The Gift of God's Son
1. God is Love. There can be no better news for this world than that.
For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
2. I am glad God loved the whole world like that because that includes me! But how much love is expressed in this verse? What does it really mean? We should take a closer look.
3. The words "only begotten Son" are the key to understanding the endless and eternal love given to us in the gift of God's Son. Paul called this gift the "unspeakable gift" meaning it is beyond all telling. Human language fails.
Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. II Cor. 9:15
4. The Hebrew word "monogenes" (Begotten) means "in His image" or "just like Him." For example: Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, but only one of them was "begotten" of him. The Bible makes it clear.
"By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son," Hebrews 11:17
But "wait a minute" your mind fairly screams. "Abraham had two sons not one. Why does Hebrews 11:17 say that he offered up his only begotten son?"
5. Isaac was begotten of Abraham, but Ishmael was only born of Abraham, he was not "begotten" of him - because he was not like him. In Gen 21:9 we see Ishmael "mocking" or "scoffing." What does that mean? It means he was mocking God, for the Hebrew word mezahek "mocking" is used only in that sense!
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had born to Abraham, scoffing (mocking). Genesis 21:9 NKJV
The consequences of Ishmael's mocking were terrible for him. Abraham was very rich and he had loved Ishmael (Genesis 17:18), but he sent him away with no inheritance. As far as Abraham was concerned Ishmael was dead. He had mocked God.
note: Ishmael was at least 14 years old when Isaac was born. (see Genesis 16:16 and Genesis 17:1)
6. That is why the Bible makes a clear distinction between Isaac and Ishmael! Abraham begot Isaac, but Ishmael was not begotten of Abraham. Hagar, Sarah's maidservant bore Ishmael.
This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son. Abraham begot Isaac. Genesis 25;19
Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham. Genesis 25:12
7. A little while later God came to Abraham and told him to offer up his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice upon the mountains of Moriah. The Hebrew word yahid "only" is sometimes translated as "precious" (Psalm 22:20) If you had the only one of something it would indeed, be precious - perhaps beyond all telling. That is why the Greek rendering of the Hebrew yahid is sometimes agapetos or "beloved." as in Genesis 22:2
Then He said, "Take now your only (Hebrew yahid, but Greek agapetos "beloved")* son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." Genesis 22:2
Remember that Ishmael was dead to Abraham. Isaac was now Abraham's only son. As such he was greatly loved. He was the heir - the child of promise. From him the Messiah would come!
*from the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint
8. We know the rest of the story. Abraham took Isaac to the mountains of Moriah, where Jerusalem now stands. There he offered Isaac as a burnt offering upon an altar of stone. But just as Abraham was about to kill Isaac, the Angel of the Lord intervened.
And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."
Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, "The Lord will provide" as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided." Genesis 22:12-14
note: The name Jerusalem is thought to come from the Hebrew words Jiireh Shalom "provision of peace."
9. Centuries later God did indeed provide the perfect sacrifice for our sins. Upon the mountains of Moriah, just outside Jerusalem, Jesus was crucified. God had given the unspeakable gift - His only begotten Son!
10. "Begotten" means "to have the same nature; to be exactly alike." So "begotten" could be said to mean, "to have the exact image and likeness, or sameness of the father." That is why the Bible says of Jesus...
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:1-3
12. That is why God said of Jesus..
This is my beloved (agapetos) Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him! Matthew 17:5
13. The closeness between the Father and the Son is beyond human understanding.
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John 1:18
Jesus always lives in the bosom of the Father.
13. This brings us back to John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
14. How much does God love us? It is unspeakable! Beyond comprehension! And yet..
15. This is part of the joy of being a Christian. Christ is in me, and I have His Holy Spirit - therefore I am able to know (by every day experience), the love of God - which is otherwise beyond all knowing! And I have that love in me! (see Ephesians 3:17-19 and Romans 5:8)
P.S. God's love is different from man's love. God's love is not based upon any performance of yours, or any beauty or intelligence you may have. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make Him love you less. God's love is not based upon any need that He has. He just loves you. And that is why He gave His unspeakable gift. There is no other reason. God's love is at the heart of the Gospel. God so loved the world that He sent Jesus. Right after John 3:16 comes this: For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:17 Jesus said that.
P.S.S. God did not forget Ishmael. Even though Ishmael had mocked Him, God still loved him and had favor upon him. He saved his life and made a great nation of him. You can read the account in Genesis 21:9-21 That's GRACE. God still loves every man woman and child ever born.
note: Much of the information in this lesson comes from "The Jerusalem Perspective" an Internet Publication that can be found at http://www.jerusalemperspective.com. The "Only Begotten" Son is an article written by Clifton H. Payne Jr.