There are so many attributes of Jesus that come to mind when I think of Him. I will never be able to cover all of them, and even if I could, my words do not convey the magnitude of who He is. One vital truth about Jesus that we will think about today is His being the only begotten Son of God. In John 1:14, this truth about Jesus is proclaimed. This term “only begotten” means only child of His kind. There was no other that came from the Father. While all who are Christians are children of God, we are not the only begotten. We are adopted into the family. In Romans 8:15, we are no longer in bondage to sin and fear, but we are adopted into the family of God. We are given a place in the family because we are chosen, Jesus was God’s Son from the beginning.
John 1:14 “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.”
Romans 8:15 “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.”
As the only begotten one, He has a special relationship with the Father. Just as the Father is divine in nature, so is the Son. He is exalted above all other people and angels. In Hebrews 1:4, the writer reminds us of this truth “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” This relationship as the only one of His kind gives Him a more excellent name than any other being. He is the one and only Son of God. Note, there are many religions that believe we are all sons of God, and by adoption, we can be grafted into the family, but there is only one which is The Son of God. It is only through Him that we can be adopted. Were it not for His purity as God’s holy Son our adoption would be impossible. There could be no redemption of our souls. There is no one who will ever be equal to or superior to Jesus the Son of God.
As the only begotten Son He has seen God. We can be in God’s presence by His Spirit, but Jesus was with Him in every sense of the word from the beginning. John 1:18 teaches us that no man has seen God except the God-Man Jesus. In Exodus 33:20, God proclaimed to Moses that no man can see His face and live. His majesty, holiness, and excellence are too great for us to comprehend. God is a Spirit, and our physical eyes can’t see the spiritual realm. However, He sent His Son who is the express image of God in the flesh. In John 14:9 Philip is asking to see the Father and Jesus tells Philip “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Only the begotten Son can be God in the flesh.”
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.”
Exodus 33:20 “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
As the only begotten He is especially loved. He is given all power by the Father in Matthew 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
As the beloved only begotten Son of the Father, He is given a name that is exalted above every other name in Philippians 2:9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.”
As the beloved only begotten Son of the Father, He is given a position beside the Father. In I Peter 3:22 He is seated at God’s right hand in Heaven. “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”
Because He is the beloved only begotten Son of the Father, we gain eternal life. John 3:16-17 makes it clear that those who believe in and put their faith in the only begotten will have eternal life with Him. “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
I am so thankful for the only begotten One. There is none like Him and there never will be.
