Declaring Doctrine (Part 13) | The Eternal Sonship of Christ
We’re looking at these major doctrines in the Bible and we’ve been kind of going through a section on the Godhead. We talked about the attributes of God, the deity, the natural attributes of God, the moral attributes of God. Then we started talking about the deity of Christ. We spent several weeks with that sermon. Tonight I’m dealing with the doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ. And the eternal Sonship of Christ is the doctrine that’s in between the deity of Christ and the humanity of Christ. There’ll be a sermon to come on the humanity of Christ. But the eternal Sonship of Christ is the doctrine we want to deal with. And what we are looking at and what we’re learning in this doctrine is that Jesus has always been the Son of God.
Now there are some people and there are some religions that don’t believe that. There are doctrines out there and belief systems like that of the Modalists or the Oneness who teach that Jesus became the Son of God at the virgin birth. That is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible teaches in the eternal Sonship of Christ; that God, the second member of the Godhead has always been the Son of God. I want to prove that to you and I want to explain some things tonight.
Look at John 17:5. This is of course Jesus praying to the Father. This is before he goes to Gethsemane. John 17:5 “5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self”. And I want you to notice these words. “with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”. So notice that Jesus is not a creation. He was not created. He did not come into existence. And we talked about this last week. Jesus said “I am” several times. “Before Abraham was I am”. And here’s another statement where he’s speaking to the Father. And he’s saying “glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”. So before creation, Jesus was there with the Father and they shared in glory. So we’re looking at this idea of the eternal Sonship of Christ. Go with me to the Book of Proverbs. And what I want to do is I want to give you 2 foundational thoughts in regards to this doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ. And then I’m going to give you 3 points in regards to the eternal Sonship of Christ to kind of help you with some of the attacks that we get from people who don’t believe this and people who reject the trinity and people who believe that Jesus either was created or that he was some sort of other being that became the Son of God at the virgin birth.
Let me just kind of begin with 2 foundational truths just by way of introduction. It’ll take a little while to get through this but I want you to understand this. The reason we’re going through this series is because we want you to know what you believe and why you believe it. Why do we believe the things that we believe? So here’s the first foundational truth in regards to this doctrine. When we’re talking about the Godhead, we believe in the trinity. And there are 3 members of the Godhead; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. These three are one. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The 2nd member of the Godhead is Jesus. Jesus has always been the Son of God. And again, today you’ll have those who say “No, he was the Word.”. And they’ll look at 1st John 5:7 where it says “7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”. And they’ll say “See, that says he was the Word”. Or in John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”. They’ll say “No, he was the Word. Then at in Bethlehem’s manger, that’s when he became the Son of God”.
Now I don’t have time to develop this. I’m not preaching against Oneness. But just understand this. When they say “He was the Word”, they literally mean he was like a book. They believe there was a written book in heaven and then that book became the Son of God. But the Bible doesn’t teach that. And let me just say this. If you want to take 1st John 5:7 and say “Well, it doesn’t call him the Son. It calls him the Word. Therefore he couldn’t have been the Son”. Well wait a minute. It says there are “7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”. So we see that the 1st person of the Godhead, the first member of the Godhead is called the Father. Well let me ask you this. Can you be called a Father if you don’t have a Son? So when you say “It’s referred to as the Word so therefore he couldn’t be the Son”. Well there’s a Father and we know that “14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”.
So the point is this. The Son, the second member of the Godhead, has always been the Son of God. And I’m going to prove that to you. They’ll say “No, he became the Son of God in Bethlehem’s manger at the virgin birth”. But here’s the problem with that. Throughout the Old Testament, we have references to God and his Son. We have references to the Son of God. Let me just show those to you quickly. Proverbs Chapter 30:4 “4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth?”. And these are all rhetorical questions about God. He’s saying look, who’s done this except for God. “Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?” And Jesus actually quoted that in John 3.
“who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth?”. Then he says the answer. “what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?”. I want you to notice that in Proverbs there’s a question asked about what is God’s name. And then they ask “and what is his son’s name”. So we see that even in the book of Proverbs, there was already a belief and an understanding that God had a Son that there was a Son of God. So to say “No, it was the Word and then he became the Son of God in the New Testament.” is wrong. The scripture is telling us here that there’s God and then there’s his Son. He’s saying what is his name and what is his Son’s name.
Go to Psalm 2:11. “11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”. So notice here there’s a reference to the Lord in verse 11. And then in verse 12 it says “Kiss the Son,”. The Son of who? The Son of the Lord. So I want you to notice again a reference to the fact that the Lord has a Son. “12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,”. Let me give you another example. Go to Daniel Chapter 3.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this because I’ve got lots of other stuff to go over. Daniel 3:23. Here’s another example of the Son existing in the Old Testament. This proves that Jesus did not become the Son of God in the New Testament. Now Daniel 3 is the famous story where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refuse to worship the idol of Nebuchadnezzar and they get thrown into the fiery furnaces. “23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors,”. Now notice what Nebuchadnezzar says. “Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?”. He asked this question. He says didn’t we cast three guys into the fire? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. “They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.”.
Notice verse 25. “25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose,”. You know it’s interesting because he says that we cast 3 men in and now I see 4 men. And by the way, that’s what Jesus does for you. He takes the bound and he makes them loose. And he says “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt;”. So he throws three guys into the fire and then he says “Didn’t we cast three guys in there? Why do I see four guys walking around?”. Notice what he said at the end of verse 25. “and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”. So he says look, there’s a fourth man in the fire and it’s the Son of God. It’s the Lord Jesus Christ who appeared there and was with the men.
Now if you have a modern Bible version, if you don’t have a King James Bible, your version probably changed it to “and the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods or like one of the gods”. They change that to make it a plural. And they’ll say “Nebuchadnezzar was polytheistic so he was referring to the plurality.”. First of all, when you look at the original language, it is accurately translated in your King James Bible when it says the fourth is like the Son of God. But look, you don’t have to speak Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek to understand this. Even in the context a few verses later, we can see that the King James is correct. A few verses later he says everybody needs to worship the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego because he is the only true God. So why would he be saying “and the fourth is like one of the sons of the multiple gods” when the whole point of this thing happening in his life is to declare that there is 1 true God and it is the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So the King James Bible is correct when it says the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
So I’m showing to you that throughout the Old Testament we see references to the Son of God because the second member of the Godhead Jesus has always been the Son of God. Again, the Modalist and the Oneness crowd will teach that the Word became the Son of God at the virgin birth at Bethlehem’s manger but that is not true. The second member of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ, has always been the Son of God. And we see him appear through the Old Testament.
So all of this is all by way of introduction giving you two foundational thoughts. The 1st foundational thought is this, the second member of the Godhead has always been the Son of God. Here’s a second foundational thought, the second member of the Godhead has always manifested himself as a man. The second member of the Godhead has always manifested himself as a man.
Not only do we see glimpses of the Son of God in the Old Testament. “kiss the Son”. “What is his name and what is his Son’s name”. Nebuchadnezzar was looking in the furnace and saying “I see a fourth man and one of them is like the Son of God”. But we also see that the second member of the Godhead, the Son of God, manifests himself as a man. You need to understand this. The foundational truths about the second member of the Godhead, the eternal Sonship of Christ, is that he’s always been the Son of God and he’s always manifested himself as a man.
I’m not going to preach a whole sermon on this but I’m going to show you just a few examples from the Book of Genesis. And what we mean by this is that there have been times in the Old Testament where a man shows up and that man is God. And you say who is that man? It’s the second member of the Godhead. Because if you remember, and I don’t have time to develop this, but the Bible says that God the Father is invisible. He’s invisible. “No man hath seen God at any time”. The Bible says that the Son of God is the express image of his person. So whenever somebody sees God, whenever somebody in the Bible says “I’ve seen God”, who have they seen? The Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Lord Jesus Christ is God and this is why this ties in with the deity of Christ.
The theological terms for this are theophany or Christophany. When you see an Old Testament appearance of God as a man, this is none other of course than an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ and these appearances are sometimes referred to as the theophany or a Christophany. Let me just give you a few examples of this. Genesis 18:1 “And the Lord”. Now you see “the LORD” there with all caps. That is Jehovah God. “And the Lord appeared unto him”. And of course this is referring to Abraham. “And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him:”. So he looks up and in the door of his tent he sees 3 men. So they’re appearing as men. Verse one tells us “And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;”.
Notice verse 2. “2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,”. I’m not going to take the time to develop this whole thing but I just want you to notice one of these men is God, is the Lord. Now we can already get that from verse one. “The Lord appeared unto him”. And then in verse two “three men stood by him”. But notice, one of the men is talking to Abraham. Verse 13, notice what the Bible says. “13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?”. So notice in verse 13, we see the LORD. Capital L. Capital O. Capital R. Capital D. The LORD is one of these men and he’s talking to Abraham.
Now notice verse 16. “16 And the men”. Because remember, 3 men showed up. “the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.”. Notice again verse 17. “17 And the Lord”. All capitals. “17 And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;”. So notice, three guys show up and one of them is the LORD. Capital L. Capital O. Capital R. Capital D. And he’s talking to Abraham. You say “Well you know, God is invisible. No man hath seen God at any time. So who is this Lord who Abraham can see and talk to.”. Well, this is an Old Testament appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the Lord Jesus Christ, the second person of the Godhead, has always been the Son of God and has always manifested himself as a man.
Now look down at verse number 22. Notice what the Bible says. “22 And the men”. These are the other two men. Because if you read the story in its context, three men show up. One of them is the Lord and he’s talking to Abraham. And then two men go off to basically go and take a look at Sodom before they destroy it. “22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.”. So notice, one guy stays. The Lord. One man stays and then who are the other two? Well look at Genesis 19:1. “And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;”. So you see how in Genesis 18 that 3 men show up. One of them is the Lord. And then Genesis 19 tells us that the other two were angels that were just traveling with the Lord to come have this conversation with Abraham. So look, this is an Old Testament appearance of God in the flesh, God as a man. Who is it? It is the second member of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let me give you another example. In Genesis 32 we have Jacob. Remember that Jacob ran away from home and now he’s coming back and Esau hears that he’s coming back. This is 20 years later and Esau is coming to meet Jacob and Jacob is worried about this confrontation. You say why? Because the last time he saw Esau, Esau wanted to kill him since he stole the birthright and he stole the blessing and he did all those things. In Genesis 32:24, Jacob separates himself from everybody else. And in verse 24, the Bible says this. “24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.”.
So this guy shows up and Jacob is wrestling with him. We won’t take the time to read all the verses but Jacob is trying to get a blessing from him. He says bless me and he asks “what is thy name”. “27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:”. He renames Jacob to Israel. But I want you to notice who this man is wrestling with. Look at Genesis 32:30. “30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel:” Notice. “for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”. So Jacob identifies the fact that the man he was wrestling with was God. And he says “I’ve seen God face to face”. And people say, well it’s a contradiction in scripture because the Bible says “no man hath seen God at any time”. But here’s the thing, no man has seen God the Father at any time but lots of people have seen God in the second member of the Godhead; the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God has always existed and the Son of God has always manifested himself as a man. So here we see this man wrestling with Jacob and Jacob says “I have seen God face to face”.
Now let me give you another example. We could look at lots of examples but for sake of time, let me just give you 1 more. If you remember from a recent sermon, in Joshua 5, the captain of the Lord of hosts appears to Joshua. And if you remember, Joshua asked him the question “art thou for us or our enemies”. And he said “Nay, but as the captain of the Lord of hosts am I now come”. And the Bible says that Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship. Why did he do that? Because this man was God. And he was told “loose thy shoes from off thy foot for the place where thou standest is holy ground”. So a man appears to Joshua and Joshua worships him. And the man tells Joshua “take your shoes from off your feet because the place where you’re standing is holy ground”. And that’s a reference back to the burning bush when the Lord appeared to Moses. Moses was told to loose thy shoes from off thy feet for the place where thou standest is holy ground. So the man that appeared to Joshua was God but it was a man. So who was that? It was the second member of the Godhead because the second member of the Godhead has always appeared as a man and he’s always been the Son of God.
Let me give you another example in Genesis 14. In Genesis 14 we have Melchizedek who appears to Abraham. “Genesis 14:18 “18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.”. Now look, don’t we tithe to the Lord? So why is this tied into Melchizedek? Because this is the Lord because this is an Old Testament appearance of the second member of the Godhead who has always been the Son of God and who has always manifested himself as a man. So those are the two foundational uh truths about the eternal Sonship of Christ.
Go to Hebrews 7. And let’s talk about Melchizedek a little further. In Hebrews 7 we learn more about Melchizedek. And again, I realize this is heavy on doctrine but the series is called “Declaring Doctrine”. So I don’t know what else to tell you. We’re learning doctrine in the house of God. So when it comes to the eternal Sonship of Christ, here are the two foundational truths. The second member of the Godhead has always been the Son of God and the second member of the Godhead has always manifested himself as a man.
Now the confusion comes for some people because there are verses in the Bible that say that Jesus was begotten on a certain day. Since it says that he was begotten on a certain day, they’ll say “Well, that’s when he became the Son of God”. And then there’s even more confusion because in some places in the Bible it tells us that Jesus was the only begotten Son. And then in other places in the Bible it tells us that Jesus is the first begotten Son. Now when you say that someone is the first begotten Son, that means that there have to be other begotten sons. Because if you’re the only begotten Son then you don’t have to say you’re the first. The first would imply that there’s more than one. But you say “Well that contradicts the only begotten”. I will explain this to you and I want you to understand this.
The second member of the Godhead has always been the Son of God and the second member of the Godhead has always manifested himself as a man. However, there have been three different stages or phases to the human body portion of the second member of the Godhead. The second member of the Godhead has always been the Son of God but he’s been a man in three different phases or in three different stages. And I’m going to explain that to you and I want you to maybe write these things down so you can understand it. Let’s talk about the first stage or the first phase of the Son of God as a man.
Number one, the Son of God as a man in the Old Testament. The Son of God as a man in the Old Testament. Because I just showed you a bunch of verses that showed that both the Son of God was talked about and acknowledged in the Old Testament. And also, that a man showed up throughout the Old Testament and was referred to as God. So we know that’s the second member of the Godhead, the Son of God, Jesus Christ as a man. The first stage to this doctrine and this belief is that of the Son of God as a man in the Old Testament. This is the non-begotten stage. The Son of God as a man in the Old Testament is the non-begotten stage because the word begotten means to be brought forth, means to be birthed, means to be produced. And the characteristic of the Son of God as a man in the Old Testament is that he wasn’t begotten in the sense of his body.
Now let me explain that to you. Hebrews 7 “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;”. Notice verse 3. We’re talking about Melchizedek. You say how do we know that Melchizedek was God, was deity? Here’s how we know. Verse 3 “3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days,” That means he never began. “nor end of life;”. That means he’ll never end. “but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.”. So we know that Melchizedek is deity because he’s without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life. And he is made like unto the Son of God. So we understand that Melchizedek is the second member of the Godhead.
So what are some of the characteristics about the Son of God as a man in the Old Testament, the non-begotten version? Let me give you two characteristics. First of all, the non-begotten version if you will, and I hope that’s okay for me to say that because I don’t know how else to explain it. The non-begotten version of Jesus in the Old Testament. When he appeared, he did not have a bloodline. That’s actually what we just read there. There’s no bloodline to him. There’s no lineage to him. He’s “3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;”. There’s no lineage where you could say “Melchizedek was begotten of this guy”. Now can’t you say that about Jesus. Aren’t there lineages to Jesus in the book of Luke and in the book of Matthew? But the Old Testament version of the man, the Son of God that manifests himself as a man, there’s no bloodline there. He’s without father, without mother. So you need to understand that.
Go to Hebrews 2. And let me show you how that’s different from the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Now of course we could go to Matthew Chapter one or Luke Chapter two and we could read the lineages of Jesus from Joseph and Mary going all the way back to David, Abraham and Adam. But let me just show you a few verses here in Hebrews Chapter 2. Hebrews 2:16 “16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels;”. He was not an angel. Dispensationalists and Jehova’s Witnesses like to teach that the Son of God is an angel. But the Bible says “16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.”. Jesus was the seed of Abraham. The New Testament version of the Son of God manifest in the flesh had a lineage, had a bloodline. His bloodline went back to Abraham and back to David and back to Adam. But the Old Testament version is without father, without mother, without a bloodline.
Go to 2 Timothy 2:8. “8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:”. So notice that Jesus had a lineage. He had a bloodline that went back to David, that went back to Abraham. Romans 1:3 says this “3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;”. So one major difference between the second member of the Godhead who’s always been the Son of God and has always manifested himself as a man in the Old Testament is that there was no bloodline in the Old Testament. There was no lineage. He’s without father, without mother. In the New Testament he is born to the virgin Mary. There is a bloodline. There is a lineage that goes back to David and to Abraham and all the way back to Adam.
Let me give you a second kind of characteristic or a difference between the Old Testament God man and the New Testament God man. Not only is there no bloodline. By the way, that’s not just figurative though. There’s also no blood. The non-begotten Jesus in the Old Testament. Not only did he not have a bloodline. The reason he did not have a bloodline is because his body actually did not have blood in it. Hebrews Chapter 2. Let me show it to you. I know some people are like “This is kind of weird”. Well look, it’s just the Bible. You watch all kinds of weird things on the internet and tv. This is actually interesting. This is the word of God.
Hebrews 2:14 “14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,”. Now the children are us, you and I. It says because you and I are partakers of flesh and blood. If you cut my body, it’ll start bleeding. “he also himself likewise took part of the same;”. Jesus had to become flesh and blood. “he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”. So look, the Bible tells us that something different about Jesus in the New Testament when he was born is that he partook of the same. What is that referring to? It is referring to the fact that that the children were flesh and blood because the Old Testament version Melchizedek had no bloodline. Because he literally had no blood.
Now look, Melchizedek could not die for your sins. Why? Because what saves us? The blood of Jesus Christ. “What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus”. That’s not just a cute song we sing. That’s actually doctrine. The blood of Jesus Christ was the sacrifice, the atoning sacrifice that the high priest, that Melchizedek the high priest took up, that Jesus took up. And he actually sprinkled the blood upon the altar in the holy of holies. That’s what brings us atonement or remission of sins. It is the blood of Jesus Christ that saves us. But the Old Testament version of the Son of God, the non-begotten version, was different. He manifest himself as a man in the Old Testament, but he was without father, without mother, without bloodline, without lineage, and without actually having physical blood.
Our resurrected bodies, our glorified bodies, they’re not going to have any blood in them either. 1 Corinthians 15:50 “50 Now this I say, brethren,”. Now if you know the book of Corinthians, you know that this is the resurrection chapter. It’s all about the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus, the resurrection of us, the rapture. It’s all the resurrection. Notice 1st Corinthians 15:50 “50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”. Flesh and blood can’t go to heaven. Why? Because corruption comes through your blood and we’ll talk about that here in a minute. But flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Luke 24:39. We have Jesus after he resurrected from the dead in his glorified body. Notice what he says about himself. Because he’s showing himself to his disciples. Luke 24:39 “39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see;”. Because they think he’s a spirit. He shows up and they’re like “Are we seeing a ghost? Are we seeing a spirit?”. “39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.”. All throughout the Bible, you see these two phrases put together “flesh and blood”. “Not being born again of flesh and blood”. But Jesus, after his resurrection, he says feel my body. Is it flesh and blood? Well not exactly. It’s flesh and bone but there’s no blood. You say how can that be? Because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So the glorified body that you and I will have one day will not have any blood in it. And the body that Melchizedek had, the body that appeared to Abraham in the plains of Mamre, the body that Jacob wrestled with was a human body but it had no bloodline because it had no blood because it was without father, without mother, without dissent, no lineage.
So the Son of God, the second member of the Godhead, has always been the Son of God and he’s always manifested himself as a man. In the Old Testament he was what I refer to as the non-begotten version. He was never birthed. He doesn’t have a father or mother. It was a human body without blood and he manifested himself as a man.
Then we have the second phase. The Son of God as a man after the virgin birth. This is the only begotten version where Jesus was actually born. Because Melchizedek wasn’t actually born anywhere and didn’t actually grow up. He’s without father, without mother. Jesus was actually born in Bethlehem as a baby. And he grew up and he became a man. So the Son of God as a man after the virgin birth is the only begotten version. Now you say well why did Jesus have to be born? And here’s the main reason. Because he had to be born into a lineage. He had to be born into a bloodline. So therefore he had to be born.
Go to Romans 5. Now when someone is born, they are born with a sin nature. And I’m going to try to explain this to you quickly. And I don’t want to spend too much time on it but you know we’re not Catholics. We don’t believe in original sin. We don’t believe that you and I are going to go to hell one day because of Adam’s sin. If somebody goes to hell, they’ll go to hell for their own sins. That’s what the Bible teaches. The sins of Adam, the original sin of Adam, was not passed down on you. Don’t you worry about that. You got enough sins all on your own. You don’t need Adam’s help. What was passed down to you was Adam’s sin nature. See, you’re not a sinner because you sin. You sin because you’re a sinner. What was passed down to you was the sin nature of Adam.
Romans 5:12 “12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”. That’s the sin nature. Why do we die? Because of sin. Why do we grow old? Because of sin. Why do our bodies begin to corrupt? Because of sin. “12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”. See, it is Adam’s sin nature that passed down to mankind. And by the way, that sin nature is passed down through the blood of Adam and it’s passed down through the men. It’s passed down through mankind. You say how is that?
Well let me just explain this to you as quickly as I can and as appropriately as I can. How is the sin nature passed down? Through the blood. An adult woman will have a cycle that she goes through when she’s in the age of being able to reproduce and give birth. Every month an egg will cycle through her body and that egg could potentially become a life. But if the egg travels through that woman and is never fertilized then it is discarded. It never becomes a human life. However, if the blood of a man, if the seed of a man comes in contact with that egg, you have fertilization or conception. Life begins at conception. So that egg will never become a life all on its own. It needs the blood of a man and you’ll have life. The problem is that when that blood, the bloodline, comes through your father, that sin nature comes. Whenever your child commits a sin, you ladies can just blame your husbands because they got the sin nature from the blood of the man. But every month an egg cycles through the body of a woman and if the seed of a man meets that egg, you have fertilization, you have conception. Life is produced and life begins. So this is how the sin nature of Adam is passed down to every man.
Jesus needed to be born to have a bloodline, to have blood. But he could not be born with the blood of Adam because then he would just have a sin nature like you and I. Hence the virgin birth. These are not just stories we tell in Christmas about a virgin giving birth. It’s actually for a reason. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God because he’s the only man that was born bypassing the Adam line, the sinful line of Adam’s blood. His blood came from heaven, came from God. He’s the only one, the only begotten Son. He has a bloodline. He has a lineage. Because remember Mary. The Catholics say Mary’s the mother of God. No, God doesn’t have a mother.
Remember Melchizedek? Without father, without mother, without descent, neither beginning of days nor end of life. Mary was the mother of the physical body. She physically gave birth to a body but the blood did not come from Adam or any other man. It came from God. So Jesus is born as a human, begotten with a blood which we needed for salvation. He had a lineage but no sin nature because of the virgin birth. Jesus had no sin nature. Adam’s sin nature was not passed down to him. Because of the virgin birth, Jesus had no sin nature. But let me say this, because of the virgin birth, Jesus was able to be tempted by sin. Because the Bible’s clear that Jesus was tempted by sin but he’d never sinned. He had no sin nature but he was tempted to sin. Let’s look at some verses on that.
Hebrews 2:16 “16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”. Verse 18. “18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,”. Notice that Jesus was tempted on this earth. “he is able to succour them that are tempted.”. Why can Jesus aid you in your temptation? Because he himself hath suffered being tempted.
Hebrews 4:14 “14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”. See, Jesus was tempted in every way like you are. He was in all points tempted like as we are. One major difference though for him. “yet without sin”. See, Jesus lived a sinless life. But please understand this, it’s not like he was just down here and he was God and he couldn’t sin if he wanted to. Because some people teach that since Melchizedek had no blood flowing through his body, he was not even tempted to sin. Jesus could have sinned if he wanted to. Jesus was birthed. He didn’t just have a human body. He was part of the human race. He was born into the lineage of mankind minus Adam’s blood, minus the sin nature.
Remember how in 1st Corinthians 15, Jesus is called the last Adam. Why? Because Adam was created on this earth with blood flowing through him. He didn’t have a sin nature but he had the ability to sin. We saw it this morning. Satan tempted Adam and Eve to sin and they fell for it and then they got a sin nature. They died. “wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all of sinned”. Jesus could have. Now obviously he never would have. He didn’t. The reason that God became a man, it was because he suffered all those temptations. And by the way, we’ll talk about this in the sermon on the humanity of Christ, he was hungry like you and I are hungry. He got tired like you and I get tired. He had all those things like a human being because he didn’t just have a human body. He was actually part of the human race.
So because of the virgin birth, Jesus had no sin nature. But also, because of the virgin birth, Jesus was able to sin. He was tempted to sin but he never sinned. But he was in all points tempted like as we are. The major difference between you and I though, “yet without sin”. He was tempted to sin and he never sinned. So when we talk about the only begotten, the only begotten is a reference to the body of Jesus at the virgin birth. No one else was ever born without the blood of Adam. You and I all have Adam’s blood running through our veins. Jesus was the only begotten. His blood came from the Father in heaven whose blood came from heaven. Does that make sense?
Now let me give you the third stage to this thing. Because remember, the second member of the Godhead has always been the Son of God and the second member of the Godhead has always manifested himself as a man. However, there have been stages or changes to that man. In the Old Testament, it was what I call the non-begotten stage. That’s Jesus in the Old Testament. But there’s no bloodline. “without father, without mother”. And there’s actually no blood and that’s why there’s no bloodline. Then you have the Son of God as a man after the virgin birth. That’s the only begotten. That’s Jesus who was born of a virgin. And because he was born of a virgin, he had the temptations to sin because he was part of the human race. But because of the virgin birth, he bypassed Adam’s sinful nature passed down to all mankind. So, he had no sin nature. Jesus had no sin nature. But like Adam, he could have sinned but he didn’t. He refused to sin. He was tempted in all points like we are, yes without sin.
Now let me give you the third phase. This is the Son of God as a man after the resurrection. And if you notice, with each phase, nothing changes as far as him being the Son of God. What changes is his body. In the Old Testament, no parents, no bloodline, no blood. In the New Testament, bloodline, blood, no sin nature because he’s born of the virgin. However, he’s able, he has the temptation to sin. Then we have the Son of God after the resurrection. This is called the first begotten. Now at the resurrection, there was a new day when Jesus was begotten with this new body. Let me show it to you.
Acts 13:33 “33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children,”. Notice “in that he hath raised up Jesus again;”. Again, this is referring to the resurrection. “as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”. What day is he referring to? He’s not referring to the virgin birth. He’s referring to the day that Jesus resurrected from the grave. He says “he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”. Why you say? Why is that? Here’s why. Because at the resurrection of Christ, there was a change to the body of Christ. So he was begotten again. A different begotten. Not in reference to him as the Son but in reference to his body.
Hebrews 1:3 “3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:”. That is after the resurrection. He’s already died. “he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:”. He ascends up to heaven. This is after the resurrection. “4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?”. Quoting Psalm 2.
Hebrews 1:6. “6 And again, when he bringeth in the”. Notice these words “firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”. Now verse 6 is not referring to the virgin birth. It’s not referring to Abraham or to Bethlehem’s manger. “6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”. He is referring to the resurrection of Christ. We saw that in Acts already. But we see it in the context here because the context is “when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:”. And notice, it is after the resurrection. At the virgin birth he’s called the only begotten. After the resurrection he’s called the first begotten. We see this theme throughout the Bible.
Revelation 1:5 “5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness,”. Notice these words “and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”. This is a reference to after the resurrection. He’s the first begotten of the dead. He’d already died. He resurrected. Now he’s not just the only begotten but the first begotten. Go to Romans 8:29.
Why is he the first begotten? Because we’re in a different phase now. See, the only begotten, there’s no contradiction here. No one will be born of a virgin like Jesus Christ. He was the only begotten and he’ll always be the only begotten in that sense. He’s the only one that was born physically without the blood of Adam. But then after the resurrection, he’s resurrected in his glorified body, now he’s not called the only begotten, he’s called the first begotten. And this theme about him being the first is throughout the Bible.
Romans 8:29 “29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be”. Notice “the firstborn among many brethren.”. See, Jesus, after the resurrection, he was the firstborn among many brethren. You say what’s the context? Well, the context is this; that he predestinated you to be conformed to the image of his Son. He’s saying God wants all of us, you and I, to be conformed to the image of his Son because Jesus was the firstborn among many brethren.
Verse 30. “30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”. You see how the context is about Jesus and his glorified body. He says Jesus, in the glorified body, is not the only begotten, he’s the first begotten.
Go to 1st Corinthians 15, the resurrection Chapter. Notice this is within the context of the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:20 “20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”. Look at verse 23. “23 But every man in his own order:”. What is the order of the resurrection of Christ? “Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”. You say, why is he called the first begotten after the resurrection? Here’s why. Because Jesus, the virgin born Son of Mary, was the only begotten. No one will ever be born that way. No one will ever have a body that way. But Jesus the resurrected, glorified body, he’s just the first begotten. Because all of us are going to receive that same glorified body. He’s just the first begotten of the dead. But there’s more to come. That’s why he says “23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.”. This is talking about the rapture. We’re going to be raptured up and we’re going to be in our glorified bodies and Jesus is just the prototype. He’s the first one.
But notice the word begotten is not in reference to him being the Son. He’s always the Son. He’s always been the Son. The word begotten is in reference to his body. In the Old Testament, we had a non-begotten. “without father, without mother”. In the New Testament, with the virgin birth, we had an only begotten. The only one that was born without the blood of Adam. But then after the resurrection, we have a first begotten. Why? Because he’s resurrected in a glorified body and there’s more to come such as you and I and all that are saved at the rapture.
Let me just show you a few more things and we’ll finish up. Colossians 1:14 “14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:”. See, people like to take this verse and say “Oh, that’s a reference to the fact that Jesus was created.”. But if you look at it in its context of scripture, “the firstborn of every creature” is a reference to his glorified body. He wasn’t the first one created but he was the first one who resurrected in a glorified body.
Go to Colossians 1:18. “18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”. Go to 1st John 3. He’s the first begotten in the sense that we’re all going to get the same glorified body. He’s the only begotten because he’s the only one that was born in the way in which he was born physically as a human. But even before that since he’s always been the Son of God. He appeared as a man in a non-begotten phase. So you say well why is he the first begotten? And I’ve already made this point but because one day you and I are going to be begotten in the same way.
1 John 3:1. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”. See, when Jesus comes back at the rapture, when we see him, the Bible says this, corruption will put on incorruption. This mortal will put on immortality. We’ll be given a glorified body like him. We shall see him and we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.
So there is no contradiction. He’s the first begotten because he was the first one to get that glorified body that all of us are going to get. He’s the only begotten because he’s the only one that was born with human blood not from Adam, bypassing Adam’s sinful nature. And before that he was the non-begotten because Melchizedek we’re told was without father, without mother, have neither beginning of days nor end of life. But here’s the point. The second member of the Godhead, he’s always been the Son of God. And the second member of the Godhead has always manifested himself as a man.
Let’s pray.