What does it mean that Jesus is God’s only begotten son?

Answer

The expression “only begotten Son” is found in John 3:16, as written in the King James Version: “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.” The term “only begotten” is the translation of the Greek word monogenes, which can also be translated into English as “only,” “one and only,” or “only begotten.”

It is the use of the phrase “only begotten” (found in the KJV, NASB, and the NKJV) that has led to controversy. Some false teachers have misinterpreted this phrase to support their erroneous belief that Jesus Christ is not God; implying that Jesus is not equal in essence to God as the Second Person of the Trinity. They focus on the term “begotten” and argue that Jesus is a created being because only something with a beginning in time can be “begotten.” However, it is crucial to understand that “begotten” is an English rendition of a Greek term. Therefore, it is essential to consider the original meaning of the Greek word rather than imposing English interpretations onto the text.

So, what does monogenes mean? According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BDAG, 3rd Edition), monogenes has two main definitions. The first definition is “related to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship.” This is exemplified in Hebrews 11:17 when Isaac is described as Abraham’s “only begotten son” (KJV). Although Abraham had more than one son, Isaac was the only son he had with Sarah and the sole heir of the covenant. Hence, it is Isaac’s uniqueness among the other sons that justifies the use of monogenes in that context.

The second definition is “related to being the only one of its kind or clAss, unique in kind.” This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16 (see also John 1:14,18;3:18;1 John 4:9). John was primarily concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is the Son of God «but these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.», (John 20:31), and he uses monogenes to highlight Jesus as uniquely God’s Son—sharing the same divine nature as God—as opposed to believers who are God’s sons and daughters by adoption «having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, », (Ephesians 1:5). Jesus is God’s “one and only” Son.

The bottom line is that terms such as “Father” and “Son,” descriptive of God and Jesus, are human terms that help us understand the relationship between the different Persons of the Trinity. If you can understand the relationship between a human father and a human son, then you can understand, in part, the relationship between the First and Second Persons of the Trinity. The analogy breaks down if you try to take it too far and teach, as some pseudo-Christian cults (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses), that Jesus was literally “begotten” as in “produced” or “created” by God the Father.