No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 1:18 KJV
To beget is to sire or become the father of a child. Begat is the past tense of this word. Begotten is the past participle of beget. It is an adjective which is a descriptive word. Therefore, to say Jesus is the only begotten son of God is to say that he is unique as the only child fathered by God. Also, he was a child born unto a human female, his mother Mary. As such Jesus is both fully divine, begotten by God through the Holy Spirit, and fully human, born of a woman.
Although born in the flesh two-thousand years ago, Jesus was with God in the beginning. We read in John 1:1-2, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. WEB” The Word, of course, is Jesus Christ. As we read in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. WEB”
The Firstborn of All Creation
Christ was the firstborn of creation. Colossians 1:15 teaches of Jesus, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. WEB” As John teaches, God is invisible to the human eye. He is spirit. Therefore no man has seen God. Christ, as the physical manifestation of God in his exact likeness, declared God unto man. That is to say, he made known the precise nature, will, and character of the Father in heaven.
In the Old Testament, God revealed himself through the law of his word. In the New Testament, Christ revealed God through his ministry of healing and forgiveness. Calling mankind to repentance from our sins, Christ demonstrated the righteousness, mercy, and grace of our heavenly Father. He died in our place on the cross, paying the price for all our sins. As we read in the most famous scripture of the bible, John 3:16, “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. KJV”
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for making yourself known through the majesty of your creation and the revelation of the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for calling sinners to repentance and the grace of your forgiveness. Guide me with your holy word. Lead me to live by your will. In Jesus’ name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Fallen From Heaven
