What Does It Mean? Only Begotten Son Of God?

By faith Abraham, when he was 

 tried, offered up Isaac; and 

he that had received the promises 

offered up his only begotten son,

of whom it was said, That in Isaac 

shall thy seed be called: accounting

that God was able to raise him up,

even from the dead; from whence

also he received him in a figure. 

Hebrews 11:17-19

     Faith is not real faith unless it is tried! What happens during a time of trial determines your faith. Do you falter? Do question: "why?" Or do you fall onto the promises of God because your faith is not in things, or circumstances, but is faith in God? Abraham was given a promise of a son even in his and Sarah's old age. Yes, Abraham did a wrong thing for he stepped ahead of the promises and tried to take things into his own hands. Things do not go well when we step ahead of the promises of God and rely on our own rationalization as can be seen in the history of Ishmael the son of Hagar Abraham's maid. In Abraham's time it was not unusual for a wife to allow another woman to be a surrogate and bear a child when she could not for to have children was most important to that culture. So, Abraham did not think this out of order, but it was for he thought by this birth the promise would be fulfilled. This was not the promise of God and while Ishmael would become the father of many nations there were nations that became in opposition to the God of the Bible and formed another God using Abraham as their progenitor and of his God and formed a theology of their making and not the making of God who promises that the seed He would bless would come from Isaac. Now, Ishmael could have followed the God of Abraham but apparently he did not for his progeny became idol worshipers and formed gods from their thinking and until the time of Mohammed  there was no single written Scripture called the Koran. Those who follow the Koran are still in opposition to the Hebrews and towards Christian showing that they are not following the God of Abraham but another theology that they formed and follow.

     It must be noticed that Isaac was the only begotten son of Abraham even though Abraham had another son Ishmael. So we must come to understand this dichotomy. Isaac was Abraham's only begotten son because Isaac was the son of promise and God would through his line reveal Himself and lead people to the One whom He would send to earth Who Himself is called the Only begotten Son of God. Was not Jesus a Son of promise? Yes! Was not God working through the line of Abraham through Isaac? Is not God working through Jesus Christ? Are Christians not adopted sons of God and God is working through them? Yes! 

     Jehovah Witnesses follow Arius who taught that Jesus was a created being, as do the  Mormons. Jehovah Witnesses in their "Aid to Bible Understanding" try to prove that their opposition to Jesus being God that the words translated are translated wrong and attempt to use various uses of this word to prove their theological bent. So let us examine this use of Only Begotten to prove that Jesus is God, God in the flesh. There are two things that we must examine and the first is that that Jesus was the sole representative of the Being and character of the One who sent Him. "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).This is the Greek: Καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, καὶ ἐθεασάμεθα τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, δόξαν ὡς μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας·
The words μονογενοῦς παρὰ πατρός, do not have the definite article before only begotten and father and in their absence the two words have laid upon them the stress that they are of the same characteristics as with χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας where faith and truth have the same characteristics. My son was begotten by me (and my wife) and are part and parcel of me (and my wife), not something else, but the same as me, human. For Jesus to be the Only begotten of the Father is to say that He is of the Father, not separate but the same therefore as God is without time so is the Son, who is of un-originated relationship. Jesus did not become the Only Begotten Son by incarnation for He was and is always the Only Begotten Son of God. As the Word of God, the Creator, the Wisdom of God He emptied Himself to become flesh to save mankind, to pay that debt owed to God (that includes Him for He is in God's economy He is the Second Person of the Godhead). Only God could pay this debt owed to Him, no other creature could do this for only God can forgive sin. To say that God would have to use a created being to do His work is to admit that God was in some way impotent and needed help. That is blasphemy! 
     By Faith Abraham did what we would seem to be unseemly: to kill his son, the son of promise. Yet, Abraham now fully understood that by faith he would do all that God has asked of him and by faith believe in God's promise that through Isaac would nations be blessed. Question: Do you, or have you come to that place where you fully rely on the promises of God and this by faith? No matter the cost, no matter the circumstance, faith in God is the highest in your belief as a Christian. Faithfulness is proof of your faith. Yes, we do fall into sin, and we have something so important: God, who is merciful to forgive the repentant. Do not rely on the repentance of God and continue in sin. By faith live according to the commands and precepts found in the Bible, God's word and instruction to you. Blessings come by faith. And faith if tried and proved by action. 

But now thus saith the LORD
     that created thee, O Jacob,
and He that formed thee, O Israel,
     Fear not: for I have redeemed
thee, I have called thee by thy name:
     thou are Mine.
                Isaiah 43:1

You belong to God: live your faith

Richard L. Crumb