Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 3/24/2004

Question
What does it mean to belive that:

A. Jesus is the Christ?

B. The Son Of God?

C. The Only Begotten Son?

Answer
5547  Christos (khris-tos');
from 5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:
KJV-- Christ.

The Christ or Messiah has been predicted since Genesis 3:14,15.  Had the Jews accepted Jesus as their Christ or Messiah the Kingdom would have been established and neither you or I would be here.  He is the promised Savior.  

Jesus is the Second person of the Godhead.  God communicates His tr-unity or trinity in terms we understand.  While God is one, the three persons express themselves and their roles in the terms of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  We have a body, soul and spirit because we were made in the image of the triune God.  Thus Jesus is the son of God showing His subjection to the Father though they are equal.  The Holy Spirit exalts Jesus and does not speak of Himself though He is equal to the Father and the Son.  The Father sent the Son into the world to save the world by His sacrifice and when we are saved the Holy Spirit indwells the born again "sons of God" placing them in the Body of Christ and by that seal God becomes their Father.

Men are called the sons of God because He created them.  We are also adopted sons of God when we are saved and yet born again and thus born of God as well as adopted yet not of the same genes as Christ. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God because a divine seed was implanted into Mary's egg and thus Jesus was born in like manner of a man though He was God in the flesh. Thus He was begotten of God.  

3439  monogenes (mon-og-en-ace');
from 3441 and 1096; only-born, i.e. sole:
KJV-- only (begotten, child).

Notice how the Greek word could be broken up into mono genes or one genes.  Jesus, though in the flesh, was still God because He is of the same genes as the Father.  His DNA was divine.  The sin nature is transferred by the father so since the father of Jesus was God there was no sin nature imparted only divine nature.  Hence, He could not sin.  Since Jesus is the only son that God had in this way, He is His only begotten one.  The others are created, adopted and redeemed.

Did this help or is it clear as mud?

Blessings unto you as you study the written Word through the power of the Living Word!


STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD


  STUDY TOOLS

TITLE                                      PUBLISHER        

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words        Revell
Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary            Zondervan
Young's Analytical Concordance                  Eerdmans
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance                 Nelson
Theological Wordbook of the OT                  Moody
Wilson OT Word Studies                          Kregel
Lectures in Systematic Theology-Henry Thiessen  Eerdmans
Toward an Exegetical Theology-Walter Kaiser     Baker Book House


  SUGGESTED READINGS

TITLE                         AUTHOR        PUBLISHER       

Born Crucified                 L.E. Maxwell      Moody Press
Foxe's Book of Martyrs                           Spire Books
Principles of Spiritual Growth Miles Stanford    Back to the Bible
Grace Abounding to the Chief
of Sinners and The Holy War    John Bunyan       Baker Book House
God's Way Out Of Futility      Richard Halverson Zondervan
Mere Christianity              C. S. Lewis       MacMillen
Serious Call to a Devout and
Holy Life                      William Law       Baker Book House
David Brainerd's Personal Testimony              Baker Book House
Christian Counseling and
Occultism                      Kurt Koch         Kregel
Competent To Counsel           Jay Adams         Reformed Presby
None Of These Diseases         S.I. McMillen     Spire Books
Tongues In Biblical
Perspective                    Charles Smith     BMH Books
The Corinthian Catastrophe     George Gardiner   Kregel
The Seduction of Christianity  Dave Hunt         Harvest House
Beyond Seduction               Dave Hunt         Harvest House
Anything from Creation Life Publisher's PO Box 15666 San Diego, CA 92115
Also, www.answersingenesis.org

  Excellent Authors

Andrew Murray     A.W. Tozer      Horatius Bonar   Charles Finney
E.M. Bounds       Oswald Chambers J. Sidlow Baxter Richard Wurmbrand