If I understand you correctly, you believe Jesus wasn’t God’s only begotten Son prior to being a human.
You understand me correctly.
Jesus most definitely was NOT God’s only begotten Son prior to becoming a human being.
When He was a human, He also wasn’t God’s only begotten Son until after resurrection?
That is correct.
Jesus didn’t become God’s only begotten Son until the day in which he was raised from the dead because that is the day in which he was truly begotten.
Please consider the following…
If anybody knows when Jesus truly became God’s only begotten Son, then it is God the Father and Jesus the only begotten Son.
Whether you’re presently aware of it or not, we are privileged to learn of a conversation between God the Father and Jesus his Son in our Bibles in which we’re not only told precisely on what day Jesus was truly begotten, but in which Christ himself tells us on which day he was truly begotten.
I am referring to the following:
“I will declare the decree:
the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; THIS DAY have I begotten thee.” (Psalm 2:7)
In this post, which will be rather long, I will first cover this verse of scripture in its original context within the second psalm itself, and then I will cover how it is interpreted the three different times that it is cited in relation to Jesus in the New Testament. In all four instances, as I’ll now document from rightly-divided scripture, Jesus was clearly “begotten” on the “day” in which he was raised from the dead.
Turning to the second psalm, we read:
Psalm 2
[1] Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
[2] The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
[3] Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
The first 3 verses of this prophetic Messianic psalm foretold of the time when the Gentiles (“the heathen”), the people of Israel (“the people”), Herod (“the kings of the earth”) and Pilate (“the rulers”) took counsel together against the LORD and against his anointed (or “against his Christ”, as we’ll see momentarily) or of the time when they all conspired together to crucify Jesus Christ.
This is by no means my own “private interpretation” (II Pet. 1:20).
Instead, it is the plain teaching of scripture.
In relation to the same, we read:
Acts chapter 4
[23] And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
[24] And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
[25]
Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
[26
] The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
[27]
For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
[28]
For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
Although we’re not told here exactly who “the heathen” (Psalm 2:1, Acts 4:25) or “the Gentiles” (Acts 4:27) were who, along with Herod, Pilate, and the people of Israel, “were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ”, we are told elsewhere that “the Gentiles” were the Roman soldiers.
In relation to the same, we read:
Matthew chapter 20
[17] And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them,
[18] Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
[19]
And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
Of course, “the Gentiles” who mocked, scourged, and crucified Jesus were the Roman soldiers.
God’s response to this conspiracy?
Psalm 2
[4] He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
[5] Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
[6] Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
God laughs, derides them, speaks unto them in his wrath, and vexes them in his sore displeasure.
What, exactly, does he speak?
He tells them that this same Jesus whom they have crucified will yet be his king upon his holy hill of Zion or that Christ, at his second coming, will yet rule over this earth from the throne of David in Zion or Jerusalem as is prophesied in several different places elsewhere in the Bible.
One such place where this is prophesied would be the following:
Luke chapter 1
[26] And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
[27] To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
[28] And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
[29] And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
[30] And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
[31] And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
[32] He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
[33]
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
How can someone who has been crucified and is dead yet be king?
We’re given the answer to this question in the very next verse.
We read:
Psalm 2
[7] I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me,
Thou art my Son; THIS DAY have I begotten thee.
Here, we are privileged to learn of a conversation between God the Father and his Son, Jesus, as is declared by Jesus himself.
Here is who is speaking of whom.
[7] I (Jesus) will declare the decree: the LORD (God the Father) hath said unto me (Jesus) Thou (Jesus) art my (God the Father’s) Son;
THIS DAY have I (God the Father) begotten thee (Jesus). – Parentheses mine.
To answer the question that I asked earlier, the way that someone who is dead (Jesus) can yet be king is if God raises him from the dead, and this is exactly what this verse of scripture is talking about.
Yes, God the Father told Jesus his Son that on “THIS DAY”, the day in which Christ was raised from the dead, he would be “begotten”.
Again, this is not my “private interpretation” (II Pet. 1:20) or something that I’m seeking to force upon this passage of scripture, but, instead, it is the plain teaching of scripture.
Turning to the first of three places in the New Testament where Psalm 2:7 is cited, we read:
Acts chapter 13
[26] Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
[27] For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
[28] And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
[29] And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
[30]
But God raised him from the dead:
[31] And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
[32]
And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
[33
] God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, THIS DAY have I begotten thee.
Did you get that?
The promise which God made in Psalm 2:7, he has fulfilled “in that he hath raised up Jesus again; AS IT IS ALSO WRITTEN IN THE SECOND PSALM, THOU ART MY SON,
THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN THEE.”
Again, Jesus was “begotten” on “THIS DAY” or on the day in which he was raised from the dead.
(Continued in my next post)
