Who Is The Unique Savior--Part 2

The eternally begotten Son of the eternal Father must be begotten in time to be the Mediator between God and man. Christ must mediate between the Holy Father and the elect who were given to Christ in the eternal covenant of grace. The mystery of the first begetting is a vital part of the mystery of the Son’s second begetting, and both are the foundation of the mystery of the begetting again of the elect. Paul said, “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:25-27 NASB).

The Father vindicated the Son’s declaration that He and the Father are equal. “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, in order that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:22-24 NASB). The anointing causes believers to abide in the Son (I John 2:20). Faith in the Son gives victory over the world (I John 5:4, 5). God’s record testifies of the Son (I John 5:12). The Son came to give understanding (I John 5:20). The Son is the true God and eternal life (I John 5:20).

The title “only begotten Son” has been the source of controversy since the third century subsequent to Christ’s death. Origen of Alexandria taught that Christ is from God and not God in Himself and that He was generated not in time but in eternity. In the fourth century, Arius taught that God has not always been Father. He believed there was a time when He was alone, but the eternal God made the Son a creature before all creatures, and He adopted Him for His Son. This teaching brought about great controversy in the fourth century. The church fathers concluded that the word “begotten” meant an inexplicable relationship and not an event.

There is a new theory about Sonship taught today. Some say to apply “begotten” to Jesus Christ in His eternal Deity in the past is a traditional error. Those who embrace this view say “begotten” refers to Christ as born of the virgin in time. They believe the Reformers, in trying to escape Arianism, invented the phrase “eternal generation.” While this view is incorrect, one must understand this revolutionary idea does not deny the eternal Sonship of Jesus Christ.

Some boldly proclaim the Bible says nothing about “begetting” as an eternal relationship between the Father and the Son. They dropped the statement “eternal generation” from their vocabulary of theology. The following are some of their arguments against the term “eternal generation”: (1) They say that theologians in trying to escape the difficulty of Arianism invented the phrase “eternal generation.” (2) They say that “begotten” refers to Christ’s birth of the virgin in time. (3) That say that God was not known to any man as Father until the Man was here who is called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). (4) They say that the person spoken of in Hebrews 1:5 is represented as Son and He is called Son because Sonship is related to His Manhood. (5) They say that the assumption that prophetic statements of what Christ would be could be taken as setting forth facts subsisting as actualities at the time they were written would make the Scriptures nonsensical. They say that Hebrews 1:5 is simply a quotation of Psalm 2:7, and the Sonship of Christ does not go back into eternity. (6) They say that Scripture does not speak of “eternal Father” or “eternal Son” and Father and Son are names which could be known only through the incarnation. (7) They say that the One who is eternally God has come into the place and relationship of Son and this involved obedience to the Father.

“Eternal generation” is a human term, like “Trinity,” designed to explain the inexplicable. Explaining the inexplicable can be likened to knowing the unknowable. Paul said the following to the Ephesians in his desire to see them strengthened in knowledge: “…may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God” (Eph. 3:18, 19 NASB).

“Trinity” is a human term used to explain the mystery of the Godhead. Objectors to the use of “eternal generation” use the human term “Trinity.” Hence, they are not consistent. If one human term should be dropped, consistency would demand dropping all human terms. If this is done, interpretation is impossible. Human interpretation falls short of perfection, but all Christians are responsible to interpret. The task of the interpreter is to use materials provided and make them as understandable as possible. Christ existed as Son from eternity. What is this but eternal generation? God does not generate as man, because there is a difference in nature. In human generation, the father exists before the son. However, in the Godhead, the Father and Son coexist. As there is a distinction of the Persons of the Godhead in time, there must be a distinction of Persons by name in eternity. God’s knowledge is infinite (Ps. 147:5). There is no new thought with Him. God knows all things simultaneously. “Eternal generation” is an anomalous expression to declare the inexpressible. It is acceptable for the want of a better term. It is not objectionable for wanting a better term. It is not objectionable when one considers such Biblical truths as eternal election and eternal justification.

The Lord Jesus is eternally the only One of His kind. The Greek word for “only begotten” is monogenes. It comes from two words: (1) monos, an adjective meaning sole, single, alone, or only and (2) genos, a noun meaning kind, class, family, or offspring. Therefore, the compound word monogenes means the only one of its kind, unique. Everything in the Divine nature is eternal; therefore, the “only Begotten Son” is eternal. The incarnation, baptism, and resurrection were manifestations of Sonship. Paul said in his introduction to Romans, “Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:1-4 NASB).

There are many references in the New Testament which state the Father sent the Son: “…He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23). “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever” (John 6:57, 58 NASB). [Note on the phrase “he who eats Me”: This is not eating Christ’s body in the sacrament when the wine and bread are blessed as some believe. (1) The Lord’s Supper had not even been instituted at that time. (2) Judas partook of the supper when the Lord instituted it, but he was not saved. (3) The dying thief on the cross did not partake of it, but he was saved. This phrase simply means ‘appropriate what you hear’.] “But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal. 4:4 NASB). There are three different verbs used for “sent” in these verses. They are pempo (John 5:23), apostello (John 6:57), and exiapostello (Gal. 4:4). These words are not used for the sake of variety.

The verb used by the Spirit of inspiration in John 5:23 is pempo, which means to send, commission, or appoint. The Father who sends is greater than the Son who is sent. Christ said, “…I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I” (John 14:28 NASB). In what sense is the Father greater than the Son? Since both are God, how can one be greater than the other? The solution to this is the answer to all problems, and the Bible gives the answer. The title “Son” cannot be restricted to the incarnation of Jesus Christ. “Son” is a term that would not apply to the second Person in the Godhead if He were the Son only in an official or ethical sense. Christ’s statement in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one,” proves the Lord Jesus spoke of priority of position, not inferiority of nature. Paul also proved the priority of the Father’s position in I Corinthians 11:3—“But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.”

Each Person of the Godhead has a distinguishing quality of His own; yet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God. The Son is of the Father, but the Father is never of the Son or Spirit. The Spirit is of the Father and the Son. The Father operates through the Son, and the Father and the Son operate through the Holy Spirit. Some things are attributed to all three Persons; but, on the other hand, certain acts are predicated of one Person which are never predicated of the other two Persons. Neither Person is God without the others, but each with the others is God. The Father elects, the Son redeems, and the Holy Spirit regenerates.

The verb apostello is used in John 6:57—“As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he shall also live because of Me” (NASB). This is a compound verb made up of the preposition apo, meaning from, or out from, and the verb stello, meaning to dispatch, or send out or away.

The verb exiapostello in Galatians 4:4 is a double compound. It is the verb apostello with another prepositional prefix exi, and basically means “out of.” The verb for “send” in Galatians 4:4 means to send away from oneself.

Being the Son of God eternally and being manifested the Son of God are two different things. The “only begotten” is never used in connection with Christ’s human nature, but “to be born,” “to cause to arise,” and “firstborn” are associated with the incarnation. The birth of Jesus Christ is superior, and therefore has priority over all births, creatures, and events. Christ is said to be the “firstborn son” of Mary (Matt. 1:25 KJB), “her first-born Son” (Luke 2:7 NASB), “first-born among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29 NASB), “first-born of all creation” (Col. 1:15 NASB), “first-born from the dead” (Col. 1:18 NASB), and “first-born into the world” (Heb. 1:6 NASB). Therefore, the adjective “superior” and the noun “priority” fit each verse where prototokos (first-born) is used in connection with Jesus Christ.

The human nature of Christ was not eternally in the bosom of the Father. However, the “Only Begotten” was and is in the bosom of the Father. This blows the theory that Sonship is related only to Christ’s Manhood. Since the Father gave His only begotten Son, He was the only begotten Son before He was given (John 1:18; 3:16). Christ said that the person who has not believed in the “name” of the only begotten Son is already condemned (John 3:18). The word “name” speaks of Christ’s very being and nature―His Person and Work as revealed to men. Does the word “name” include Christ’s Sonship? We must not forget that God sees future, present, and past all at once. God is one mind. He has a fixed and settled purpose. All history is but one. There is no succession in God’s knowledge, but there is in the revelation of that knowledge to men.

Jesus Christ is not said to be begotten of the Father in any sense except as the Father bore testimony to Him as being His unique Son. Psalm 2:7 has been a verse of much controversy among Bible students. The Psalmist said, “He said to Me, Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee” (Psalm 2:7 NASB). Some feel the controversy is unprofitable. It has been said that the dispute reveals presumptuous curiosity rather than reverent faith. That remark seems to be a cop out for lack of study to learn as much as possible about the infinite God. The Psalmist boldly described God’s victory over His enemies. Functions of government are centered in the Son of God. Therefore, God said, “But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain” (Ps. 2:6 NASB). The kingdom that is predicted is not soteriological but eschatological. The appointed King expressed who He is and what He is able to do by virtue of the Divine decree. The final victory of the Messiah is mentioned in the Psalms before His suffering and death (Psalm 22). Five things must be observed in Psalm 2:7—(1) Jesus Christ is Son. (2) He is My Son, i.e., the Son of God. (3) He is the Son of God begotten. “Begotten” comes from the Hebrew word meaning to bring forth as a mother (Gen. 4:1) or to beget as a father (Gen. 4:18). (4) The Son is begotten “today.” “Today” refers to the time the decree was revealed. Since this was a Divine act, it was eternal. (5) The “begotten” was by saying. The Psalmist is the seer, and the Psalm is a picture of what he saw and heard.

The argument that “eternal Father” and “eternal Son” are not scriptural expressions is illogical. It is a fact that God’s knowledge is infinite (Ps. 147:5). Since God understands our thoughts afar off, to say the terms “Father” and “Son” were not understood by God until they were revealed in the incarnation would be against all logic. The Psalmist said, “Thou dost know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost understand my thought from afar” (Ps. 139:2 NASB). This means before a thought becomes my own it is eternally comprehended by God. The incarnation would give a complete account of both Sonship and Fatherhood. “No man has seen God at anytime; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18 NASB). “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matt. 11:27 NASB). “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Luke 10:22 NASB).

The full account of Fatherhood and Sonship is necessary for the elect’s salvation. Therefore, Fatherhood had to be there in order to be brought out. Fatherhood cannot exist apart from Sonship. Hence, the Son is given (Is. 9:6, 7; 7:14). The Son is equal with the Father (John 5:17-47; 10:30; Heb. 1:3). The word “image” involves two things― representation and manifestation. The Son of God, therefore, is not simply the revealer of God, but He Himself is God revealed. In order to reveal the Father, the Son condescended to take the place of subjection to the Father. The place of subjection as the God-Man was to reveal the Father and redeem the elect, but there is more to come. The prophecy of the eternally begotten Son became a reality when the Word was made flesh and dwelt among men (John 1:1, 14). Hence, the eternally begotten was begotten in time.