Christ Begotten Or Not

Christ, begotten or not? Kudzayi Chikanyera [email protected] [email protected]

Son of God – not a function . The document is in response to some issues which were raised in the Trinity discussion which was held at City Center Church on the 19 th of September 2009. The issues raised were that 1) The word Monogenese means appointed, elevated, given or awarded a position 2) Christ is not begotten in the true sense of the word begotten, because Christ was coeternal with God as very God. That he got begotten when he was appointed, elevated or awarded to the office, function, title of the Son. 3) To say that Christ is begotten is to say that he has no life in himself and or that his life is derived and borrowed thus he is not fully divine but a creature. 4) Still pending Scriptural reference to prove that Christ was not begotten A response to these issues above would be thus... John 3: 16 says “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 word used here for only begotten in the Greek is monogenese which means “only born, that is, sole: - only (begotten, child).” Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. The word Monogenese has two articles which are mono (remaining, that is, sole or single; by implication mere: - alone, only, by themselves.) and genese/ gennao ̄ (to procreate (properly of the father, but by extension of the mother); figuratively to regenerate: - bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring) To make word mean something else different than the meaning above is dishonesty and an expression of theological rigging at the highest level. To say that if two words are joined together in the Greek language, they became a new word with a new and different meaning than the words originally mean altogether is to stretch it too far. (This may be true to some other words but not true in the context of monogenese because it is not consistent with the rules of systematic study.) Do the following verses mean appointed, elevated, given a position or simply that they express a literal relationship between parents and an only child. In all instances these children were the only child to their parents. ü Luke 7:12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only (monogenese ) son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. ü Luke 8:42 For he had an only (monogenese) daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. But as he went the people thronged him.

ü Luke 9:38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only (monogenese ) child. ü Hebrew 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only (monogenes e) [son]. We can then apply the same principle and interpretation to express the relationship that exists between God and his son. ü John 3: 16 says “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten (monogenese) Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” ü John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten (monogenese) Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him]. ü John 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten (monogenese) Son of God. ü 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 (monogenese) of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ü 1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten (monogenese ) Son into the world, that we might live through him. The verse in Hebrews 11 vs 17 has been subjected to a lot of discussions and some have not really understood how Isaac was Abraham’s only begotten son. They say that Isaac was not Abraham’s only begotten son because there was also Ishmael, therefore the word only begotten (monogenese) (in this context) should not be taken in its literal sense but in a metaphorical way. Hebrew 11:17, 18 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten (monogenese) [son]. Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: A careful reading of the verse will show that Isaac was the only son of Abraham of promise. The issue is not on whether Isaac was begotten or not, but the issue is in what way was Isaac Abraham’s only begotten son. The answer is simple, lsaac was Abraham’s only begotten son according to the promise. An example is when a man says a statement like “this is my only son, who is married”. Isaac was Abraham’s literal son, just as the dead man in Luke 7 vs 42 was the only literal son of his mother and just as Jesus is the only literal son of God. The title the son of God is not a function or a position but that’s who Jesus really is. Jesus is not functioning as the son of God but he is in the truest sense the son of the living God. 2).The second point

These are a few verses which teach where Jesus came from. Jesus is truly the literal son of God. His sonship is not a function, position, appointment or a title. He is the son of God. ü John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. ü John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. ü John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. ü John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. The word used for “came out”, “came forth”, “proceeded forth” is exerchomai “to issue (literally or figuratively): - come-(forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad.” Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Thayer’s Greek English explains the word thus “to came forth from physically, arise from, to be born of” 3). The third point Some say that if Christ is begotten, then he has no eternal life in himself because his life is borrowed and derived from God, but that kind of interpretation is wrong in light of these verses. ü John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; ü John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men ü John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him Christ here says that he has life within himself and that life which he has within himself is from his father. The father gave to his son that original life which he himself has so that the son should also have the original life within him. The fact that Christ has life is the sinner’s guarantee that he (Christ) is able to do what he has promised “to give life and to raise the dead to eternal life” 4) The answered questions These are scriptural references which were raised to prove that Christ is unbegotten ü John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. ü Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Do the above texts prove that Christ is unbegotten? ü If Christ was co eternal and co equal with God and the Spirit then at what point did he became a son? ü What was Christ before he became the son? ü If the words only begotten mean appointed, elevated, given a role then was God the father appointed too to become the God the Father? ü Was God the father begotten too by the son or what ü Why did Christ became a son? ü For how long will he be a son? ü What will Christ be in the new heaven? ü At what point did God become the father? ü At what point did the spirit become the spirit? ü What was God the spirit before he became God the spirit? ü What will God the spirit be in the new heaven? ü Can we pray to God the spirit? ü What was the relationship between the three before they gave each other functions or before they begot each other? ü Did God give up another God to die on the cross or did God give up his real son. (where is the sacrifice if God gave up his co-partner) ü Who appointed the God to be the father? Please note that these questions need bible verses and or sop references. A false doctrine can only be sustained by the twisting of clear simple scripture. The history of the Seventh Day Adventist Church shows that it was not Trinitarian at all. “While the Seventh-day Adventist Church today espouses the doctrine of the Trinity, this has not always been so.”THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY AMONG ADVENTISTS, Gerhard Pfandl Biblical Research InstituteSilver Spring, MD. June 1999 Lastly let people love and defend the truth not the church. True love and loyalty to the church is not expressed by defending it or its leadership, but it is expressed when the leadership is prayed for and when the truth is proclaimed in love. Truth must be supreme in the church and those who love the church will lift the truth knowing fully well that as the truth is lifted up high, the church will be lifted up too. It is possible to defend the church and not the truth but it is impossible to defend the truth without defending the church. This document is meant to generate a healthy discussion among brethren. The issues raised herein are not absolute truth if they are proved to be incorrect or incomplete using the bible and the SOP.