I disagree, and no, they are not.
Jhn 3:16
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.
Jhn 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
The context of John 3:17 is a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus on our need to be born again, or on our need to inherit eternal life through belief or faith in Jesus. What is that belief or faith based upon? Is it based upon some unbiblical notion that Jesus was
eternally begotten? No, it is not. Again, that terminology is self-contradictory. Instead, that belief or faith is based upon this.
Rom 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
In order to be saved, or in order to be born again, or in order to inherit eternal life, we must believe in our hearts that God has raised Jesus from the dead, and this is precisely what he did when Jesus was
begotten from the dead (Acts 13:33, Rev. 1.5). In other words, not only are the words
eternally begotten self-contradictory, but even if they were not, then nobody would be saved by believing that Jesus was allegedly God's
eternally begotten Son. That notion is totally unbiblical.
Psa 45:6
Thy throne, O God,
is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom
is a right sceptre.
Psa 45:7
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Heb 1:8
But unto the Son
he saith, Thy throne, O God,
is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness
is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God,
even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
In these portions of scripture,
the Son is one who had to be
anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows, and this happened after Jesus had been resurrected or
begotten from the dead (Acts 13:33, Rev. 1:5) or when he ascended back to heaven to be
crowned with glory and honor (Psa. 8:5, Heb. 2:9). In other words, these verses are not talking about something from eternity past.
Although the word
begotten can be rightly interpreted in certain portions of scripture to mean
fathered, that is not how it is used in scripture in relation to Jesus. In Jesus' case, it is used in reference to his resurrection from the dead.
Just ask yourself this simple question:
Seeing how we need to believe in the
only begotten Son in order to be saved
(John 3:16), is our salvation based upon us believing that Jesus was
fathered by God either in eternity past or at his incarnation, or is our salvation based upon us believing that Jesus was raised or
begotten from the dead (Acts 13:33, Rev. 1:5)?
I trust that you know the correct answer to this question.