Faith In God's Only Begotten Son

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: John 3; Lord's Day 13
Psalters: 376, 324, 3, 125
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
  1. The evidence.
    1. When Jesus' human nature was in earthly humility, then it hard to see that He was the Son of God.
    2. But it was and is necessary that He be known for who he really was and is (the Son of God)!
      1. John the Baptist did (John 1:34), as did Nathaniel (John 1:49), Peter (Matt. 16:16), and Thomas (John 20:28).
      2. John begins his narrative testifying of Jesus' deity (John 1:1-3,14,18; 3:16); as does his epistle (I John 5:5,20).
      3. Paul declared Jesus to be divine in Romans 9:5 and I Timothy 3:16.
      4. Jesus had divine attributes of eternity (Micah 5:2), omnipotence (Rev. 1:8), and omniscience (John 1:48-50; 21:17).
      5. And He did divine works: creating (John 1:3; Col. 1:16,17), forgiving (Luke 5:24), raising the dead (John 5:21); and He declaring Himself and the Father to be one (John 10:30).
  2. That Jesus is the Son of God is so important that we must insist on the language, "the only begotten Son of God."
    1. If Jesus is only a man, then the church's faith in Him is only hero worship, faith in a man.
    2. Christ’s sonship is unique especially because He is "begotten".”
    3. His Sonship is "only."
      1. First, He is only because He alone is the Person of God the Son (our persons are human, not divine).
      2. Second, He is only because He has the Divine nature and we are always human.
  3. Its great significance: only in and through Christ can we confess that we too are God's children.
    1. God graciously adopted us and gave us the glorious privilege of being called His children (Gal. 4:4,5).
    2. Our adoption into God's family is only and always by grace.
    3. We are legally adopted.
    4. We are spiritually adopted, i.e., made God's children in reality (not step-children).
    5. Abide in the happy and peace-giving confidence that we are in His family and that He will take us into His home.