Jesus Christ, the Word of God                                   John 1:1-18                                   (Continued)

4. THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD (John 1:14-18) (Continued)
10. The Only Begotten Son (John 1:18)
1. The Biblical use of “only begotten”
1. Once refers to Isaac (Hebrews 11:17)
2. Five times refers to Christ (John 1:14, 18; John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9)
3. Indicates a unique relationship
2. The different ways in which Jesus is the Son of God
1. He is the Son of God by merit of His eternal relationship with the Father (John 17:24).
1. Nature of the eternal Sonship of Christ. It shows the mysterious (not physical) nature of this relationship; it does not mean that Christ had a beginning or birth. As with Isaac (Hebrews 11:17; see Genesis 22:12), it refers to His special relationship more than to His origin.
2. Proofs of the eternal Sonship of Christ
1. He was God’s Son before He was born as a baby in the manger.
1. He was given (Isaiah 9:6; John 3:16).
2. He was sent (1 John 4:9).
2. He is “as of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14); the word as shows that this title deals with His relationship to the Father and not with His origin.
3. How could Christ be born more than once? If you are saved, you have been born twice.
4. How could Christ exist as the Son before He was born as the Son?
1. This can also be answered by referring to believers. If you are saved, you have been born two times, but you existed before either of those births.
2. In like manner, Christ was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). In this sense, He was slain before He was even born.
2. He is the Son of God by merit of His rule over all creation (Colossians 1:15; compare Revelation 3:14); in this, He is declared to be the firstborn of every creature as Israel is declared to be the firstborn of God (Exodus 4:22); it is simply an exalted position.
3. He is the Son of God by merit of the virgin birth (Luke 1:35).
4. He is the Son of God by merit of His resurrection from the dead (Psalm 2:7; Acts 13:33; Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5; Romans 1:3-4; Hebrews 5:5).
1. Psalm 2 is a kingdom psalm. It refers to the glorious reign of Christ. The context refers to His coming to power over all the earth. The begetting of Psalm 2:7 does not refer to His virgin birth in a manger. It refers to His exaltation on a high throne. It matches the victory of Colossians 2:15.
2. Acts 13:33 interprets the begetting as referring to the resurrection.
3. Christ is identified as the “firstborn from the dead” (Colossians 1:18) and the “first begotten of the dead” (Revelation 1:5). These verses refer to His resurrection.
4. In Romans 1:3-4, Christ is declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. That matches, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”
5. In Hebrews 5:5, the glorification of Christ is connected with the fulfillment of Psalm 2:7.

       John: the Forerunner of Christ                            John 1:19-51

1. DAY ONE: JOHN THE BAPTIST IDENTIFIES HIMSELF (John 1:19-28)
1. The Record of the Gospel of John
1. Use of the word record
1. Found 30 times in the entire Bible
2. Found 10 times in the Gospel of John; in 7 different verses
3. Also prominent in the other writings of John (1 John 5:7, 10, 11; 3 John 1:12; Revelation 1:2)
4. A record is an official notation of events, facts, etc.; usually refers to a written account as a permanent and authoritative description of the facts as they occurred.
2. The records of the Gospel of John
1. The record of John the Baptist (John 1:19, 32, 34)
2. The record of Jesus (John 8:13-14)
3. The record of the witnesses of the resurrection of Lazarus (John 12:17)
4. The record of John the Apostle (John 19:35; Revelation 1:2)