Brief Thoughts on the Eternal Sonship
of Christ.
"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."—John 1:14.
_______
The word "dwelt" here, in the original, is literally
"tabernacled" (ἐσκήνωσεν), alluding
to the Tabernacle of old, when God dwelt among His people on the earth.
So Christ in due time when He became flesh (the antitype of the tabernacle)
dwelt among His own. But the great difference between the two
dispensations is that: In the Old, God's glory was veiled, and man could
not enter in to behold the glory of God. But whereas in the New, the
glory of God has been unveiled in the Person of the Son of God "No man
hath seen God at any time; the Only Begotten Son, Which is in the bosom of the
Father, He hath declared Him." (v18.)
He tabernacled among men, albeit the world in
darkness (its true moral state) could not comprehend the Light shining amidst
(v5), but His own the apostles beheld His glory, and what they saw was
that—"..the glory as of the Only Begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth."
Observe here, that when the apostles declare: "we beheld His
glory" &c.—They do not mean that they merely
saw the glory of Christ with a natural sight, but it was more than this.
It is here contemplating the hidden glory of Jesus Christ the Son of God by
spiritual sight. What the apostles saw was—the divine and eternal glory,
the personal and essential glory of Jesus Christ "as of the Only Begotten
of the Father"—this they have contemplated (cf. I John 1:1); and moreover,
we may observe that it was not just for a moment or on some special occasions,
but their contemplation of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ was continuous, for
"beheld" (or, contemplated, Gk) here intimates constant gazing with a
fixed eye, their heart, mind and soul being in deep contemplation of that great
mystery—"God was manifest in the Flesh" (see I Tim.
3:16). So also in I John 1, the same apostle once again takes us
back to: "That Which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon (contemplated, Gk.)"
&c.
Now, concerning the nature of the Sonship of Christ,
it should be observed that the Lord's own testimony in John 3:16*,
unequivocally reveals His Sonship as both divine and
eternal:—"For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten
Son," &c. The name "Only
Begotten Son"—is most singular, and it is applied to the Lord Jesus Christ
alone in the Holy Scripture. The Name
"Only Begotten Son" speaks of Christ's "sole, absolute
relationship with the Father." (Darby).
Hence, when we consider this incommunicable glory of Jesus Christ, it
must exclude not only the angels who are "the sons of God" by
creation (Job 1:6; 38:7; Heb. 1), but even His fellows—the sons of God by
adoption (Heb. 1, 2:10; Eph. 1 &c). Wherefore, we should assert
and maintain what the Scriptures declare in opposition to all the contrary
opinions of men, that the glory of "the Only
Begotten of the Father" belongs to Jesus Christ alone. This is
not a derived glory; nay, it is His essential, eternal, divine, natural,
personal glory. But the moment we consider Him in the glory as of
"the Firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29) —we are then seen
associated with the Son of God.
[*The
Scriptures present to us too numerous references plainly declaring and
asserting the Deity and eternal Sonship of
Christ. For instance, the reader may
refer to the divine and infallible declarations and assertions concerning the
eternal Sonship of Christ, His eternal Deity, His
incarnation, His perfect Humanity, His preeminence over all things as both the
Creator and Redeemer in John 1 alone; and not to speak of like declarations
revealing the everlasting glories, excellencies and perfections of Jesus Christ
the Son of God in Col. 1, Heb. 1, I John 1 &c. The Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation
bear a uniform and consistent testimony concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. However, it is the N.T that presents Him in
the full glory of God; first in His eternal glory with the Father (John 1
etc.), and then in His dealings with men in the OT, and afterwards in His
incarnation, humiliation, and present exaltation and ministry (Phil. 2 etc.),
and finally in His manifestation (unveiling of the glory of Christ) at His
second advent (Rev 1 etc) and beyond (Rev. 21).
Thus the glory of Christ is seen from eternity to eternity. He is "Alpha and Omega, the Beginning
and the Ending," (Rev. 1.)]
Furthermore, as to the expression "the Only Begotten of the Father,"
in John 1:14 (KJV), the Greek word "monogenes" is literally
"Only Begotten," which is true only of the Lord Jesus Christ, for He alone
is the Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 3:16 etc.). But many modern translations have for
"Only Begotten" substituted weaker and incorrect expressions such as
"one and only Son" (NIV, NLT, BSB etc.), or as some have used
"only Son" (ESV). This is a very serious
error; for it does not give the true meaning of the inspired Greek. No, "the glory as of the Only Begotten
of the Father" belongs to Jesus Christ alone Who ever dwells in the bosom
of the Father (v18). And the character
of this eternal and pre-incarnate glory, observe, was "full of grace and
truth" which was manifested in the Person of the Son of God when He became
flesh (cf. I John 1:2). "For the
law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
v17. To again remark, this personal,
essential glory of Christ is both divine and eternal. "Thou art My Son" (Heb. 1) —the testimony of the Father is timeless, because
Christ is the eternal Son of the eternal Father, which was confirmed by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (Romans 1:4).
Therefore, we should assert that which the Scripture reveals
concerning His divine and eternal Sonship, which is
true not only in His incarnation, and in resurrection, but even "from
everlasting, from the beginning" (Proverbs 8; 31; John 1; Heb. 1 &c.).
So, therefore, when the apostle John speaks about the doctrine of
Christ, and heresies regarding it, he must mean to defend anything contrary to
that what he has testified in the Gospel and his Epistles. Thus in John 20:31, he declares: "But these are written, that ye might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might
have life through His Name."
Likewise in the epistles, he plainly makes it known that we should
believe on the Son of God to have eternal life:
"And this is His commandment, That
we should believe on the Name of His Son Jesus Christ," &c. (I John
3:23.)
"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." (I John 4:15.)
"Who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" (I John 5:5.)
"..for this is the witness of God
which He hath testified of His Son. He
that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth
not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave
of His Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this
life is in His Son." (5:9-11.)
"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life." (5:12.)
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the
Name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye
may believe on the Name of the Son of God." (5:13.)
It should be observed that in the Gospel of John and his Epistles,
the reference to the "Only Begotten Son" (John 1:14,18; 3:16; I John
4:9 &c.) is used to intimate His eternal Deity and eternal Sonship, His distinct Person, and His sole and absolute
relationship and communion with the Father from all eternity. This therefore exposes the subtle deception
of those who claim to firmly believe in the Deity of Christ for their
salvation, and yet at the same time deny His eternal Sonship. But this is denying the Lord Jesus Christ—His
eternal glory. Against such, the apostle
warns us in his Second Epistle:
v9 "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not
God." But as for the true believers
in Christ, he adds the following: "He that abideth
in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son."
And in I John 2, he says: "..He is antichrist, that denieth the
Father and the Son." (v22b.)
"Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath
not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth
the Son hath the Father also." (23). Here again, observe what it means to
continue in the Son, and in the Father: "Let that therefore abide in you,
which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you,
ye also shall continue in the Son, an in the Father." (v24.)
"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us
an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is
true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This
is the true God, and eternal life." (5:20.)
Therefore,
all false views touching the Person of Christ must be utterly rejected by all
those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.
Now there are also others, who while claiming to believe in the
eternal Sonship of Christ, yet show mild temperament
toward those who deny it, and in many cases continue to maintain open or secret
contact with them; because they seem to think that these apostates because of
their mere profession of faith in Christ, they are truly saved, notwithstanding
their bold assertions denying the solemn truth concerning the eternal Sonship of Christ.
Hence, against this evil, the apostle John solemnly warns us:
"If
there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your
house, neither bid him God speed: For he
that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil
deeds." v10.11.
In
light of the above warnings, let us also recall what the writer of Hebrews says:
"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we
have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" &c. (Heb.
2:1-3.) Thus, the secret to abiding in
the doctrine of Christ is hold fast those things which
we have heard from the beginning.
"Let
that therefore abide in you, which ye heave heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning
shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the
Father." (I John 2:24.)
The
Lord's own words to
In closing our brief meditation upon this so glorious and incomprehensible
theme, let us again remark but with greatest interest and wonder: The
glory of Jesus Christ, which the apostles beheld—"the glory as of the Only
Begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."—where was this
displayed? It was when "the Word was made (became) Flesh, and dwelt
among us,”—at this most momentous epoch, in His incarnation, in His suffering
humanity (Phil. 2), this eternal glory of the Son of God was displayed to His
own. (cf. I John 1:1-2.)
Again to remark, that this great pre-incarnate and eternal glory of
our Lord was seen when "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,"
that is, in the incarnate Christ dwelling among men on the earth. But now, on the ground of accomplished
redemption, the saints from this side of the resurrection too can look above
and by faith still "see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels
for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour;"
(Heb. 2.) And in beholding Christ,
"..we all, with open face
beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord." (II Cor. 3:18.)
Luc.
Oct.
21, 2016.