does it mean that he is Jehovah Jr. a second divine person? Does this mean he is a good man, powerful prophet, or insightful teacher? Or does it mean something totally different?
Jesus was fully man and fully God, born of a virgin impregnated by the spirit of God. Luke clarifies this: “the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”
This scripture gives us the reason he is the Son of God or the only begotten son. Not because he is an eternal second divine person whose name is Son. But because God caused the conception, God caused the begetting of the baby Jesus. Just like any boy is the son of his father, because that father planted the seed. Except in the case of Jesus, the begetting was a supernatural work of God’s spirit.
In order to be the son of a king, you must be in his kingdom. The way we enter that kingdom is explained in John 3:5, “Born of the water and of the spirit.” Because of this we are now the sons of God. But we are not Only Begotten sons, we have an earthly father and mother. Jesus was God incarnate. This is why he was not merely a good man but he was the only perfect man. He was needed to be the sinless sacrifice for all of us who are imperfect.
Everlasting Father
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” — Isaiah 9:6
One thing that is cool about this scripture is it shows the unmistakable Oneness of the Godhead. Colossians 2:9 says “in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The man, or son, was at the same time the everlasting father, God come down from heaven manifested in flesh, dwelling in a perfect man.
But on a less doctrinal note, how incredibly blessed are we to have an everlasting Father? It is important to remember that he is the heavenly Father, the everlasting Father. Too many have had bad experiences with an earthly father, and therefore are skeptical of anyone trying to move in on this sore spot. But don’t confuse the endless mercy of the everlasting Father with the callousness of a flawed father. Remember, God doesn’t just love you, but he actually is love. (I John 4)
He is also “the father of the world to come” as the Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) reads it. While he is the loving, intimate daddy that is right down at our level, to kiss our boo-boos, and cuddle us and do all the things a good — no, a great — Father would, don’t forget how big he is. He isn’t contained by this world or the next one because he is the creator of both. He isn’t confined by time because he made time. And time will cease to exist when He chooses. He is waiting to see us face to face if only we will follow his commandments. I am determined to be a son in whom the everlasting father is well pleased.
Nathan, you did a great job of graciously sharing the core doctrine of who Jesus is and who the Father is. You also did a great job of making it personal and not just academic.
It is so important that people get ahold of the concept that God is our Father, and that he does kiss our boo-boos.