Monogenes –the Revelatory Word of our Saviour

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of  the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.  Matt. 17:5

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. John 3:16

All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Matt. 11:27

We are told in these precious portions of Scripture that the Lord Jesus was God’s “beloved” and “only begotten” Son. As such, the Father gives the disciples a command to “hear ye him.”  This is the heartfelt desire of the Heavenly Father to his children. The Father has many sons (Jn. 1:12), but only one “Only Begotten” Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. As such, the Son is the only one who can reveal the true nature, character and purpose of the Father. None other can show forth the Father, for He alone is in the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15). He alone exists in the form of God (Phil. 2:6). He alone is the radiance of his glory (Heb. 1:3). And He alone is the exact representation of His Person (Heb. 1:3).

God the Father desires that we listen to the Son, for only by listening to the Son can the believer come to a full knowledge of who God is according to His nature. When a believer ignores something that the Lord Jesus says, he is restricting his own growth in the knowledge of God. And when a believer nullifies or alters the words of Jesus, he not only restricts his growth in the knowledge of God, he is also stultifying his own growth into Christian maturity. Why is this so? Because Peter tells us that the grace we need for spiritual growth is intimately tied to our knowledge of God Himself (II Pet. 1:2).  It is as we grow in our knowledge of our God that His grace is multiplied to us, and it is only by such a multiplication of grace that a Christian can grow into full maturity (II Pet. 3:18; Acts 20:32; cf. Lu. 2:40).

            Consequently, it is very important to listen carefully to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially when He tells us that He is the “Only Begotten” Son of God (Jn. 3:16). These are revelatory words. Only He can give us those words of eternal life that leads to a full knowledge of God (Jn. 6:68; 17:3). Moreover, how important it is to accept them in their plain and normal sense. Only when one understands the words He gives to us, is one able to grow in life, for light and life are always closely linked together (Prov. 16:15; Jn. 1:4; 8:12).  This is an important principle.  Our spiritual well-being is at stake. One will never lose his salvation from such willful ignorance of the words of our Lord, but one will certainly hinder his spiritual growth by such willful ignorance. When we understand this spiritual principle, we can understand why it is so important to contend for the Faith in these last days when some are departing from the Faith. 

Scripture warns us that in the last days some Christians will depart from the Faith, and one of the biggest departures from the Historic Christian Faith is being caused by a small group of modern Christian teachers who are altering this important revelatory word of Jesus regarding his relationship to God the Father.  They are telling Christians, (in books and in new translations of Scripture), that “monogenes” (Only Begotten) was misunderstood by the Greek speaking population of the early Church. They are saying that Christian ministers of the first three centuries of the Church did not understand their own mother tongue, and as such, misled generation after generation of Christians for almost 1900 years regarding this important aspect of the Faith.

What audacity! What they are really claiming is that because they are now on the scene, the “true” Faith is being clarified because they have deciphered the true meaning of “monogenes.” Men, who for the most part, have English for their mother tongue are now telling us that men, whose mother tongue was Greek, did not understand their own language. Christian teachers of long ago, who grew up speaking the Greek language, who learned Greek from the time they were little children, are accused of misunderstanding their own native language.  They are saying that for almost two thousand years the true faith was withheld from the Church and that the Holy Spirit had to wait for the modern teachers to be born in order to reveal to Christians the “true” Faith.  What pride!

For almost two thousand years, they are saying, the Church was teaching error regarding the revelatory word “monogenes,” and for two thousand years the Church did not correctly understand the true Faith! What they are really saying is that there have been no godly ministers for the last 1900 years to correctly teach the Church the truth about the Faith, but now that they are here, they can do so.

Dear brethren, this is none other than deception. Such Neo-Trinitarians are departing from the Faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. There is overwhelming historical and linguistic evidence that “monogenes” was used by the apostle John, indeed, by our Lord Himself, to mean “only begotten” or “only born.” They claim otherwise, but the evidence contradicts their assertion.

Nevertheless, they continue to alter the historic definition of “monogenes,” knowing that if they successfully obscure the true meaning of this word they will be successful in obscuring the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son from the Father. (Or, perhaps, they are doing it unknowingly because they have departed from the Faith).

I am afraid the real reason behind this attempt by modern teachers to alter the true meaning of this word is because they have already altered the definition of the Historic Christian Faith in their own minds from an orthodox viewpoint to a heterodox viewpoint.

Many of the modern teachers (Neo-Trinitarians) do not believe, (as the Nicene Creed affirms), that our Lord was begotten of the Father before all time.  Perhaps, they think if they can convince Christians of this new definition, and the error of the old definition, they can complete their transformation of the Historic Christian Faith into a faith of their own making.

As such, many think it is enough to say in their Statements of Faith regarding the Trinity, “We believe in one God eternally existing in Three Persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” This is a sufficient affirmation of orthodoxy in their estimation.

Dear brethren, such a statement is a dilution of the Historic Christian Faith. It is robbing Christians of important truths as to the eternal relationships of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. It is ignoring the words of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who told us He was the “Only Begotten” of the Father.

Compare this new, generic, one sentence statement that many ministries and churches are now utilizing, to the Statements of Faith regarding the Trinity that were utilized by most Christians for almost two thousand years and you will see for yourself what is being altered or left out. You will see what doctrine is being nullified by the Neo-Trinitarians who are trying to alter the meaning of “monogenes.”

The Common Statement of Faith used Today –

“We believe in one God eternally existing in Three Persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,”

The Statements of Faith of Yesterday –

The Nicene Creed

            “We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all things, visible and invisible, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God, Begotten of  His Father before all time, Light of  Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from the heavens, and was made flesh of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and became Man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate and suffered and was buried, and rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures, and ascended unto the heavens and sitteth on the right hand of the Father, and cometh again with glory to judge the living and the dead, of whose kingdom there shall be no end: and in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and the Life-giver, that proceeded from the Father, who with Father and Son is worshipped together.”^[1]

The Helvetica Confession

“We believe and teach that the one God, without separation or confusion, is distinguished in the Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; so that the Father from eternity hath begotten the Son; the Son is begotten by an ineffable generation, the Holy Spirit proceeding from both.” [2]

The Gallic Confession

“The Holy Scripture teaches us that in this singular and simple Divine essence there subsist three Persons, the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit; the Father being, in order, the first cause and origin of all things, the Son begotten from eternity of the Father, the Holy Spirit from eternity proceeding from the Father and the Son; which three Persons are not confused, but distinct; not separated, but co-essential, co-eternal, and co-equal.”[3]

The Thirty Nine Articles of the Church of England

“There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.  The Son, which is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlasting of the Father, the very and eternal God, and of one substance with the Father, took Man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance: so that two whole and perfect Natures, that is to say, the Godhead and Manhood, were joined together in one Person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God, and very Man; who truly suffered, was crucified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men. As Christ died for us, and was buried, so also is it to be believed, that he went down into Hell. Christ did truly rise again from death, and took again his body, with flesh, bones, and all things appertaining to the perfection of Man's nature; wherewith he ascended into Heaven, and there sitteth, until he return to judge all Men at the last day.
The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God.”[4]

The Confession of the Church of Scotland 

“In the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons. Of one substance, power, and eternity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.”[5]

The Westminster Confession of Faith

“In the unity of the Godhead there be Three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.^[6]

The Philadelphia Confession of Faith

            “In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, (I John v.7; Matt. xxviii, 19; II Cor. X111. 14) the Father, the Word (or Son), and the Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each have the whole divine essence, yet the (Exod. iii. 14; John xiv. 11; I Cor. vii. 6) essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is (John I. 14,18) eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit (John xv. 26; Gal. Iv. 6) proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore, but one God.”^[7]

Dear reader, you can see for yourself what is being left out in most Statements of Faith today. What you see above is the Historic Christian Faith. It has always been affirmed as such. It has included the important doctrine of the Only Begotten because our Lord and the apostles revealed this truth to be part of the Faith. Now it is gone! It has disappeared from most Statements of Faith! The Faith has been transformed before your very eyes because Christians have been convinced that the doctrine of eternal generation is not biblical or, at least, not very important. However, two thousand years of Christian witness contradict such an assertion. Godly ministers generation after generation, century after century, and, indeed, millennium after millennium have declared otherwise. It is a biblical doctrine and is very important and has always been an integral part of the Christian Faith.

Now I know many of the modern teachers are true Christians. They love the Lord. I am sure they are very affable. Indeed, they more than likely wax eloquent on other doctrines and have been a great help to many Christians.  I’m sure they are beloved by their students and by those in their churches. As such, I am sure they will be defended by such, because love produces loyalty and commitment. However, we must remember our loyalty must be first to the Lord and to His revelation. Why? Because love does, indeed, produce loyalty and commitment, and if the Lord Jesus is to be our first love, our loyalty and commitment must be first to Him.

“If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26

“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.” Rev. 2:4

In other words, we must be first faithful to Him and to the Faith that was delivered to the Church.  We must put our respect for the Lord and His Faith before any respect we might have for our Christian leaders and teachers.

It is never pleasant to confront error. In fact, it is very difficult. No one loves contention, but we must realize the Church is under an obligation from the Scripture to remain faithful to the Lord as our first love and to “earnestly contend for the Faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 1:3).

Remember the warning of the Holy Spirit.  In the last day’s men would depart from the Faith. This is the time when such contending is necessary. However, may we pray to the Lord that it ever be done with humility, forbearance, and most importantly with love, so that those who are in error may realize their mistake and realize that human pride is fleeting and guarded reputations are futile.  May they repent of their departure.

Beloved, the Faith was already been handed down to the Church. She has affirmed it for going on two thousand years. It has never been lost. It does not need to be rediscovered.

I do not make this judgment alone. I make it as one of many who have always held to and confessed this precious doctrine of the Church down through the ages. I affirm it as one of untold millions of Christians who have always confessed this Faith. I take my stand with them. I declare no new doctrine. I have not rediscovered some new truth. I speak with those who have gone on before me. My authority is the Word of God. My witness is the witness of tens of thousands of Christians in every generation of the history of the Church. Our confirmation is the witness of the apostles, and their confirmation is He who was from the beginning, the One who they heard, the One who they beheld, and the One who they handled with their very hands – the Word of life – the precious Lord Jesus Christ (I Jn. 1:1) – the One who revealed to them that He was the “Only Begotten” Son of God.

As for me, I will follow the teaching of the apostles and the witness of Christians for the past twenty centuries, not the teaching of Neo-Trinitarians who have departed from the Faith.

May we remember the Word of God when He says, “This is my beloved Son, hear ye him!” And in our remembering, may we also obey His admonition, especially when He reveals to us that He is the Only Begotten “Son” of God, bespeaking His special, unique and eternal begetting from God the Father. He is the Son, begotten of the Father before all time!

May we once more affirm this precious aspect of the Historic Christian Faith that has been with us since the beginning of the Church. Amen

B.P.H.