WORD OF GOD
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But John did provide further explanation of the Word:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Joh 1:14 NKJV)
Later in John's gospel, Jesus Himself is recorded as saying:
“16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Joh 3:16-18 NKJV)
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Joh 1:14 NKJV)
Later in John's gospel, Jesus Himself is recorded as saying:
“16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (Joh 3:16-18 NKJV)
It's something that I find difficult to put into words. (I know I should be able to do so, but find it hard). However, I found something on the web that seems to explain why the word "begotten" is used of Jesus Christ. Having stressed that John in the first three verses of his gospel explains that the Word was in the beginning with God, and the Word was God, the author, John Piper, continues:
"Then verse 14 uses sonship language (quite apart from whether you say “only Son” or “only begotten Son”) to describe the relationship between God and the Word. Not only is the Word God; the Word is also Son of God, which means that what is said about the Word applies to the Son, and what was said about the Word was that he was not made.
How, then, does the Son exist as Son — not as Father, but as Son? If we just stay with the language of Son and Father, the answer would be: not made, but begotten. That’s what sons are: sons are begotten; that’s what it means to be the son of a father. But this begetting of the Son clearly is very unique — I mean, it’s really different because this Son, this Word, had no beginning. In the beginning was God. The Word of God was there, and God was there — and the two of them were eternally there. God was the Word. The Word was God. They had no beginning. He was always there with God as God.
The text itself pushes us to the conclusion that the peculiar kind of begetting that we’re talking about is an eternal begetting. There never was a time when the Son did not exist, and yet he is Son and not Father. They’re not reversible ever in the New Testament. And the Christian church is right to argue that it is fitting to speak of this eternally existent Son who is God, and yet who is not the Father. He has been eternally begotten by the Father, not coming into being but eternally begotten."
"Then verse 14 uses sonship language (quite apart from whether you say “only Son” or “only begotten Son”) to describe the relationship between God and the Word. Not only is the Word God; the Word is also Son of God, which means that what is said about the Word applies to the Son, and what was said about the Word was that he was not made.
How, then, does the Son exist as Son — not as Father, but as Son? If we just stay with the language of Son and Father, the answer would be: not made, but begotten. That’s what sons are: sons are begotten; that’s what it means to be the son of a father. But this begetting of the Son clearly is very unique — I mean, it’s really different because this Son, this Word, had no beginning. In the beginning was God. The Word of God was there, and God was there — and the two of them were eternally there. God was the Word. The Word was God. They had no beginning. He was always there with God as God.
The text itself pushes us to the conclusion that the peculiar kind of begetting that we’re talking about is an eternal begetting. There never was a time when the Son did not exist, and yet he is Son and not Father. They’re not reversible ever in the New Testament. And the Christian church is right to argue that it is fitting to speak of this eternally existent Son who is God, and yet who is not the Father. He has been eternally begotten by the Father, not coming into being but eternally begotten."
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The Hebrew word yalad means "to bear, bring forth, beget" but it can be used (as the equivalent English word also can) for "cause to be." For example, when God says he "begot"/"fathered" (yalad) the nation of Israel (Deut. 32:6, 18), he clearly means that he caused it to be or created it as a nation. There is no implication that it was somehow begotten out of the very substance of his body. In like manner God calls the nation of Israel his son, his firstborn because it was the very first nation created by him and for him (cf. Ex. 4:22). Again, anything Jehovah causes to be may be said to be "begotten" by him and is his "offspring."
"Is this the way you treat Jehovah? O foolish people, is not God your Father? Has he not created you?" - Deut. 32:6, Living Bible.
"You forsook the creator who begot [yalad] you and cared nothing for God who brought you to birth." - Deut. 32:18, NEB.
"Men of Athens [nonChristians], .... The God who made the world and everything in it ... does not live in shrines made by man. .... Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold or silver, or stone..." - Acts 17:22, 24, 29, RSV.
It's especially important to note the dual application of Psalm 2:7. Here Jehovah speaks to the Israelite king and says "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten [yalad] thee." It's true that the Israelite king (David?) prefigures Jesus Christ here, but notice that this scripture must directly apply to David also. Jehovah hasn't really begotten him out of his very own substance so that now King David's very body and substance are identical to God's.
No, the king has, at this point, been accepted by God in a new way. God has caused him to be in a new status. So when this scripture is also applied to the Christ, it is to be applied in a similar (although greater) manner.
In Ps. 90:2 we also see yalad used in the sense of created: "Before the mountains were born
[yalad] or you brought forth the earth" - NIV, AT, JB, NJB, NAB (1991), NASB; "begotten" - NAB (1970); "were given birth" - MLB. Or, "Before the mountains were created, before the earth was formed." - Living Bible, cf. TEV. So, the Hebrew word most often translated "begotten, brought forth" may also be understood (as in English) to mean created or produced. And whether or not God means that the earth ("mountains") was literally "begotten" from his very own spirit body or created out of nothing really matters very little. The point is that at one time it did not exist and then was brought into existence by the Creator, God!
The very title of God ("Father") used as "source of all things" shows this common meaning throughout both testaments. God is the Father of all. What does this mean? He is the Father of the Universe, the Father of all creation, and even the Father of the Angels. (They truly are called "sons of God" and they were in existence before the earth was created - Job 38:4, 7, cf. Living Bible and NIVSB f.n.) They are spirit persons. Should we assume then that the angels were "begotten" from God in the sense that they have existed eternally and are actually composed of his very own spirit substance, etc.? After all, it doesn't actually say that they were "created." We know they were created because their Father created/"begot" everything: He is the "Father of all" including the spirit persons in heaven. - Eph. 4:6; Heb. 1:7; 12:9.
The Hebrew word yalad means "to bear, bring forth, beget" but it can be used (as the equivalent English word also can) for "cause to be." For example, when God says he "begot"/"fathered" (yalad) the nation of Israel (Deut. 32:6, 18), he clearly means that he caused it to be or created it as a nation. There is no implication that it was somehow begotten out of the very substance of his body. In like manner God calls the nation of Israel his son, his firstborn because it was the very first nation created by him and for him (cf. Ex. 4:22). Again, anything Jehovah causes to be may be said to be "begotten" by him and is his "offspring."
"Is this the way you treat Jehovah? O foolish people, is not God your Father? Has he not created you?" - Deut. 32:6, Living Bible.
"You forsook the creator who begot [yalad] you and cared nothing for God who brought you to birth." - Deut. 32:18, NEB.
"Men of Athens [nonChristians], .... The God who made the world and everything in it ... does not live in shrines made by man. .... Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold or silver, or stone..." - Acts 17:22, 24, 29, RSV.
It's especially important to note the dual application of Psalm 2:7. Here Jehovah speaks to the Israelite king and says "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten [yalad] thee." It's true that the Israelite king (David?) prefigures Jesus Christ here, but notice that this scripture must directly apply to David also. Jehovah hasn't really begotten him out of his very own substance so that now King David's very body and substance are identical to God's.
No, the king has, at this point, been accepted by God in a new way. God has caused him to be in a new status. So when this scripture is also applied to the Christ, it is to be applied in a similar (although greater) manner.
In Ps. 90:2 we also see yalad used in the sense of created: "Before the mountains were born
[yalad] or you brought forth the earth" - NIV, AT, JB, NJB, NAB (1991), NASB; "begotten" - NAB (1970); "were given birth" - MLB. Or, "Before the mountains were created, before the earth was formed." - Living Bible, cf. TEV. So, the Hebrew word most often translated "begotten, brought forth" may also be understood (as in English) to mean created or produced. And whether or not God means that the earth ("mountains") was literally "begotten" from his very own spirit body or created out of nothing really matters very little. The point is that at one time it did not exist and then was brought into existence by the Creator, God!
The very title of God ("Father") used as "source of all things" shows this common meaning throughout both testaments. God is the Father of all. What does this mean? He is the Father of the Universe, the Father of all creation, and even the Father of the Angels. (They truly are called "sons of God" and they were in existence before the earth was created - Job 38:4, 7, cf. Living Bible and NIVSB f.n.) They are spirit persons. Should we assume then that the angels were "begotten" from God in the sense that they have existed eternally and are actually composed of his very own spirit substance, etc.? After all, it doesn't actually say that they were "created." We know they were created because their Father created/"begot" everything: He is the "Father of all" including the spirit persons in heaven. - Eph. 4:6; Heb. 1:7; 12:9.
They're having this same discussion at another website. You might want to go take a look over there.
https://www.usmessageboard.com/threads/christendoms-trinity-where-did-it-come-from.1152591/
If you decide to post there, use the same screen name so that I can take a look and see what progress you make.
https://www.usmessageboard.com/threads/christendoms-trinity-where-did-it-come-from.1152591/
If you decide to post there, use the same screen name so that I can take a look and see what progress you make.