“Begotten”: What It Means and Why It Matters

By: Josey Anthony. From Facebook

📝 A Teaching Outline on the Word “Begotten” and Objections Answered

1. Verses That Use the Word “Begotten”

1. John 1:14 — “The Word became flesh… the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
2. John 1:18 — “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.”
3. John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son…”
4. John 3:18 — “…because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
5. 1 John 4:9 — “God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him.”
6. Psalm 2:7 — “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”
7. Acts 13:33 (NASB) — “that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, 'YOU ARE MY SON; TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU.'”
8. Philemon 10 (NASB) — “I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment”
9. Hebrews 1:5 (NASB) — “For to which of the angels did He ever say, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU"? And again, "I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME”?
10. Hebrews 5:5 (NASB) — “So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU”
11. Hebrews 11:17 (NASB) — “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son”

2. Other Uses of Monogenēs

(“Only / Unique Child”)

• Luke 7:12 — widow’s only son.
• Luke 8:42 — Jairus’s only daughter.
• Luke 9:38 — man’s only child.
• Hebrews 11:17 — Isaac called Abraham’s “only begotten son,” though Ishmael existed → unique, heir, special sonship.

Non-biblical usage

• 1 Clement 25:2 — Refers to a bird called the Phoenix, which he calls "the only one of his kind".

📌 Takeaway: Monogenēs = unique, one-of-a-kind — not “first-created.”

3. The Greek Words Behind “Begotten”

• μονογενής (monogenēs) — “only begotten, one and only, unique” → applied to Jesus’ Sonship.
• γεννάω (gennaō) — “to beget, to give birth, to be born” → used of physical birth (Matt. 1) and spiritual new birth (John 1:13; 3:3-8)
• ἀναγεννάω (anagennaō) — “to beget again / to cause new birth” → new birth of believers (1 Peter 1:3,23)

4. Begotten Applied to Jesus

• John 1:14 ➡️ Jesus’ Sonship is unique; He alone reveals the Father’s glory fully.
• John 1:18 ➡️ The begotten Son is both distinct from the Father and fully God.
• John 3:16 ➡️ Begotten emphasizes the precious, unique gift of God’s eternal Son.
• John 3:18 ➡️ Salvation hinges on faith in Jesus’ unique divine Sonship.
• 1 John 4:9 ➡️ The eternal Son was sent; He existed before being sent.
• Psalm 2:7 ➡️ Royal enthronement psalm, fulfilled in Christ’s kingship.
• Acts 13:33 ➡️ Applied to the resurrection — Sonship declared in power.
• Hebrews 1:5 ➡️ Jesus’ Sonship is greater than angels — He is unique, not one of them.
• Hebrews 5:5 ➡️ Jesus’ Sonship tied to His divine appointment as eternal High Priest.

📌 These passages apply Psalm 2:7 not to Jesus’ origin but to His resurrection, exaltation, and priestly enthronement.

5. Begotten Applied to Believers (Spiritual New Birth)

• John 1:12-13 — believers are “born of God.”
• John 3:3-8 — “born again… born of water and the Spirit.”
• 1 John 2:29; 3:9; 4:7; 5:1,4,18 — born of God in righteousness, love, faith, and holiness.
• 1 Peter 1:3 — “new birth into a living hope.”
• 1 Peter 1:23 — “born again of imperishable seed.”
• James 1:18 — “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth.”
• Titus 3:5 — “washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

📌 Believers are begotten by grace/adoption; Jesus is the only begotten Son by nature.

6. Theological Meaning of Begotten (Applied to Christ)

• Unique Sonship: Jesus is the only begotten Son — unique, eternal, divine.
• Not created: “Through him all things were made” (John 1:3)
• Eternal relation: “Glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world began” (John 17:5)
• Life in Himself: “As the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself” (John 5:26)
• Psalm 2:7 fulfillment: Public declaration of Sonship at resurrection/exaltation, not origin.

📖 The Father of the Lord Jesus Christ

• Romans 15:6 — “…glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• 2 Corinthians 1:3 — “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
• 2 Corinthians 11:31 — “The God and Father of the Lord Jesus…”
• Ephesians 1:3 — “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
• 1 Peter 1:3 — “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
• John 20:17 — Jesus: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”

📌 These verses reinforce that God is revealed as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ — highlighting both His unique Sonship and the relationship by which believers are invited into that same fellowship.

7. Objections & Answers

Objection 1: “Begotten means created.”

• Monogenēs = unique, one-of-a-kind.
• Hebrews 11:17 shows it’s about status (Isaac called Abraham’s only begotten though not literally his only son).
• John 1:3 — the begotten Son is the Creator of all things, not a creature.

Objection 2: “Psalm 2:7 proves Jesus started to exist.”

NT applies it to the resurrection/exaltation.

• Acts 13:33 — “You are my Son; today I have become your Father” applied to the resurrection.
• Hebrews 1:5 — contrasts the Son with angels.
• Hebrews 5:5 — applies it to Christ’s priesthood.
• Psalm 2:7 is about status and kingship, not origin.

Objection 3: “If the Son is begotten, He must be lesser than the Father.”

• John 1:1 — “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
• John 5:23 — “that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” Equal honor = equal deity.

Begotten = relationship of Sonship, not inferiority.

Objection 4: “Believers are begotten too, so Jesus isn’t unique.”

Believers are begotten/adopted by grace.

Jesus is the only begotten Son by nature — eternal, divine.

Objection 5: “Begotten = same as Firstborn.”

No. Different words.

Firstborn (prototokos) = rank, inheritance, supremacy, position.

Begotten (monogenēs) = unique, one-of-a-kind Son.

Both stress Christ’s supremacy and divinity, but in different ways.

Objection 6: “Jesus said ‘the Father is greater than I’ (John 14:28).”

Spoken in His humbled, incarnate state (Phil. 2:6-8).

In role, He was submissive; in nature, He remained equal.

After resurrection He declares: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18).

Objection 7: “If He is begotten, there was a time He was not.”

The Father is eternally Father, the Son eternally Son.

There was never a time when the Father was not Father, therefore never a time when the Son was not the Son.

Objection 8: “The Bible never says Jesus was ‘eternally begotten.’ That’s just a church doctrine.”

True — the Bible doesn’t use the exact phrase. But it consistently presents the Father and Son as eternal together.

• John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.”
• John 17:5 — “Glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world began.”
• Micah 5:2 — Messiah’s “goings forth are from everlasting.”

If the Father has always been the Father, then the Son has always been the Son.

“Eternal generation” is theology’s way of describing this eternal Father–Son relationship.

Objection 9: “Jesus must be created, because Jehovah is the Father of the Lord Jesus.”

Rom 15:6; 2Co 1:3; Eph 1:3; 1Pe 1:3; John 20:17 all call God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not imply creation. It describes their eternal relationship. The Father has always been Father; the Son has always been Son.

Objection 10 “Jehovah is called the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ many times in the Bible. If Jehovah is His Father, that means Jesus must have been brought into existence by Jehovah at some point, because a father always comes before a son.”

Answer: These verses do show God as Father, but they describe eternal titles of relationship, not a starting point.

Supporting verses:

• John 1:1-3 — “In the beginning was the Word… Through him all things were made.”
• John 17:5 — “Glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world began.”
• Micah 5:2 — Messiah’s origins are “from everlasting.”

Objection 11: “In John 20:17 Jesus said, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ If He has a God, then He cannot be God.”

Jesus distinguishes “my Father and your Father.” For us, God is Father by adoption; for Jesus, God is Father by eternal nature.

“My God” reflects His humanity as Mediator. As man He worships the Father; as God He receives worship.

Just 11 verses later, Thomas confesses to Jesus: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus accepts this worship.

Together, John 20:17 and John 20:28 reveal the full truth: Jesus is true man who calls the Father His God, and true God who is confessed as Lord.

Objection 12: “Proverbs 8:22 says, ‘The LORD created me as the beginning of His works.’ Doesn’t that prove Jesus was created?”

Proverbs 8 personifies wisdom poetically, not literally.

The Hebrew can be translated “possessed” or “brought forth,” not necessarily “created.”

The NT never applies Proverbs 8:22 to Christ. Instead:

John 1:1-3 — the Word already was in the beginning.

Colossians 1:16-17 — all things were created through Him.

If Proverbs 8 were literal, then God at one point lacked wisdom — an absurd idea.

Objection 13: “If Jesus is the Son of God, He can’t be God.”

In Scripture, sonship means sharing the same nature. A human father begets a human son; likewise, the Father begets the Son who shares His divine nature.

John 5:18 — the Jews understood Jesus’ claim of Sonship as making Himself equal with God.

To call Jesus the Son of God = to affirm His deity.

Objection 14: “No one has seen God at any time (John 1:18). If Jesus was seen, He can’t be God.”

John 1:18 itself explains: “The only begotten God… has made Him known.”

Jesus reveals the unseen Father perfectly because He Himself is God.

John 14:9 — “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”

8. Final Takeaway

Begotten when applied to Jesus means His unique, eternal Sonship — not creation.

OT “begotten” (Psalm 2:7) points to His exaltation and kingship, not the start of existence.

Believers are begotten spiritually, but only Jesus is the eternal Son of God by nature.

The NT repeatedly calls God the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, underlining His divine Sonship.

Therefore: Begotten = eternal, unique Sonship → Jesus is fully God, sharing the Father’s nature.