Jn 3 16 His Only Begotten Son CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Jn 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.”  When people read a King James Bible they will say things like, “I don’t like reading all of those “begats” and “begots.”  Those seemingly endless genealogies are hard to read at times.  However, they show you that the word “begotten” has significance; it means that Jesus was literally born; that he had a natural birth.

The prophecy in the Old Testament was, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,” (Is 7:14).  Well, for a virgin to conceive, she has to receive seed without a man.  In fact, Mary conceived by the Holy Ghost (Lk 1:34-35; Matt 1:20).  And since the Holy Ghost is God, therefore, Gabriel said to her, “that holy thing that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God,” (Lk 1:35).  Mary was Jesus’ mother and God Almighty was Jesus’ Father (as in Lk 2:48-50).

God prepared, for the second person in the Trinity, a body in which he could live on this earth (Heb 10:5).   That body was sacrificed as the perfect propitiation for our sins (1 Jn 2:1-2; Rom 3:24-25).  Jesus had to come to this earth as a man and he had to die (Phil 2:5-11).  He had to suffer for us (Is 53; Ps 22).  He substituted for us once, for all (Heb 10:10-14).  Today, the resurrected body of Jesus Christ is seated in heaven at the right hand of God (Acts 2:33).

It is important to understand that Jesus was and is and shall always be God (Jn 1:1; Heb 13:8).  The fact that he was born a man in a body did not change his deity (Mk 2:3-12; Jn 9:32-33).  He is eternal.  His life did not begin with his birth in a body (1 Jn 5:10-12, 20).  Therefore, he was not a begotten “god” as the NASV says in Jn 1:18.  That translation attacks his deity.

Jesus was the begotten “Son,” the ONLY begotten Son.  We, on the other hand, become sons of God by the new birth when we receive Jesus (Jn 1:12-13).  We are born, but we are not begotten.  Adam was a son of God (Lk 3:38).  Adam was created (Gen 2:7); he was not begotten.  The angels are also sons of God (Job 1, 2, 38).  Yet, angels are created; they are not begotten (Heb 1:5-7).  Jesus is the ONLY begotten son of God.

The Bible says, in Jn 3:16, “whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life?”  Have you believed on his name?  Do you now have everlasting life?  If not, now is the perfect time to be saved.