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Instead of saying that Jesus was the first created being; Paul could be saying that Jesus is over all creation, that He existed before creation began. Does Jesus rank higher than any created being that has ever been made? Lets look at the next verse to see which interpretation might be correct.
The idea that Jesus could be the first created being does not fit with the thought in verse 16. Does this make sense: Jesus was the first to be created because all things were created by Him. No, it doesn't make sense. The two thoughts clash. How can Jesus be the first to be created when all things were created by Him? Now, when we read the verse this way, does it make better sense: Jesus rules over all creation because all things were created by Him. Yes, it does make sense, verse 16 answers why the statement in verse 15 is true: Now why is it that Jesus rules over all creation? It is because all things were created by Him. If Jesus is just created, like all the rest of the created beings, how could He have created all things? Within the context of having all thing being created by Jesus, it only makes sense to say that He ranks higher than everything that has ever been made. So, just from reading the Bible texts by themselves, we can see that Verse 15 is not talking about Jesus being created at all, but it is speaking of His rank which is higher than all Creation. To understand this from a different way, let's look at the original meaning for "firstborn". The Greek word for "firstborn" is prototokos, which means the firstborn or first begotten. But the first born can mean two things. It can mean that Jesus was the very first one to be born (Notice how both Phillips and Goodspeed translates Colossians 1:15 above). Or it can mean that Jesus was the most prominant one to be born (Notice that the other translations of Colossians 1:15 above, speak of Jesus as being over all creation). So, Jesus would be identified as the pre-eminent one. He would rank higher and He would have primacey over all creation, everything that has been made. He would be the one who has the privileges and prerogatives of God. Lets expand our study and include verse 17. Also, there was something we left out in verse 16. Now, the context becomes even stronger for supporing the idea that Jesus ranks higher than all of creation. Thus, Jesus would rule over all creation.
Lets look toward the end of verse 16. If all created things were not only made through Jesus, but were also made for Jesus, it should be easy to understand that Jesus really does rank higher than all of creation. He rules over all of creation not only because all things were made through Him, but also because all created things were actually made for Him! Now in verse 17 we again see that Jesus existed before all things existed and that in Him all things consist or are held together. So again, Jesus cannot be the first created being because He existed before it all began, before all things existed. It is in Him [Jesus] that all things consist. All things were created through Him and for Him. So again, Jesus is the source of all creation because it is because of Him that all things exist! Lets look at a few more verses to identify what "firstborn" might actually mean:
In verse 18, we see something very interesting. Jesus is called the first born from the dead. Was Jesus the first person to be resurrected from the dead? No, He was not. Jesus had resurrected a few people from the dead when He was on earth (Luke 7:11-15; 8:41-42; 8:49-55; John 11:38-44). However these people all died again in a few years. But, there is at least one person who had been raised from the dead before Jesus was raised from the dead, and he went to heaven. In Jude 1:9 we find a clue that Michael raised Moses from the dead. In addition there is the additional clue that Moses was raised from the dead. When Jesus was on the earth, both Moses and Elijah came to talk to Jesus. We know that Elijah never died, but Moses certainly did die (See Deuteronomy 34:5-7). So again, "firstborn from the dead" does not necessarily mean the first one to be resurrected from the dead, but instead, it refers to the most prominent one, the pre-eminent one with special privilege of power over death. Now, when we look back at verse 15, we can see that Paul really is saying that Jesus is the most prominent pre-eminent one with special privileges of power over death because He has created all things: for by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth! He existed before creation began and Jesus does indeed rank higher than any created being. Looking at it from again another perspective: It makes no sense to say that Jesus was the First Created Being and then to say that Jesus is the one who has created everything in both Heaven and Earth. If He did not create Himself then He definitely did not create everything! These ideas are mutually exclusive. It is only when we begin to understand what verse 15 is actually saying that we can say: Yes indeed; Jesus has existed before the creation process actually began and He ranks higher than all created things. Then it makes perfect sense to say that: ". . by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth". Is Jesus the First Created Being or is He the |
| New International Version | New English Bible | The Revised English Bible | Goodspeed |
|---|---|---|---|
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14. "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. Revelation 3:14 |
14. To the angel of the church at Laodicea write: "These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the prime source of all God's creation: Revelation 3:14 |
14. To the angel of the church at Laodicea write: "These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of all God's creation: Revelation 3:14 |
14. To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The Amen, the true and faithful witness, the origin of God's creation, Revelation 3:14 |
So, either Jesus is the beginning of the creation of God, meaning that he is the first created being, or He is the source or origin of all God's creation.
The Greek word for beginning can mean: 1. beginner or origin; 2. the person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader, the beginning; or 3. That by which anything begins to be, the origin, active cause; and a few other lesser meanings. The New Thayer's Greek English Lexicon specifically identifies the meaning of the word to be the third meaning for revelation 3:14. Thus, the meaning of the word actually identifies the source, the originator, or the active cause.
So, the text could read "the originator of God's creation". Jesus would be the ruler and prime source (origin) of God's creation. This translation of Revelation 3:14 would now allow it to agree with all the other verses where Jesus is the originator, the source of all God's creation. He was not the first created being but instead He created all things!
Jesus is not the first created being, but rather He is the one who has made everything that is created, without Him nothing was made that was made! He is the source and origin of all God's creation. He is even the ruler of God's creation.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus is Divine and not created. One of the chief Biblical evidences showing us that Jesus is Diving is that Jesus accepted worship. When He was here on earth He was worshipped many times and Jesus never stopped them from worshipping Him. Here is just one example:
A blind man was cured of his blindness, yet when the leaders listened to what he had to say, they got so mad that they threw him out of the temple. So Jesus went looking for him and asked him if he believed in Him. When Jesus pointed out who He truly was, the man worshiped Him!
Yet, when John was in vision, John was stopped from worshiping an angel who was in front of him:
John did it a second time as well.
The Ten Commandments specifically says:
It also says:
Now, if Jesus is not Divine, He would be causing others to sin as well by not stopping this worship of Him. Jesus would be an enemy of God. Look what happened to Herod when He accepted praise:
King Herod chose to accept worship as a god, and God struck him down.
Since Jesus did not sin, His acceptance of worship must be legitimate. He really is divine.
Satan is the one who wants to be worshiped as if he were God. That makes Satan the enemy of God, because Satan wants to take God's glory for himself!
So, this idea that Jesus is not Divine cannot be true! But of course we have other Bible texts that help confirm that Jesus is Divine:
So, we can see that Jesus is not created; But rather, we find that He has created everything! Also, we know that He has the fullness of the Godhead and He accepts worship. Jesus is divine!
But the Bible also speaks of Jesus as being the only begotten Son of God the Father:
The Father said to Jesus, His Son, when He was born: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You." So, it is by inheritance that Jesus is the Son of God so He has the name of His Father! There are also other places in the Bible that can suggest to us the idea of inheritance.
This Angel has the name of God in Him! This suggests the idea of inheritance because He has God's name in Him.
In the next verse we find that this Special Son of God is virtually identical to His Father. Everything about Him speaks of His inheritance of a divine nature because He is like His Father:
Jesus is the brightness of His Father's glory, the express image of His Father's person, and the word of His Father's power. He has been appointed heir of all things and after He purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of His Father on high.
Yes, Jesus is the image of the invisible God, His Father! In Genesis, Moses speaks of both the Father and Son as having the same image:
They are of the same nature. When they created things they made them according to their likeness and their image.
But now, When we start looking at some of the statements about Jesus more closely, we can begin to see something real interesting. It does NOT look like the Father and Jesus are on the same level. The Father is over His Son.
Why is it that no one can snatch us (His sheep) out of Christ's hand if His Father has given us to Jesus? The answer is that The Father is greater than all and no one can snatch us out of His hand!
So, Jesus is saying that His Father gave Jesus his sheep and nothing will take us from Them because it is the Father that is all powerful. Now look at this:
Jesus says outright that His Father is greater than He is.
We found that the Father is greater than all and that He is greater than Jesus. Now we find that the Father is the head of Christ. In the next verse, Revelation 1:6, it says that the Father is also the God of Jesus:
When we get to heaven, Jesus will make us kings and priests to His God and Father! So here we see that the Father is the God of Jesus! In John 6 there is further confirmation showing that the Father is the God of Jesus:
Jesus makes a parallel analogy between our dependance on Jesus and His dependance on His Father. In heaven, we who are saved will live because of Jesus. Now Jesus says He lives because of the Father. So Jesus exists because of the Father who is God.
If you look at many of the introductions that Paul gives in his letters to the church, and there are many, you will find the Father and Jesus introduced: Only the Father is addressed as God. Jesus is called Lord.
Here is another introduction by Paul, again describing only the Father as God:
God the Father is said to have raised Jesus from the dead. (This issue will be studied more later.) Now, lets look at Hebrews 1 and ask ourselves what it means:
This verse should cause us to ask a few questions about the Father and Jesus. Jesus is described as having the brightness of His Father's glory. Why wouldn't Jesus have His own glory? Why is it his Father's Glory? Jesus is described as being the express image of His Father's person. Why is it that the Father is never described as being the express image of His Son? Jesus upholds all things by the word of His Father's Power. Does Jesus ever uphold things by His own power?
In Colossians 1 we see what Jesus is an image of?
We saw that Jesus is the express image of His Father. In other words, He is an exact image of His Father. Now, we see that Jesus is the image of the invisible God?
In addition, we see that He has been given the fullness of the Godhead?
Yes, the fullness of the Godhead is in Jesus, but what does it mean to have the fullness of the Godhead? The greek word for Godhead (Strongs # = 2305) means divinity or divine nature. So the text is referring to Christ's divinity as we saw in Colossians 2:
So, in Colossians 1:19, let's look at the verse again:
Paul says that it was the Father who gave Jesus the Fullness of his divine nature. There are still other verses that add to this idea. Jesus was granted to have life in Himself.
Jesus has life in Himself just like the Father, who has life in Himself, because it pleased the Father that in Him; All the fullness should dwell in Him. Yet the Father is greater than Jesus because the Father is the source of everything that was given to Jesus. He gave Jesus all these things!
So both the Father and the Son have life in themselves. Also, Jesus is said to have life in Himself in the same way that the Father has life in Himself. This mention of having life in themselves is more than saying they are living. They both possess the fullness of the Godhead and they exist on their own. So they are not made out of created atoms like we are but are entirely Divine.
Now, on a different note; We also see that the Father has given Jesus His authority in both heaven and earth:
In the next verse we see that not only all authority has been given to Jesus, but that all things have been delivered to Him as well by the Father.
Just as the Father gave Jesus a kingdom, Jesus will also give a kingdom to His disciples.
So, God the Father gave Jesus His kingdom. Paul, in his letter to the Philippian church describe the reason why Jesus was elevated by His Father.
Initially, Jesus was in the form of God because He is divine, However, because Jesus humbled himself and died on the cross to save all of us, God, His Father, highly exalted Jesus and He also gave Him a name that is above every name. It is now that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow. Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
The last part of verse 11 describes something special. The exaltation of Jesus actually brings glory to God the Father! To be able to to bring honor on Jesus is probably one of the highest joys of the Father. So all this brings glory to the Father.
We might tend to think that both the Father and Jesus are equal partners, yet we see in quite a few statements of the Bible that The Father is over Jesus, that everything that Jesus has, was given to Him by His Father. Now we see that when the end comes Jesus will give the kingdom back to God, His Father. Jesus will always be under His Father.
All things have been placed under Jesus, but the Father is excepted. In fact Jesus will always be subject to the Father. Now, when Jesus says He will be sitting at the right hand of the Power, we know that He will be sitting on the right hand of the Father who is over Jesus.
When Jesus was forced to tell them who He really was, He told them He was the Son of God and that they would see Him sitting at the right hand of Power. What this means is that Jesus will be sitting next to His Father, who is the source of all power, when He comes in the clouds of glory.
When that happens, He will give us the joy of being kings and priests to God the Father. Jesus has given what was given to Him, back to His Father.
We have seen how Jesus said that His Father was His God and that His Father has given Him everything that He has. Some people suggest that it is only when Jesus was on earth as a man that He was lower than His Father. But we have already seen a few examples that extend into heaven. We have seen that the Father will always be over His Son even in Heaven. Let us now look at more examples showing what will happen in Heaven:
In Hebrews 1:6 we see that it will be God who tells the angels in heaven that Jesus, from whom God created everything, is to be worshiped.
When God puts the firstborn into the world again, (This must be at the time of the Second coming of Christ), He tells the angels to worship Him! So it seems that this privilege of being worshipped was also given to Jesus.
It is because Jesus sacrificed Himself for us that God highly exalted him, giving Him a name above every name. So at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
Everything Jesus has, His power and authority, was given to Him by His Father. But now in the next verse we find that when Jesus and His people are finally in heaven, it is then that Jesus will give the kingdom back to the Father. As was before, the Father will always be over the Son of God.
It should be clear that the Father will always be over His Son. Now, when Jesus says He will be sitting at the right hand of the Power, we know that He will be sitting on the right hand of the Father who will always be over Jesus His Son.
In heaven itself, we see that both the Father and Jesus are praised, yet we see a special praise that is especially directed toward God the Father because He is the source of power for all things:
In verse 13 we see that both the Father and the Lamb are worshipped. But, in verse 14 we see that special worship of the Father, the One who lives forever and ever.
Now we see the great multitude from all the earth worshiping God.
They acknowledge that Salvation belongs to both the Father and the Son, but in verse 11 and 12, it is the Father that they especially worship. This inequality does indeed make sense since God did begat His only Son, Jesus.
How can we understand who Jesus really is? We have seen that He is not created but instead He has created everything. In addition, He is fully divine and has the fullness of the Godhead, a divine nature. So far so good.
But we can also see that Jesus calls the Father, His God. Jesus also describes Him as being all powerful, being greater than all else. He is greater then Jesus and He is the head of Christ. Yes, The Father is Jesus' God. In addition we see that God the Father will always be over the Son of God in heaven. So this inequality is not just on earth. We see the same inequality in heaven as well.
In the Bible, again and again, the Father is called God while Jesus is only called Lord. Only four times in all the Bible is Jesus called God. Jesus is even called God's Servant.
In the vast majority of times The Father is called God while Jesus is not! So, the Bible indicates that the Father is above His Son.
In addition, we see that the Father has given Jesus his divinity, and his life that is in Himself. All authority has been given to Jesus and He also gave Jesus a kingdom. Also, we find that because Jesus humbled himself for us, He has also been given a name that is above all other names so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
How can Jesus be fully divine when everything is given to Him? How can Jesus be fully divine when the Father is stronger than He is? We would think that being divine seems to be the opposite of having glory and authority, etc. given Him, but maybe not. Maybe there is such a thing as divine inheritance.
We see special evidence of this divine inheritance in the fact that Jesus is the express image of His Father. He is the image of the invisible God! Yes, Jesus is the brightness of His glory, upholding all things by the word of His power, and after purging our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high! What this means is that Jesus sits next to the Majesty on high, the King of Kings.
If the above paragraph is true, that would mean that the words of the Bible would be describing actual truths instead of just being symbols of spiritual truth as many believe. So God really is a Father and He has an only begotten Son. Also, when God chose to start creating things, He chose to create everything through His Son.
Because Jesus really is the Son of God, He has inheritance! Jesus is God by inheritance and so, He has a divine nature through inheritance from His Father. That is what allows Jesus to be divine like His Father. But it is only the Father who has always been in existence from everlasting to everlasting. So, Jesus must have had a beginning. All things that Jesus possesses has been given to Him by His Father. And He is in the express image of the invisible God! All of this is the natural consequence of being the actual Son of God.
There is no mystery how both the Father and Son could both be honored as One God. Jesus is the Son of God, so He has blood-lines so to speak. He is Divine by inheritance. Yes, He came out of the Father as a Son. He is actually part of God. So, He was not created but instead He was begotten and He was brought fourth out of the Father. Scripture is clear on this point as we will see. So, Jesus has the name of God in Him. By honoring Jesus, we are actually honoring the Father, because it is by the will of the Father that His Son be honored.
Jesus has been described as being our Prince. Because He came down and died for our sins. But soon, Jesus will come again and receive us unto Himself. It is then that the kingdom will be given over to Jesus by the order of the court in heaven; But then, once things are established, Jesus will then give the Kingdom back to His Father so that His Father will always be over Him. Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:3,8-9,13; and 1 Corinthians 15:24-28.
Most people do not believe what the Bible teaches about God and Jesus. Actually, most people do not even search the Scriptures to determine what the Bible teaches about God and Jesus. Instead, they believe in the Trinity and that Jesus is part of the Trinity. In this Trinity Doctrine, Jesus is considered to have the same equal power that His Father possesses. Also Jesus would be thought to have existed all throughout eternity.
But the actual teaching of the Trinity cannot be found in the Scriptures at all! As we have seen, the Bible clearly teaches that The Father is over His Son and that the Son of God had a beginning. Jesus came forth out of His Father at some time long ago before anything was ever created.
The Trinity Doctrine is only an assumed doctrine and is not stated or explained in the Bible. The teaching of the Trinity actually comes from non-Biblical sources and it's teaching has been applied to Scripture to change some of the meaning of the words used in the Bible.
Now, when people read the Bible, they no longer believe the truths of the Bible. When they read in the Bible that Jesus is the Son of God, most likely, they will not believe it. They do know, however that Jesus is at least called the Son of God.
The idea of the Trinity is taught as a mystery. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are considered to be one God. It is taught that the Father is not Jesus, that Jesus is not the Holy Spirit, and that the Holy Spirit is not the Father, but at the same time, they are considered to be one God when considered together. It does not make sense so that is why it is called a mystery.
Since Jesus is considered to be eternal, having no beginning and no ending, there are some serious aspects of Bible teaching that no longer fit.
This goes against what the Bible specifically teaches.
There is no mention at all in the Bible that the Divine form was in heaven while the human-non-divine form of the Son of God was on earth. No mention at all. Instead, we find that the Son of God died and was brought back to life!
This also goes against what the Bible specifically teaches. The Bible says that there was indeed a time when Jesus was begotten:
Again, this goes against what the Bible specifically teaches. In the Bible, God gave His Son as a gift to us. God had to have a Son in order to give us his Son. So Jesus was the Son of God even before He came to earth to be a man:
Also, according to the Trinity doctrine, Jesus could not have come out of the Father, even when He was born in Bethlehem; Because the trinity doctrine says that He has always existed with no beginning. That means He did not come from the Father at all! He would have come from Himself since he has always existed with no beginning.
Now, to get around the problem of having the Bible contradict with the teachings of the Trinity doctrine; What they try to do is to reinterpret the Scripture in such a way as to make things fit with the idea of the Trinity. Actually the Trinity doctrine does not come from the Bible at all. It actually comes from various extra-biblical or non-biblical sources.
Within the thinking of the Trinity Doctrine, Jesus cannot be directly considered to be the actual Son of God since He is thought to have always existed. What has been done is to come up with various ways that Jesus could be called the Son of God without actually having to be the actual Son of God by being begotten from the Father.
Here are the three different explainations:
As we will see, this is against Scripture that specifically states that Jesus was brought forth from the Father and was God's only begotten Son.
This is also against Scripture that specifically states that Jesus was brought forth from the Father and was God's only begotten Son. It also goes against Jesus' own words when He said He was telling the truth about Himself.
God and His Son are not acting out a make-believe situation. That is what we see when we go to the theater:
But this is also against Scripture. God can only give us a Son that He already has. Jesus did not just become God's actual Son when He was born in Bethlehem. God gave His already existing Son.
Lets look at Scripture to see what is true. Is God a Trinity or does God really have a Son.
There are actually many texts in Scripture that declare the Father to be God and Jesus is declared to be the Son of the Father, the Son of God:
But many people read these verses and see no problem because they know that The Father is called God and Jesus is called the Son of God. They think of these as only titles but not as reality.
But some of these texts in Scripture are very specific in what they say and there is no Scripture that says anything else about God that is different!
While Jesus prays to His Father just before He goes to the garden of Gethsemane, He asks to allow all those who are His, that is, those His Father has given Him to be saved, that they can have eternal life. Jesus then identifies what we have to do to have eternal life: "that we may know the Father, who is the only true God!"
It is the Father who is the only true God. If that is true, then by Bible definition there is no other God! So, what about Jesus? Who is Jesus? Jesus Christ is the one whom the only true God has sent to us, the Son of God!
Below, Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, adds to who God is:
There is one God and Father of all! This does not sound like the Trinity that I keep hearing about. In the Trinity, there are three equal parts that make up God. But Paul says that it is the Father who is the one God, who is above all.
This truth matches what we saw just before in John 17:3, that Jesus called His Father, the only true God!
Obviously, from the context of saying that God is through all and in you all; We can see that the gift of grace actually comes from God the Father, but He gives it through His Son. It is Christ's gift to us.
In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul talks about how the Thessalonians left their idols to serve the living and true God:
As Paul says: We can now wait for Jesus to come to save us because the living and true God has raised Jesus from the dead! This is the same Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
It is no wonder that we need to serve the living and true God. He is our Father in heaven and is allowing our redemption to come to us through the precious gift of Jesus.
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 8, says that there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things:
All things come from the Father, but He has chosen to give them to us through Jesus Christ since all things come through Him.
John wrote his gospel, the Gospel according to John, so that we would believe that Jesus is the Son of God. He then says that if we believe this, we may have an eternal life in His Name:
If we believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, we may have life in His name.
Why is it so important that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He is the Christ? How can this knowledge save us?
Jesus has come to give us an understanding of God, so we can know both God and His Son Jesus Christ. How can we know God if we do not believe what the Son of God says about God? Jesus has said that it is the Father who is the true God and He has given us eternal life through His Son. If we do not believe these words we do not have eternal life!
John testifies that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world and that whoever testifies that Jesus is the Son of God, then God lives in him and he lives in God.
There is nothing about the Trinity in these powerful promises. Instead, we see that we are to believe in the Father who is the True God and also that He sent His Son, the Son of God, into the world so that we may be saved.
If we have an understanding of these things then we are assured that we may have eternal life in His name. God will abide in us and We in God!
Jesus, in His prayer to His Father, acknowledged that it meant eternal life to those who know the only true God and Jesus whom He has sent.
There were some who wanted to do the works of God. Jesus told them that to believe what He said, that we believe in Him and in God who sent Him.
Let's look at what Jesus said when He was on earth:
Jesus had many battles with the leaders but each time Jesus spoke to them, telling them who He was, He always said the same thing:
The leaders plainly wanted to kill Jesus to get Him out of the way. So, they wanted Him to say clearly who He said He was so they could do just that. They had no interest in believing Jesus.
Here are the highlights of what Jesus said:
Jesus said that He is the Son of God and His Father both sanctified Him and sent Him into the world. He also said that His Father and He were one and that His Father is all-powerful and stronger then He, so no one can snatch His sheep out of His Father's hand.
Martha knew what Jesus has been saying all along. when Lazarus died Jesus asked her if she believed Him. she responded:Jesus has been around before and He had been telling everyone that He is the Son of God. When Jesus was on the cross, the leaders scoffed at Jesus saying: "If you are the Son of God. . ." Jesus obviously told everyone that He is the Son of God.
Even the Roman centurion had heard what Jesus had been saying all along: "Truly this was the Son of God".
Now, when Lazarus died, it became a special chance for Jesus to show people that the God of Heaven had sent Him. This was His prayer to His Father just before He raised Lazarus to life:
It was because His Father sent Him that He was able to do these things.
At one point, Jesus wanted to find out if His own disciples knew who He was:
It was Peter who said it: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter was blessed because by the Father, because it was the Father in heaven who revealed it to him.
It is such a simple thing to say, but yet the meaning behind the words are enormous. Christ means anointed. So Jesus is the anointed one, the Son of the living God! To make a correct impact in our thinking it takes the Father in heaven to reveal it to us.
There is no mention of a Trinity in Jesus' teaching. What He said to everyone is that He is the Son of God that was sent into the world! He had to be the Son of God to be sent as the Son of God.
The Story of the conversion of Saul into Paul is amazing. Paul was traveling to Damascus to persecute the Christians there when Jesus Himself stopped him:
Saul found that he was blind and he was led into Damascus where he stayed not eating nor drinking.
Paul was healed and very shortly afterwards he started to preach Christ.
We might ask how Paul introduced Jesus to his listeners:
Now it is Paul preaching that Jesus is the Son of God!
In yet another story, Philip is told by an angel of the Lord to meet someone on a certain road.
The prophecy was about Jesus and Philip was able to talk about the Son of God to the man.
The eunich was baptized because he believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was not baptized because he believed in the Trinity. The idea of the Trinity is not even found in the Bible!
Lets look a little deeper into the things God has said about Himself and His Son. The Father Himself has twice declared that Jesus is His Son. The first time was when Jesus was baptized, the second time was on the Mount of transfiguration when Moses and Elijah talked to Jesus.
When we think of strong father and son ties, the story of Abraham comes to mind. When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, we saw the extreme struggle that Abraham went through in offering his own son to God!
It is extremely possible that God had Abraham and Isaac go through this intense experience to help us understand what God Himself has done for us. God had to give up His own Son for us.
God does not speak to the people on this world very much. So, when He does speak, it must be extremely important! These occasions were so important that God actually spoke, expressing His love for His beloved Son.
Both times the Father said: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". What the Father is saying is that this is His Son whom He loves very much and that He is very pleased over Him. Now, could God be acting or just role-playing?
We can hear the affection that God has for His Son in His words. He is showing us the love that He, the Father, has for His Son. Now, would God say these words, if He were just role-playing or if it was not true? In other words, is God play-acting in His role as a Father with feeling as if Jesus really were His real Son? Or did God really give up His Real Son for us?
We must remember that God does not lie. That must include acting or role-playing as well.
In John 3:16, my favorite verse of the Bible; Jesus describes how much God loves us who are doomed for destruction. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son!
It is clear by the text that God had a Son beforehand and that He actually sent His only begotten Son into the world. It is only when you have something to give that it takes love. Not when Jesus only becomes a Son after He comes!
If Jesus is only called a son for whatever reason, what kind of son it that? It would be a son in name only. What would God have to give us?
This goes against what the Bible specifically teaches: I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Revelation 1:18
Also, if Jesus is considered to be begotten without having to actually be begotten, is Jesus really the Son of God and did God have a Son to give us? What did God give us? God would be lying to us. Remember, God cannot lie! (Titus 1:2)
The disciple John is the one who had special visions. So he wrote the book of Revelation. It is because of this special experience that the Gospel of John and his other books are so different from the rest of the Gospels. He has gained special insight into Jesus that is especially evident in his Gospel.
John speaks of Jesus as being the Son of the Father. The phrase: "in truth and love" point to the fact that this is all the truth with love. That Grace, mercy and peace come from the Son of the Father, in truth and love. If He is not really the Son, what kind of truth is that? What kind of love would this non-truth represent?
If the Father and Son are not real, how can God speak about His love for us in a truthful way and in so strong a manner? God says He loves the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son. What does it say about God's love to us if the Father and Son are only acting, role-playing a father and son because they are not actually a Father and Son?
Over and over again, we see the love of God spoken of as being directed toward us. God gives us His most ultimate gift, that of His only Son. By sending His only begotten Son into the world God shows us how much He loves us! All this so we might live with Him forever!
It makes no sense when speaking of the love of God in these verses to suggest that God is only acting roles for us. How could God ever say these words of love to us if they were based on just role-playing?
We know that God has such a high standard of conduct that sin is literally hateful to him. How could a sin-hating God pretend with such passion to portray a Father's love for his son when in actuality, the act they are doing is not true? How could God do such a thing?
Over and over, we see the same theme that the Father has given His Son to us:
Here John actually testifies that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world! If John is testifying something, that means he is saying that this is a true fact.
We are looking at the very basis for our belief in God, Jesus, and and Their ability to save us. Is it all true or are we being asked to confess a lie?
Now we are assured that if we confess that Jesus is the Son of God that God will live in us and we will live in Him. God will save us! Are we being asked to confess a lie or only something that is only role-playing?
No, when we are asked to confess something from God, we are being asked to confess the truth!
This is amazing! The verse actually says: "if we confess that Jesus is the Son of God . . ." If one were to believe in the Trinity, they would not be able to say this fully, because they, in their heart, believe that the Father and Jesus are actually equals in eternity; Not Father and Son!
The devil has sinned from the beginning. He has lied to Eve in saying that she would not die, and he probably lied to all his evil angels that follow him.
Jesus will destroy the works of the devil and his sinful ways. Lying is one of Satan's major sins! However, will Jesus have to lie about Himself being the Son of God to help get rid of Satan who is the Father of lies?
In Zechariah's time some people were lying when they said they were speaking in the name of the LORD. God said they deserved to die. Remember, God hates sin and He hates lying! Look at what God said must be done:
God sees lying as a grave offense. Especially when these lies are spoken in the name of the LORD! We must ask the question: If God hates the sin of lying so strongly, would He be lying to us when He is speaking about Himself?
In John 8 below, there is a very intense meeting between Jesus and various leaders. Jesus tells them that He is telling them the truth! And that it is the devil, and those who follows him, who tells lies. His message was that He is the Son of God, that He not only came from God but that He proceeded forth and came from His Father. Jesus also said that He honors His Father and that His Father also honors Him. When asked about Abraham, He said that before Abraham was, I AM!
Jesus is obviously talking about His whole existence as the Son of God, not just while He was on the earth. He also told them that The Father sent Him and that if anyone kept His word, he will never see death.
Now, when Jesus says He is telling the truth, saying that He is the Son, that He proceeded forth and came from God, and that God sent Him; Is there the slightest possibility that He is just role-playing and that it is just a lie like the make-believe TV programs that we see today? Or, is it the truth when Jesus Himself says He is telling the Truth?
This is such a long quote! But when we look at it all together, it adds strength to what Jesus said. Jesus is making a very strong point, saying that He is telling the truth that He is the Son of God, and that God Himself has told Him these things!
On the other hand, Satan is the father of lies and that they would rather believe Satan's lies.
Let's look at the same quote again but in sections:
In verses 31 to 36 Jesus says if we live in His words, if we live according to His words then we are His disciples in truth.
He says that when we know the truth, it will make us free. Obviously, Jesus is hinting that He is telling the truth and that His disciples will be following the truth.
They answered that they were free already, but Jesus then said that when anyone commits sin that it makes them a slave of sin. Then Jesus makes His big point: A slave does not live in the house forever, but a Son does live forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you will really be free!
The central point of His argument is that He is the Son of God and because of His inherited position as the Son of God, He is able to make us free! So, the central pillar of His argument is this: Because He is actually the Son of God, this is the reason why He can save us!
Read verses 35 - 36 above again and see if that is not what it says.
The next section:
What Jesus said to them they did not want to hear because they wanted to kill Him. Jesus was a danger to their political power-struggle for leadership.
But Jesus specifically said that He told the truth which He had seen and heard from God, who is His Father!
So, Jesus is speaking in the Name of the God in this case. He says that God is His Father and that it is only Satan that lies! Remember, in Zechariah 12:3 above, God killed those who spoke lies in the name of the Lord.
Jesus must be telling the truth! He is the Son of God, so God is His Father!
Now the next section:
Verse 42 is especially important. Jesus did not just say He came from God. But rather, Jesus said that He proceeded forth and came from God. Earlier Jesus said that He was God's Son, now He is confirming it.
He was not just saying that He came from God out of Heaven, but the phrase: "proceeded forth" refers to the fact that He was begotten of God! (More will be covered on this topic later.) This is one reason why Jesus said that if God were their Father, that they would love Him as well because He was begotten of God, He proceeded forth from God.
Also, Jesus says that God sent Him. Now if the Trinity concept was true, why would Jesus have to be sent by the Father? If they are equal in power Jesus could just send Himself.
However, since Jesus is God's Son, then it makes sense that He be sent by His Father. Remember, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. So, Jesus was indeed sent by God.
It would also make sense that He would both proceed forth from His Father and also to come from God. God the Father is above all things. It all fits what Jesus says.
In verse 43, Jesus asks if they understand His speech. Jesus, by asking if they understand Him, is indicating that what He is saying should be clear and straightforward truth! There should be no mystery in what He is saying.
The idea of the Trinity is never mentioned in the Bible. (More will be covered on this topic later.) Instead, we see clear speech indicating that Jesus is the Son of God literally all through the Bible. There is no other explanation found in the Bible at all! Apparently there is none needed since Jesus is saying it so clearly. He is the Son of God and He says He is telling the truth!
Now the next section:
Jesus makes a very powerful statement: "if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death". So they ask Him: "Are you greater than our father Abraham?" Later Jesus is forced to respond by saying: "before Abraham was, I AM!"
It is here, when He says those words, that Jesus gives the biggest clue of all that He is not speaking of just His earthly existence. When He speaks of Himself as the Son of God, He is actually referring to His whole existence from before the world was created. He is the Son of God and He has always been the Son of God since He was begotten.
We see this in verse 54, Jesus specifically tells them that His Father, whom they said was their God, that He is the one who honors Him. So, God is His Father! That makes Him the Son of God! He is the one who honors Jesus.
Jesus is clearly speaking more than just His earthly self. In verse 55, Jesus mentions that if He said He did not know His Father, He would be a liar like them. In this, it is clear that Jesus is saying He is not a lier. So, we must pay special attention to what Jesus says because Jesus is telling us the truth as He says.
So, Jesus honors His Father and His Father honors Him. Jesus specifically identifies His Father as God, and that He knows Him. Then He lets it all out by saying that before Abrahamj was, I AM. Jesus is refering to His whole existence, not just on earth. He is the Son of God!
Let's recap: Jesus said that He proceeded forth and came from God. Thus Jesus is emphasizing the fact that He is really the Son of God. therefore Jesus can indeed save us and make us free.
Jesus said that sons always live in their fathers house. So, because He is the Son of God and because of His inherited position as the Son of God, He is able to make us free! So, the central pillar of His argument is this: Because He is actually the Son of God, this is the reason why He can save us!
Now, having said He was God's Son being able to save us, and also that He had proceeded forth and came from God, He said that before Abraham was, I AM!
So, Jesus is speaking of His total existence as being God's true Son, not just His existence here on earth as a man.
Now, let's look at a verse that helps to confirm what Jesus said to the Jews in the above quote. This verse says that the Son of God has come and He is true. Jesus did not become a Son when He came into the world. But instead, God sent His Son to us.
The Son of God came into the world. The text is clear, He did not become the Son of God at that time. What we read is "that the Son of God has come . . that we may know Him who is true". Jesus is called "the Son of God" and "His Son Jesus Christ". While God is called the true God.
Nowhere in the Bible is there any suggestion, any suggestion at all that Jesus is not really the Son of God, but that He only represents to us a Son or that He is only a symbol in that He symbolizes to us a son.
No! What we see in the Bible is statement after statement saying that the Father is God and Jesus is the Son of God.
Martha knows from her previous experience of listening to Jesus that He is the Son of God who came into the world. Again, she says that the Son came into the world! Jesus did not become a son when He came into the world.
He who does not honor Jesus does not honor the Father who had sent His Son into the world.
He who speaks against the fact of the Father and the Son is against God! To say that both Jesus and God are only acting would be denying who they are. They are talking against God.
1 John 2:22 is a very strong statement. Whoever denies the Father and the Son is antichrist! They are talking against God.
All these texts show that the Father had something to give to the world, His only begotten Son. The act speaks of the love that God has for us that He would give something so precious as His only Son.
So these texts point to the fact that Jesus really has been the Son of God from the very beginning of His existence, since He came out of the Father.
At some time before anything was created, Jesus was born. He is the only begotten Son of God. God Himself has no beginning but Jesus evidently does have a beginning.
Jesus existed before all created things.
Jesus was begotten from the Father because He came forth from the Father! Then He was also sent into the world.
When Jesus was praying to His Father, He mentioned that His followers knew that He came forth from His Father and that He had sent Him as well.
Jesus said He was telling the truth when He said He preceeded forth and came from God. Jesus was speaking so plainly that He asked them is they were not able to listen.
The plainest statement that speaks of Jesus' inheritance is found in Hebrews:
So, He is God's Son. He is not a created being, but rather, He is the actual Son of God with inheritance! So naturally, Jesus has a more excellent name than the angels and it comes to Him by Divine inheritance.
This inheritance is even a visible attribute of the Son of God. He is virtually identical to God His Father. Everything about Him speaks of His inheritance as coming from the Father!
The inheritance is striking: Jesus is the brightness of His Father's glory, the express image of His Father's person, and the word of His Father's power. He has been appointed heir of all things and after He purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of His Father on high.
Yes, Jesus is the image of the invisible God, His Father! In Genesis, Moses speaks of both the Father and Son as having the same image:
It is Jesus who possess the name of God because He is the only begotten Son of God! He has acquired God's name by inheritance.
In Exodus we find that an Angel actually has God's name in Him.
So, this Angel has God's name. He has the name of Jehovah or Yahweh (YHWH) because God's name is in Him. How could He obtain God's name?
Now Paul just comes out with it and tells us that this Angel is Jesus!
Christ obtained that name long before He became that Child in Bethlemen.
When Jesus was on earth, He specifically said that He came in His Father's name.
In Proverbs we find special mention of God's Son.
Who is it that has made the earth? And who is it that has gone into heaven and come back. He has the wind in His fists and waters in a garment. God has done all these things. It is God who has created all things.
Now who is His Son? Yes mention of God's Son is here in the book of Proverbs. What part did the Son play in the creation of all things.
God has appointed His Son as heir of all things and His Son, whom God made the worlds, has also spoken to the prophets in the past.
So, God created all things through His Son. The Son of God must have existed before all things were made as described in the above texts of Scripture.
Here, we find that God not only has made the worlds through His Son, but He actually created them for His Son. All things were created through Him and for Him!
In Colossians 1, we find that the Son of God existed before all things that were created. He is before all things and in Him all things consist. So, Jesus is the firstborn. The one that is over all creation.
In Micah, we see that the Son of God has an origin, a beginning.
Here is a prophecy that says: Out of Judah will come a special ruler over Israel. It speaks of Jesus as having an origin that comes from of old, from ancient times.
There is a very interesting interchange between God and Wisdom that we must look at.
Who is Wisdom? Wisdom is now mostly thought to be some goddess of wisdom. But many in the past saw that Wisdom is really Jesus. In the New Testament, we can very easily identify Wisdom as being Jesus.
As we start reading this sections, we can see very quickly that it is indeed Jesus that is described. He is the one who helped create all things and Proverbs 8:30 especially show a very close team effort.
In Ephesians, we see that this team effort is called the fellowship of the mystery. It is something that is hidden in God the way all things were created. All we have is the description in Proverbs above.
God has planned things since the time that our world was made. These things have been kept secret. Even when Jesus talked to the masses, He still kept things secret by talking in parables.
However, Christ's disciples started asking Him what He was talking about. It is here that Jesus started talking very clearly. He spoke about how people would be saved and others lost at the end of the world.
The plan to save us from total destruction was made even before God created our world!
Jesus was chosen to die for our sins since He created the world.
The Father loved His Son even before the creation of the world.
Jesus is asking that the righteous, who His Father has given Him, that they can see His glory that He had before.
And we will be able to take our inheritance that has been prepared for us since the creation of the world!
So, at the time of creation, The Father had already determined to give us His Son that we might be saved.
Kiss the Son is Hebrew for reverance or honor. So blessed are all those who put their trust in the Son of God.
In John 3:16, my favorite verse of the Bible; Jesus describes how much God loves us, who are doomed for destruction. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son!
It is clear by the text that God had a Son beforehand and that He actually sent His only begotten Son into the world. It is only when you have something to give that it takes love. Not when Jesus only becomes a Son after He comes!
Unto us a Child is born, Jesus was born unto us. But also, we can see that a Son was given unto us. God gave us His Son! In addition to being called Wonderful, Jesus is called other names as well, such as Mighty God and Everlasting Father. He has the name of God!
The Hebrew word for "Wonderful" in isaiah 9:6 (Strong index number is 6382) means incomprehensible, beyond our understanding, wonderful. So His name is incomprehensible, beyond our understanding. He has a more excellent name because He has the name of God in Him.
God has appointed His Son as heir of all things and His Son, whom God made the worlds, has also spoken to the prophets in the past.
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My favorite verse has this very phrase: "only begotten Son"
But did God actually give us His only begotten Son, the Son of His Bosom, the Son that came out of God? Or did God just give us a unique Son that is not even begotten by Him and is just said to be His Son?
The controversy has been raised because of Hebrews 11:17.
In Hebrews, Abraham is said to have offered up Isaac, his only begotten son. However some oppose this idea by asking: "Did Abraham only have one son or did he really have two sons: Isaac and Ishmael?"
If Abraham had two sons then Isaac cannot be Abraham's only begotten son. Isaac must only be Abraham's unique son since Issac had a "half-brother".
The answer to this question is very simple and is found in the very next chapter of Hebrews:
In our walk with God we know that we are true sons of God when God deals with us to chasten us. Otherwise, we would wonder if we ourselves were really illegitimate and not a son of God.
This same question also relates to Ishmael. Isaac was the cherished son of Abraham, but was Ishmael also a son of Abraham or was he illegitimate? As it turns out, Ishmael was indeed illegitimate and was even banished from the home. So, following the logic of Hebrews 12:8, Ishmael is illegitimate and not Abraham's son.
In the next section, we will also see that God never calls Ishmael Abraham's son.
Abraham's situation is the key since he is used in this argument to say that Jesus is not the only begotten Son of God. God promised Abraham a son but Abraham gave in to his wife when they thought the time was passing from them. So thinking they would help God, they used Hagar to obtain a son.
But now, Abraham had this problem. Sarah, his real wife, was now telling him to get rid of the bondwoman and her son.
Look at verses 12 and 13. God Himself does not call Hagar Abraham's wife nor does He call Ishmael Abraham's son. Instead, He calls Hagar "your bondwoman" and He calls the boy "the son of the bondwoman"! So, there is no indication from God that the boy is actually part of Abraham's family; Rather, he is an outcast, he is clearly illegitimate from God's perspective.
What is really amazing to realize is that God actually went out of his way to describe Hagar as "your bondwoman" and the boy as "the son of the bondwoman" and not as Abraham's son! He could have easily called the boy his son. But God did not do that. God only indicated that the lad was "Abraham's seed".
Isaac is Abraham's only begotten son because he was the only son from his legitimate wife within the confines of marriage. So it was Isaac who was to be the heir of all that Abraham had, not Ishmael. Even though Ishmael was Abraham's seed, he was illegitimate and not counted as a son of Abraham by God. So he was forced to leave Abraham's camp with his mother. His mother was only a bondwoman, not Abraham's one and only wife.
If Ishmael was indeed to be counted as a son, he would then be heir of all things since he was born before Isaac. However, he is not even counted as being part of the family and is forced to leave. So, Isaac is the first born and he receives the birthright.
Isaac was also used to test Abraham's love for God over his most prised possession, that of his only begotten son:
Since God did not consider Ishmael to be Abraham's son it makes sense that God would now call Isaac Abraham's only son. Not only is Isaac the first born, he is the only son born in the family. Abraham has no other son! His wife only had one boy.
So, Hagar was not counted Abraham's wife at all but only Abraham's bondwoman; And Ishmael was also not even counted as a son of Abraham and was actually forced to leave the family with his mother. What father would ever send his son and wife out into the wilderness possibly never to see them again? It was also an action that God said should happen:
It was to keep the integrity and peace of his actual family that Ishmael had to go. Ishmael obviously was not his son nor was he a part of the family so he did not receive the birthright that would normally be given to the first born son. So since God Himself called Isaac as Abraham's only son, Isaac's rightful position in the family was that of the only begotten son of Abraham and the first born.
While the langage that Moses wrote in Genesis indicates that Hagar was Abraham's second wife and that Ishmael was Abraham's other son. (Here are some examples:)
God Himself never recognized either Hagar nor Ishmael as being part of the Abraham's family.
In addition to calling Ishmael "the son of the bondwoman", God later referred to Isaac as Abraham's only son:
So, Paul means what he is saying. Paul describes Isaac as being Abraham's only begotten son because God Himself had pronounced the same thing long before. Ishmael was only an illegitimate seed and not a son.
The example of Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael is always brought up as the basis for the argument that Jesus cannot be the only-begotten Son of God. However, we have seen that God Himself never calls Ishmael Abraham's son. Instead, He calls Ishmael the son of the bondwoman but when God talks to Abraham, He calls Isaac Abraham's only son (Genesis 22:2).
The only reason for having the argument, that "only-begotten" means "unique" in the case of Jesus, is this: Theologians want to do away with the understanding that Jesus actually is the Son of God, that He came out of His Father, because it goes against the doctrine of the Trinity.
Since they argue that Isaac was not Abraham's only son, they then urge that Jesus cannot be God's only Son because the same Greek word is used to describe both Jesus and Isaac.
There is no reason to resort to changing an obvious meaning of a word. The most direct and obvious meaning of "monogene" is ONLY-generated, only-begotten, Only-born, the sole or only begotten child. as we discussed earlier. It does not mean "unique" at all. But it means "mono" = only and "gene" = generated or begotten.
There are other examples of the "only-begotten" word that is translated correctly and everyone agrees with the translation:
And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. Luke 7:12
for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. Luke 8:42
Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, "Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child". Luke 9:38
Since these examples describe normal family and human existence; The begotten aspect of how the child came to be is automatically assumed even by the reader. The "begotten" meaning is an actual part of the sentence whether the word is present or not. But in the case of Jesus, the begotten aspect had to be spelled out to make it clear how Jesus began, according to the actual meaning of the word.
In each of these three examples, it is an only-begotten son, daughter, or child. The argument is never made by these same theologians that it actually should be translated as a unique son, daughter, or child. Only when the word is used in connection with Jesus do they start to object!
So, the argument that Isaac is only a unique son, is definitely not strong enough to warrant a change in our understanding of a basic Greek word. The absurdity of this argument is especially obvious when we consider that even God considered Isaac to be Abraham's only son and He pronounced him as such. Paul was only saying what God had said long before!
The most obvious, direct, and simple meaning of the Greek text, using the actual meaning of the words, tells us that Jesus is indeed the only begotten Son of God! It is a very simple translation and there is an obvious meaning to the word! There is no mystery about it.
Their presupposition or assumption that the Trinity doctrine is correct has forced them to make this poor argument. It is only because of the Trinity doctrine that this debate is even tried as an argument. They simply do not want Jesus to be the only-begotten Son of God because He can not actually be begotten within the Trinity concept.
Let's look at an interlinear Bible to begin our search:
(This wonderful online interlinear Bible is found at: http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/joh3.pdf )
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In the Online Interlinear Bible we see that "monogene" means ONLY-generated or only-begotten. So, we see that in the verse, Jesus is described as the only begotten Son of God. This is the most direct meaning of the text using the actual meaning of the word.
Let's look into the words a bit more deeply:
Strongs # 3439 
monogene mon-og-en-ace - comes from Strongs # 3441 "Mono" and Strongs # 1096 "ginomai"
"Mono" which is often translated "alone" or "only". The Scriptural use of this word is very obvious. "Mono" is the prefix for "one" or "only". English examples would be: monochrome (one color), monotone (one tone) and monogamy (one spouse at one time).
"gene" comes from "ginomai" It is a prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; 'to cause to be' ("gen"-erate) i.e. reflexively to become (come into being)" (see The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, New Strong's Concise Dictionary of the words in the Greek Testament, page 19).
So, "gene" can mean: come, become, made, fulfilled, be (come), be (brought to pass).
When we put the words together "monogene" means: "the only one that has come to pass" or, "the only one who has been brought to pass" or "the only one to come into being". "monogene" is also known to be associated within the context of a birth. So when we see Strongs definition it makes good sense:
In Strong's Concordance, #3439 "monogene" from 3441 and 1096; means Only-born, i.e. sole - only (begotten, child) (James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D., The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, New Strong's Concise Dictionary of the words in the Greek Testament, page 59)
In the Thayer's Lexicon, "monogene" means unigenitus, single of its kind, or only. It is used of only sons or daughters when viewed in relation to their parents. (Joseph Henry Thayer, D.D., The New Thayer's Greek - English Lexicon of the New Testament, page 417)
In the New Englishman's Greek Concordance, we can see where "monogene" is found in the Bible and how it is used. The New Englishman's Greek Concordance and Lexicon by Jay P. Green, Sr., page 579)
Luke 7:12 - the only son of his mother,
Luke 8:42 - For he had one only daughter,
Luke 9:38 - for he is mine only child.
Heb 11:17 - (Abraham) . . .offered up his only begotten (son)
John 1:14 - as of the only begotten of the Father,
John 1:18 - the only begotten Son, which is
John 3:16 - his only begotten Son, that whosoever
John 3:18 - of the only begotten Son of God
1 John - 4:9 - God sent his only begotten Son
This agrees with what we saw from the Online Interlinear Bible: ONLY-generated or only-begotten
So, it is clear what "monogene" actually means. It follows what we found in both the Strongs Concordance and the interlinear Bible I have above: ONLY-generated, only-begotten, Only-born, the sole or only begotten child.
"monogene" is a well known Greek word. It is not rare and vague; There is a simple meaning to the word. In the example of Jesus, it is only because of the Trinity objection that this debate is even tried as an argument, throwing the word into question. As a result, they have tried to redefine the word to something that would agree with the trinity doctrine.
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I want my belief to be based on the Bible and the Bible only. For instance: I have been intensely studying the trinity controversy for the last two years, trying to find evidence for the trinity in the Bible. As a result, I have to say that the trinity doctrine is not found in the Bible at all!
Now, talk about being in the minority! If I take the view that the trinity does not exist, I would definitely be in an extremely small minority among Christians! Yet it is not found in the Bible!
So, what am I to do? Most people who might see this page will probably think I am really off base or even a part of a cult. They might not even consider me to be a Christian. But what am I to do? The Trinity doctrine is not even in the Bible! People seem to be following tradition instead of following what the Bible itself actually says! So, I have decided that I must stay true to my convictions that I must follow His word, the word of God as found in the Bible.
Much of 1 John 5:7, that is found in the KJV, is in no Greek manuscript older than the 15th and 16th centuries. The disputed words found their way into the KJV by way of the Greek text of Erasmus.
Some have said that Erasmus offered to include the disputed words in his Greek Testament if he were shown even one Greek Manuscript that contained them.
It is now believed that the later editions of the Vulgate acquired the passage by the mistake of a scribe who included an exegetical marginal comment in the Bible text that he was copying.
The disputed words have been widely used in support of the doctrine of the Trinity, but, in view of such overwhelming evidence against their authenticity, their support is valueless and should not be used.
In spite of fact that these extra words are found in the Vulgate, a Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture freely admits that: "It is now generally held that this passage, called the Comma Johanneum, is a gloss that crept into the text of the Old Latin and Vulgate at an early date, but found its way into the Greek text only in the 15th and 16th centuries" (Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1954, p. 1186.)
So what was it that was added? Here is what is found in the New King James. (The added words are in red.)
Here are the same two verses with the added words taken out.
Some have assumed this text was added to help solve the problem of not having any Biblical evidence to support the Trinity doctrine.
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Here is the text:
The question is: Did Jesus ever actually say to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
As you will see, the early church did not baptize this way. They only baptized in the name of Jesus. There is no record of them doing it any other way!
Some have suggested that Jesus' words to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was actually added to Matthew 28:19 in the second century when Trinity doctrine was established.
Unfortunately, there has been no surviving Bibles from the first three centuries. Bibles were consistantly burned during much of this period. Most of the first copies come from the 5th century. There are two from the 4th centuary, however, the page that contains Matthew 28:19 is strangly missing. So we have no record of a change if it did occur.
There is one Bible that was not destroyed. The Jews had preserved and handed down a Hebrew version of Matthew. This version does not include the Trinity part of the verse at all. All it says is: "Go and teach. . ." All there is of verse 19 is "Go"! There is nothing about who's name we are to be baptized. (Shem Tov's Hebrew Matthew Gospel)
So, did Jesus actually say, as part of the Gospel Commision, that His disciples were to baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"?
The best way to find out is to determine how the first converts were baptized into the Christian church as recorded in the book of Acts.
If Jesus had told His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, they certainly would have obeyed His instructions and we would see evidence of this practice in the early Christian church.
If the disciples never did baptize this way, it should cause us to question whether Jesus ever did give us this command. It would also help to confirm the idea that the extra text was actually added as a "baptismal formula" after the Trinity doctrine was later established in the church, possibly in the 2nd to the 4th Centuries.
Let's look at the Bible to try to determine how the very early Christians baptized people. The first public mention of baptism in Acts was at Pentecost:
Peter said that they were to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ! He did not say anything about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in his talk at all. This is only a few days after Jesus had given them their instructions on what to do. Certainly they would not forget so soon.
This speech Peter gave was given on a special day. It was Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was given to the church in large measure. Everyone heard the Christians speaking in their own language and they wondered what was happening. So, Peter, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, told them that this was a fulfillment of the last days. It was at this time that he spoke of baptism: "let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins". Thousands were baptized.
This is how the early church baptized its converts: It was done in the name of Jesus Christ!
The next example, that we have, happened after Steven was stoned. Philip went to Samaria and preached about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. These people were also baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (see verse 16 below):
When Jerusalem heard what happened in Samaria they sent Peter and John:
They laid their hands on them and prayed for them that they may receive the Holy Spirit. They had already been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus!
So it is clear in this second example that Philip baptized his converts in the name of the Lord Jesus as well.
Later, Philip met with the eunuch. Philip taught him about Jesus and when they saw a body of water the eunuch asked; "What hinders me from being baptized?"
Philip said you must believe with all your heart. But the eunuch knew exactly what Philip was talking about and when he stated his belief, he put in all the details: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God"!
To believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God is exactly what Jesus Himself said was needed. Jesus said that your work is to believe in Jesus, the Son of God:
What Jesus has said is that whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, it is he that God will live within.
In addition, Jesus said that we are to have life in His name, in the name of Jesus who is the Christ, the Son of God!
Jesus never said that we had strength or life in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or even of the Trinity. He never said that! Jesus said that we have life in His name, in the name of Jesus! It is through the name of Jesus that God can live in us and Jesus said that this is our specific work to believe in Jesus whom the Father sent. There is actually no other name in which we are called to be saved!
Jesus is the one given under heaven to men so that we can be saved. There is no other name given to us so we can be saved. No other name at all! There is no one else because our salvation only comes from Jesus. This is why we should be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus; Just as was done in the early church. It is Jesus who saves us!
In the next example, Peter found himself with gentiles. So he preached Jesus to them, that Jesus Christ is Lord of all:
Paul, in talking about Jesus, said that it was through His name, that our sins are forgiven! The Holy Spirit fell on them all and they were baptized in the name of the Lord. Verse 36 tells us that Jesus is the Lord of all. So they were baptized in the name of Jesus as well.
Paul said something real interesting. In verse 42 above, he said that Jesus commanded them to preach to the people. So, when did He do that? Of course! It is the Gospel commission that this question is about. We see it again below but with both Matthew and Mark's recounting of what Jesus said. These are parallel accounts:
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18. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20. "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 |
15. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18. "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:15-18 |
In Matthew (above), we see that all authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth. So it should not surprise us to find that in Mark (above) that signs will follow those who believe. It should also not surprise us that it is in the name of Jesus that they will do the signs. So they believe in Jesus and it is in His name that they commit the miracles (signs).
When Jesus said to make disciples, He was saying to make disciples of Jesus; not to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
If we serve and follow Jesus, the Father will honor us. So we are indeed disciples or followers of Jesus. We are His servants.
In the book of Acts we find that Paul was telling all he met to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ so they can be saved!
So Paul is teaching people to be disciples of Jesus. Throughout the New Testament, no one else is even mentioned.
Let's look at the Gospel commission again. I have it again below:
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18. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20. "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 |
15. And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17. "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18. "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." Mark 16:15-18 |
If we look at the subject matter of all these verses: everything points to Jesus Christ. All authority is given to Him; making disciples of Jesus; the command to observe all Jesus' teachings; believing in Jesus; In His Name signs will follow.
Jesus specifically said that all authority had been given to Him. So it is through His name alone that we are saved. We therefore make converts so that they can be disciples of Jesus.
The statement to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit does not match anything else in the text. Also, all throughout Acts we have the disciples baptizing only in the name of Jesus. It also goes against what all the rest of the New Testament says!
Looking at the whole of Scriptures, I do not believe that Jesus ever gave this command. (we will see that there are more examples to look at below.)
Look at Matthew 28:20. Jesus specifically tells the disciples to observe all things that He commands them. The disciples follow all the other commands but they don't follow that command. Rather, they baptize in the name of Jesus!
Here is the next example of baptism:
Apollos had the baptism of John the baptist but not of Jesus. When he was finally baptized in the name of Jesus, he then received the Holy Spirit.
Again, there is no mention of the Trinity At all! Why isn't it practiced if Jesus did indeed give that command?
The last example we have is where Paul tells of his own conversion and baptism:
Paul called on the name of the Lord, of Jesus, just like the other examples.
Because of the Biblical evidence that I have just pointed out; I think that Jesus never gave us the command to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The early church baptized only in the name of Jesus. There is no other name in which we are called to be saved!
Jesus is the one given under heaven to men so that we can be saved. there is no one else because our salvation comes from Jesus. Jesus spoke of this very thing when he spoke to Nicodemus:
Jesus was lifted up to die for us. That is the reason why it is He, the Son of Man, who is the only one that can save us. Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. This is why the early church baptized in the name of Jesus because it is through His name and His name only that we are saved.
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I believe this is a very important question! Since the Bible says Jesus had a beginning, does it mean that Jesus is a creature, a created being? Also, does it mean that God first created Jesus, then He had Jesus create everything else? I have devoted a whole web page to this very problem. Click to see: Is Jesus Christ God because of His Inheritance or is Jesus a Created Being? |
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