John 1:1-5 (ESV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was in the beginning with God. [3] All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. [4] In him was life, and the life was the light of men. [5] The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:14 (ESV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Only Son from the Father, or as it says in the King James, and here the KJV, if a little archaic is more faithful to the original Greek, only begotten Son of the Father. Only begotten is how you translate Monogeneus if you will forgive the transliteration of the Greek.
See last night I was explaining the trinity to inmates at the county jail, a favorite past time of mine. I love those guys. It’s crazy though what you get asked. I’m explaining this though so they will realize that God died for them. Jesus didn’t become God, he always was God. Because God is eternal, no beginning no end. If you aren’t God your aren’t going to be God, you won’t become God. This is confusing for guys in Jail, because most of them are brought up LDS. And it isn’t as if most of them want to hold on to it. But it is there in their system. Every once in a while you find a guy who thinks the pastor doing Bible Study can be used as a rung to climb into heaven and make up for past misdeeds if he defends LDS Doctrine, but those are few. But you do get some confused boys in there. And they ask questions like, “Then who is Satan’s brother?”
And it is presupposed that Satan needs a brother. I really did get asked this last night. So I calmly explained that Satan was an angel created like you and me, and didn’t need a brother, and doesn’t have a brother. But Jesus became our brother by taking on our flesh, our blood, our bone. But according to his divinity he has no brother, because he is the only begotten.
Now, begotten is a word that isn’t used much these days, which is probably why the ESV wants to say only Son from the Father. Though I think they’d do better just leaving a footnote that explains begotten or sends you to the dictionary. To beget is the father’s half of the act of procreation. If a man has a child he has begotten a child. And as I like to point out to the people, ducks beget ducks, dogs beget dogs, rabbits beget rabbits, and God begets God. God creates man.
Jesus isn’t the only son, because we are his children too. But we are his children in a different way. We are his children due to creation, adoption and redemption. Jesus is begotten of the Father, the only Son FROM the Father, but not the only son of the Father. Therefore Jesus is God, and God became man in the person of Jesus. Because man can have a beginning, God can’t. He is eternal, no beginning no end.
And that is the thought that is preoccupying my mind right now, as I prepare for Christmas. Satan has no brother, but thanks to the incarnation, we do. And our brother is God.
No comments:
Post a Comment