April 4, 2025 - John 1:18 - "The Only Begotten Son of God"

John 1:18

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."

The Lord Jesus Christ is described in Scripture as the Only Begotten Son of God. What does that title mean? It does not imply that He is a created being, for He is also declared to be the eternal Son of God. The second Psalm, written millennia before Christ came to earth as a man, commands sinners, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psalm 2:12). His existence did not begin with a birth or creation—He has always been the Only Begotten Son of God. This title is not a reference to origin, but to His unique place of glory as God’s Son and the work He came to accomplish.

The phrase “Only Begotten Son of God” refers to Jesus Christ’s unique relationship with God the Father. This title appears in key biblical passages, such as John 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” (John 3:16). This title carries profound meaning with regard to the LORD Jesus:

His Unique Sonship – “Only Begotten” is translated from the Greek word monogenēs, meaning “one of a kind” or “unique.” The LORD Jesus has a singular relationship with the Father, distinct from all others. Believers are called the children of God by adoption “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15); “To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Galatians 4:5). Christ alone is the Only Begotten Son in an eternal and divine sense.

His Eternal Generation – The Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus was not created, but has eternally existed as the Son of God. He is of the same divine essence as the Father:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1-3).

“And the Word was made 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” (John 1:14). As the eternal Son, He shares in the divine nature of God the Father.

His Incarnation and Redemption – The Lord Jesus, as the Only Begotten Son, took on human flesh to accomplish God’s purpose of redemption: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). He was sent into the world to redeem an elect people, chosen by God the Father, through His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection.

Some may wonder whether Adam might better be called the first begotten son of God, as the first man made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27). However, Adam was but a type of the LORD Jesus Christ as the Begotten Son of God. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). As the first Adam was the federal head of an earthly race, so Christ, the Last Adam, is the head of a spiritual race. Scripture declares that Christ’s spiritual race was begotten through His resurrection: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Through His death and resurrection, the legal work of redeeming His people was fully accomplished. Their adoption as sons was accomplished in His death, and all obligations of redemption were satisfied. Those for whom He paid the debt are now freed from the curse of the first Adam and attributed with a Righteousness far greater than Adam’s—an everlasting Righteousness. “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Those redeemed by Christ are sons of God and joint-heirs with Him, begotten of God through His finished work at Calvary.

While there are similarities between Adam, created in the image of God, there are stark contrasts between the first man Adam and the LORD Jesus as the only Begotten Son of God. The first man, was created in the image of God, but through his disobedience, he plunged himself and all his race into sin and separation from God: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Christ, however, is called the Last Adam because He came to undo the condemnation caused by the first Adam and to restore those chosen by the Father from Adam’s fallen race. Unlike Adam, the Lord Jesus was sinless and perfectly obedient: “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

As the Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus is divine, eternal, and the perfect revelation of God. As the Last Adam, He took on human nature to fulfill what Adam failed to do—perfect obedience to God. Through His redeeming death and triumphant resurrection, He became the Head of a new creation, giving spiritual life to all those given to Him by the Father: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). While the first Adam brought death, the Last Adam, the Only Begotten Son of God, brings eternal life: “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18). Thus, the title "Only Begotten Son of God" signifies Christ’s divine, eternal, and unique Sonship, while His role as the Last Adam emphasizes His redeeming work in restoring His elect from sin and death to everlasting righteousness and life.