linda bass Posted December 13, 2014 Report Share Posted December 13, 2014 What it means that Jesus is the "only God" or the "only Begotten God" is, that Jesus is fully divine, He is the Alpha and the Omega, He is eternal. What all this means for our understanding of the Trinity is, one God with three distinct personalities- God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deaconcarl Posted January 3, 2015 Report Share Posted January 3, 2015 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God”? God the Father and God the Son are one in the same, but are separate and distinct at the same time. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? I think so - as he says that Jesus comes from the Father. That no one comes to the Father except through me. What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? As the Father and Jesus are one, so are the Holy Spirit, Father and Son one, yet three separate entities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoanG Posted February 12, 2015 Report Share Posted February 12, 2015 To me, I feel that Jesus is divine. He is most powerful except for God Himself. He is the great I AM. There is a distinction of the Father and Son. Yet there is an inclusiveness of them that can not be denied or truly explained. Jesus came from the Father but He is one with the Father. Each part of the Trinity is a separate entity and yet there is a connection between them that makes them one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John6:68-69 Posted March 14, 2015 Report Share Posted March 14, 2015 That Jesus is fully God, They are one, When He became flesh He is the Only Begotten God. John does make a distinction by stating "Who is at the Father's side" but then he also says "but God the One and Only" Jesus revealed God to us, He is God in the flesh. The Trinity is one yet three. The Trinity is God. In three forms{per say} God The Father, God The Son, God The Holy Spirit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
launahowell Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? He is the true God and Jesus is the only son of God. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? He only makes a distinction to show us God's roles in 3 different persons. What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? God is the Father ( the one who created all things) , God is Jesus (the one who died for us and rose again), God is the Holy Spirit( the one who indwells believers) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe_Applegarth Posted April 10, 2015 Report Share Posted April 10, 2015 1) The first question is hard to formulate an answer to but I tend to look at it from this point; a “begotten” son of a human being is obviously another human being. Taken in that context, a “begotten” son of God therefore, would in-fact be God. Jesus is God by his very nature. God, is eternal, He wasn't created, He is the alpha and the omega. That being true, Jesus himself should also be eternal and He is, so He also takes on the very nature of God. 2) Yes, John does make distinctions he asserts that Jesus is unique, one-of-a-kind, He is the Monogenēs, the One-of-a Kind, eternal Son of God. Jesus, like God has existed forever and is God in every way except that He became human. Jesus, like His Father is eternal and perfect, but he became human so that he could enter into our world to be crucified for the salvation of all mankind. 3) Here’s another tough answer but the answer has to be that there clearly is only one God. The three “entities” of the trinity are all God but they are individual entities of God. Any action taken by any member of the trinity is the action of God Himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
van Posted April 11, 2015 Report Share Posted April 11, 2015 The Trinity God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is one God. Your can't separate them because there is only God. In Genesis God said let US make man that the Godhead and they are GOD. God is three in one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storybell Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Does theApostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Jesus is the only begotten Son of God, therefore, He is a god, a begotten god. John 1:14-18 The Word Made Flesh (NASB) 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” 16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. God has always been, God was not begotten. Jesus is a god because He is the only true God's Son. Jesus was begotten of God. Therefore, Jesus is the "only begotten God". John is not saying that Jesus is the only God - as in "our one and only true God"-. He is saying Jesus is "the only begotten God". Jesus is fully god. Jesus is the only begotten God from God our Father. This is saying Jesus, the only begotten God is in the bosom of the Father who is our God - the being whose name is "God." There are many "gods". The Bible talks about other gods. However, God is the one and only true god who we worship. John 17 (ESV) The High Priestly Prayer 1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son that the Son may glorify You, 2 since You have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed. If Jesus was God the Father, Jesus would not need God to give these authorities and works to him. John 10 I and the Father Are One 22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” (As a husband and wife are one -- these are relationships.) 31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands. "the Father is in me and I am in the Father" shows a relationship or expression, not an equality. Jude vs 24, 25 (NIV) This is a Prayer 24 To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy---to the only God our Savior (God is our foremost Savior, stated throughout the Old Testament) be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord (we can only pray or talk to the Father through Jesus Christ, our Lord), before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. I don't think John is praying to Jesus through Jesus. The "only God our Savior" must be referring to God the Father. He is referred as "our Savior" many, many times in the Old Testament. So John is not saying that Jesus is "the only God". Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? Jesus says over and over and over again He is not God. Jesus does say He is in God and God is in Him, therefore, they are one. This is designating a relationship between the two. Just as a husband and wife are one is a relationship. John tells us over and over again that Jesus is the Son of God, not God. John says Jesus says He is the Son of God, not God many many times. John and Jesus both distinguishes the difference between them. What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? God the Father is separate. He is the only one true God. God created everything (including time with the universe) through Jesus (the Son) and for Jesus (the Son). God the Son is separate. God has given Jesus all the authority and power he has acquired. He is the expression (see definition below) of God the Father, not God the Father. The Holy Spirit is separate. None of them are equal. God the Father is the highest authority. God the Father has given us Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Expression is the act or process of describing in lifelike imagery: delineation, depiction, description, portrayal, representation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dejordan Posted June 18, 2015 Report Share Posted June 18, 2015 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God”? Jesus in the flesh was generated "begotten" of God, not created being because He was always Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? yes What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? three as one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trishrambin Posted June 21, 2015 Report Share Posted June 21, 2015 God has always been. Jesus is God in the flesh. Yes John does make a distinction between who God and Jesus are. Three but one. The way I learned about the Trinity was this---- Take an apple--- you have the core with the seeds. .the meaty fleshy part and the peel...three parts but its still an apple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngunanpk Posted November 5, 2015 Report Share Posted November 5, 2015 Yes, john did made them both distinctive based on roles played yet, they are one and the same God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionwolf Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? These terms are used to show the relationship between God and Jesus. God and Jesus are both God but are two different persons of the trinity. The word "begotten" is used to show the unique relationship of Jesus to God the Father, the only one to come forth. The Apostle John makes a distinction between God and Jesus. John makes the claim that Jesus became flesh in order to explain God in ways man could understand. The concept of the trinity is strengthened by John's discourse. He explains very distinctly how Jesus is eternal with the Father yet subservient, how Jesus is separate yet one with the Father. John has one of the clearest explanations of Jesus divinity but one of the most complex explanations. Understanding John goes a long way toward understanding God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celtic Wanderer Posted March 15, 2017 Report Share Posted March 15, 2017 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. He is a unique, one of a kind, God-man. He was begotten as a human man by God the Father. He took on flesh as His earthly tent. He was at one and same time God and man. Through the incarnation He has made God known to us. This is an astounding thing that we can only marvel at. God that Father are distinguishable but they are also inseparable. The Trinity, or Godhead, is unaffected by this. I like the Nicene Creed’s succinct statement. "We believe ... in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten[27] Son of God, begotten[28] of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made...." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Jerry Posted April 5, 2018 Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 The meaning of Jesus being the “Only God’ or the “Only Begotten God” is that he was fully God and he is fully man. John does seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son. The meaning for our understanding the Trinity is that there are three beings in one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celtic Wanderer Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 On 8/8/2014 at 6:24 AM, Pastor Ralph said: Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God”? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? Jesus is the unique, one of a kind, only begotten, Son of God. In this prologue to the Gospel of John we learn of: · Jesus as the Word - God’s unique expression and communication – we are told that He was with God in the beginning and that He was God · Before anything existed -He was there with God · All things were made through Him – He is co-creator with God · In Him was life · He is the True Light · If we receive and believe, by inviting Him into our lives and trusting Him exclusively, we are given the right to become children of God! · He took on human flesh and dwelt among us. · He revealed His glory to mankind as God’s only Son being full of grace and truth. · No one has ever seen God (He is invisible to human eyes) but the Only God who is at the Father’s side He has made God known to us. Armed with this extraordinary array of power-filled revelation we can deduce that Jesus who is called God’s only begotten Son, is one and the same with God and yet He is also unique and distinguishable as the Son. Jesus said “I and the Father are one”. We would never have come to this conclusion by human reasoning! It is amazing! Jesus also told us that He and the Father would make their home in us - ( through the indwelling Holy Spirit). John 17:20-23 ESV "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, (21) that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (22) The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, (23) I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (This is the “Trinity” in operation.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate Murray Posted July 14, 2018 Report Share Posted July 14, 2018 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God”? Jesus is God. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? Yes Jesus is the Son of God, seated at the right hand of the Father. They are separate but one at the same time. What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? Jesus is not a lesser version of God, The Holy Spirit is not a lesser version of God. All three are God Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godswriter Posted December 5, 2018 Report Share Posted December 5, 2018 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? According to the Believer’s Commentary: The Lord Jesus is God’s only Begotten Son; He is God’s unique Son; there is no other son like Him. He always occupies a place of special nearness to God the Father. Even when He was here on Earth, Jesus was still in the bosom of the Father. He was one with God and equal with God. This blessed One has fully revealed to men what God is like. When men saw Jesus, they saw God. They heard God speak. They felt God’s love and tenderness. God’s thoughts and attitudes toward mankind had been fully declared by Christ. (MacDonald, W. 1995) Yes He does He declares that Jesus is God’s Son. It means that there is three distinct persons in three trinity not one person with names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosesam Posted June 1, 2019 Report Share Posted June 1, 2019 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God”? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? Jesus is God come in the flesh in order to make God perfectly clear to the world. No one has seen God in His glorious essence and in the brightness of His purity. It is Jesus who made God clear and knowable to us. In our limitation of being in the space time continuum, how much ever we reach out to God, it is an impossible feat for us. So He brought the supernatural into the natural. In Bible translations, we read the word Son or the Only Begotten Son, but the best manuscripts do not have the word “Son” but rather “God”. In essence, God reached out into our realm in order to make Himself real to us through Jesus. Apostle John does make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son. In the beginning itself John says, the Word was with God, which means the Word was distinct from God. Then he says the Word was God. This implies the divinity of the Word, i.e. Jesus. When he says the Word was “with God”, it actually means “face-to-face”. In Greek, it is pros ton theon. It means both the Father and the Jesus were intimately connected with each other. They were having a continuing intimacy in their relationship. All this means that they are not the same person, but they’re both God or in the Godhead. But they are separate and distinct from each other. Jesus, the living Word, is God in a body. Scripture tells us that God is one. At the same time, God is also three persons: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. They play different roles, yet they work in complete unity and harmony. They were all active in creation and in redemption of mankind. We may not fully comprehend trinity this side of heaven, for if God could be understood by our puny minds, then He is not transcendent enough to be God. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newwine50 Posted July 11, 2019 Report Share Posted July 11, 2019 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? It means that Jesus is God. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? Yes. He says that Jesus is at the Father's right hand, but he also says that Jesus is God. What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? It confirms it because there are three distinct Persons, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, but only one God. Jesus prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are one so that the world would come to know Him. This is a mystery that only the Holy Spirit can reveal to us. We can't understand it with our carnal minds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisema Ralitsoele Posted February 29, 2020 Report Share Posted February 29, 2020 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? That Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God” means that Jesus is the unique One who also, in His right, is God. Of the Holy Trinity, Jesus is the only One who left His Heavenly Splendor at the behest of God the Father to come and make God known to us sinners. Jesus is unique in that in Him, God the Father revealed His own nature and essential Being. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? Yes the Apostle John makes the distinction between God the Father and God the Son by referring to the Son as the Only God, Begotten of the Father, who is at the Father’s side. What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? It means "ONTOLOGICAL EQUALITY, BUT ECONOMIC SUBORDINATION," (I love this!) IN OTHER WORDS, "EQUAL IN BEING, BUT SUBORDINATE IN ROLE. That simply means that the Father and Son and Holy Spirit are equal in Person, but the Son and Holy Spirit are subordinate to the Father in role – they voluntarily submit to the Father’s Leadership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthedisciple Posted May 6, 2020 Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God”? He is unique and one of a kind. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? "who is Himself God" "is at the Fathers side" What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? not that I totally understand it or ever will, but, it is clear that all parts of the Trinity are clearly God, but, in each, there is distinctions from the others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lousand1 Posted August 27, 2020 Report Share Posted August 27, 2020 On 8/7/2014 at 2:24 PM, Pastor Ralph said: Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the “Only God” or the “Only Begotten God”? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? I remember this verse as saying the only begotten son, which to me means that Jesus is the only begotten of God. God and the Father are one,one and the same. There is so much we can't concieve with our intellect we have to read and believe with our spiritual eyes and undersanding At this point the Trinity is not complete. The Holy Spirit has not been given But Jesus says that the miracles he has done should testify of who He is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Edwards Posted June 18, 2021 Report Share Posted June 18, 2021 Our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father including the Holy Spirit --are of one essence or substance, ousia. Christ the Logos revealed or expounded what God the Father desired. Christ alone is the first to experience the fulness of God the Father in the fulness of the Holy Spirit (John 3:34;Acts 10:38; Isaiah 11:1-2; 61:1-2). In regards to the Holy Trinity, we are now beginning to understand a number of very important Greek words: ousia, hupostasis. One ousia but three hupostasis. Christ had the same homoousios as God the Father. Apostles Peter,James and John shared the same humanity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmela Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? Jesus Christ is God Himself. He is the Word, or as explained "the expression of God." He was there from the very beginning and part of the "Creation Team". There is no-one like Him. He laid aside His "glory" and put on human-likeness for a time. God the Father was still there in all His fullness (unique), not able to be seen by man. But Christ who had laid aside that God-part of Him and put on human flesh (as if putting on a garment so He could live among man and be seen by him) revealed or made Him (God the Father) known to man. John does make it very clear that God the Father and God the Son are one and yet they are distinctly different. Just so later the Holy Spirit is revealed as One with God the Father and God the Son, yet He is also uniquelly different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow12Seven Posted May 5, 2023 Report Share Posted May 5, 2023 Q5. (John 1:18) What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? What does it mean that Jesus is the "Only God" or the "Only Begotten God"? I don’t think we can ever with our finite, mortal minds fully understand the Trinity. It is wonderful to ponder, though, and it is beautiful to know that we will be learning and growing in our knowledge and understanding and therefore our awe and reverence of our LORD and Savior from now throughout eternity!!! The things that are clear from the Apostle John’s writing, though, are that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are divine; God is One in essence, and yet separate: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Eternal. Does the Apostle John seem to make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son? I believe that John does make a distinction between God the Father and God the Son, while he also refers to Jesus as God. Throughout John’s Gospel, the LORD Jesus prays to the Father God. (John 11:41, 12:28, 17:1,) He also speaks of the Holy Spirit Who comes from God. “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father--He will testify about Me.” (John 15:26) Jesus also teaches His disciples that the Father God is in Him (John 14:10, 11 & 20). And in Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, He prays and asks the Father that we believers would join the Father God and the LORD Jesus Christ, becoming one with each other as we become one with the Son Who Is one with the Father. (John 17:21-23) What does all this mean for our understanding of the Trinity? Though we cannot understand all about the Trinity right now in this earthly life, we can trust what our LORD Jesus, Who Is the Truth, has taught us by His words, His actions, and His prayers. We can follow Him, Who Is the Way, and His teaching on it (by praying to the Father and welcoming His Holy Spirit), and we can choose to experience an ever-closer relationship with our Father God through our LORD Jesus Christ (Who Is the Life) by His Holy Spirit - beginning at our Salvation, and continuing and becoming sweeter and sweeter as He Sanctifies us in this earthly life until that time we are Glorified and living with Him in Heaven! Thank You, Father God, for this precious, precious gift of Life in Your Son, the LORD Jesus Christ through Your Holy Spirit! Amen and Amen. I'd like to share a testimony about this question because I believe our Father orchestrated it, helping make connections so I can understand better and draw closer to our LORD (as Pastor Ralph prayed for us at the beginning of this lesson!), and maybe it will do the same for you! Last night while pondering this topic, it was beautifully addressed (if implicitly and indirectly) by Pastor Joe Fleener at Rolleston Baptist Church in New Zealand. The message was entitled "To Whom Do We Pray?" Here is a link in case you are interested https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rsyWK92_a4iq4TJIeG-eLt75jm9sAkVB/view Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.