The Nature of Christ
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). The word God in this verse is the plural form (Elohim) which indicates that more than one Being have the nature of Deity. The Bible teaches the Father, the Word (the Son) and the Holy Spirit have the same nature—Godhood or Deity. To affirm that they are Divine Beings is to affirm their eternity. We want to notice specifically the claims of Jesus to be God, or Deity. At the burning bush, God said to Moses, "I Am" (Ex. 3:10). The term denotes "un-originated, immutable, eternal and self-sustained existence" (Vine). God said to Moses "I am eternal." Jesus claimed the same for Himself—"before Abraham was born, I AM" (Jn. 8:58). He was saying He was "with God and was God" (Jn. 1:1). Other passages clearly show His Deity. Isaiah said, "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (Is. 40:3). Matthew quotes this and applies it to John the Baptist's preparation for Christ (Mt. 3:1-3). The angel told Mary that her Son would be called "Immanuel, which is translated, God with us" (Mt. 1:23). When Jesus claimed "I and the Father are one," the Jews started to kill Him "because You, being a Man, make Yourself God" (Jn. 10:30,33). The word God is often used of the Father, but sometimes is used of the Godhead—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Does the term begotten indicate Jesus had a beginning? As a human being, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:20), but that is not the whole story of how Jesus was begotten. The Psalmist's statement (Ps. 2:7), is quoted in Acts 13:33-35 and applied to the resurrection of Jesus. It had nothing to do with origin, but with position.
Does the Son of God prove that Jesus had a beginning? No! The word son often refers to sameness. Jabal was "father of those who dwell in tents and and have livestock" (Gen. 4:20). His brother, Jubal, was "the father of all those who play the harp and flute" (Gen. 4:21). This indicates they were of the same trade. Zebedee's children were known as "sons of Thunder" (Mk. 3:17). Jesus told the Sadducees, "the sons of this age" marry (Lk. 20:34). The word son may simply indicates sameness, or likeness, not origin.
W.E. Vine commented that Son of God is "an eternal relation subsisting between the Son and the Father in the Godhead is to be understood. That is to say, the Son of God, in His eternal relationship with the Father, is not so entitled because He at any time began to derive His being from the Father (in which case He could not be co-eternal with the Father), but because He is and ever has been the expression of what the Father is..." Then he quoted "He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?" (Jn. 14:9), and "who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person," (Heb. 1:3) then concluded "absolute Godhead, not Godhead in a secondary or derived sense, is intended in the title."
We cannot grasp eternity, but we can understand that God is eternal.
Does the term begotten indicate Jesus had a beginning? As a human being, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:20), but that is not the whole story of how Jesus was begotten. The Psalmist's statement (Ps. 2:7), is quoted in Acts 13:33-35 and applied to the resurrection of Jesus. It had nothing to do with origin, but with position.
Does the Son of God prove that Jesus had a beginning? No! The word son often refers to sameness. Jabal was "father of those who dwell in tents and and have livestock" (Gen. 4:20). His brother, Jubal, was "the father of all those who play the harp and flute" (Gen. 4:21). This indicates they were of the same trade. Zebedee's children were known as "sons of Thunder" (Mk. 3:17). Jesus told the Sadducees, "the sons of this age" marry (Lk. 20:34). The word son may simply indicates sameness, or likeness, not origin.
W.E. Vine commented that Son of God is "an eternal relation subsisting between the Son and the Father in the Godhead is to be understood. That is to say, the Son of God, in His eternal relationship with the Father, is not so entitled because He at any time began to derive His being from the Father (in which case He could not be co-eternal with the Father), but because He is and ever has been the expression of what the Father is..." Then he quoted "He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, Show us the Father?" (Jn. 14:9), and "who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person," (Heb. 1:3) then concluded "absolute Godhead, not Godhead in a secondary or derived sense, is intended in the title."
We cannot grasp eternity, but we can understand that God is eternal.