His Only Begotten…
“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
Do you ever miss the simplicity of the way things once were? Things like ’57 Chevys or dirt roads. Maybe the simplicity of homemade ice cream. Speaking of which – have you checked the grocery stores for ice cream lately? You might be surprised to check out the labeling in the frozen food section. Finding real ice cream is more difficult than finding hen’s teeth. Just the other day I dipped my spoon into something from our freezer, which I assumed was ice cream. After all, it was labeled “Rocky Road.” As I took note of the ingredients, I noticed the first ingredient was – are you ready for this! Butter milk. I don’t know how much you are aware, but butter milk is cream with all the sweet butter removed.
Sometimes in theological circles, those deep thinkers think so deeply that they throw out the cream of the Gospel and replace it with something less appetizing. It was the Apostle Paul who said, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (I Corinthians 13.1) He added: “Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.” (I Corinthians 14.19)
I have sometimes listened to preachers who bloviated to the point of incoherence using terms that sound like he has been educated, yet accomplishing nothing because of an intellectual language barrier.
When Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, and, as translated by the King James translators, Jesus introduced Nicodemus to the “God-Man.” It seems obvious that Jesus wanted to stress the fact that He was the Son of God – born of the Father and Mary – yet, some modern translators seem unhappy with the phrase “only begotten.” While it is true that Jesus was the “unique” Son of God – there is no explanation as to what made Him unique. Of course the seeker could scour the rest of the Bible and come up with the answer; however, should all he has of the Scriptures is the “Gospel in a nutshell” (John 3.16) he might become discouraged with the process.
In a sense, it is also true that Jesus is the one and only Son of God. However, if that is the complete thought, one might surmise that since He is the one and only, there can be no other, so the seeker would be devoid of hope.
Those who have been saved for some time and have been well introduced to Jesus as the Son of God understand the significance of the virgin birth; however, the seeker needs not to be confused or misdirected. J. Vernon McGee often said that we should put the cookies on the bottom shelf so the little ones can reach them.
Should you find yourself in theological circles of the learned, enjoy your discussions – bloviate to your heart’s content. As for me, make it simple – keep the cream in the ice cream and use simple language that speaks specifically of our Savior. Jesus is uniquely the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. (John 1.14)
The Truth has never been explained any simpler than when Jesus explained it to Nicodemus.
Copyright © 2023 Dr. John H. Hill, All rights reserved.
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