Daily Devotional For Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Our word for today is the old King James Word in the Christmas story — BEGOTTEN. The Bible says that Jesus is God’s “only begotten son.”  We know it most famously in John 3:16, “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” (KJV). “Begotten” is the Greek New Testament word [μονογενῆ, monogene] — “only born, one and only, first born, unique.” 

Begotten — Chuck Swindoll gives us an explanation for this old term. 

• The Greek phrase translated “only begotten” is monogenēs, which was an idiom based on an ancient custom called “primogeniture.” Put simply, the eldest son in a family, the “firstborn,” was entitled to receive the greatest share of the inheritance. If he was the only son, “the only-born” (monogenēs), he obviously received everything. As often happens in language, a familiar expression gradually loses its literal meaning as it becomes more common in legal or technical circles. For example, a “writ of habeas corpus” is a legal document that says the government must have evidence of a crime before arresting someone. Habeas corpus is Latin for “you have a body.” While the expression originally applied to murder cases, it eventually became a general principle for any kind of alleged crime. In the same way, the term monogenēs lost its literal connotation in favor of the legal meaning: “sole heir.” So, monogenēs is best translated “one and only.” (Charles R. Swindoll,  Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “John,” p. 73.

But we find this same word in other passages other than John 3:16:

• Hebrews 11:37, “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son [μονογενῆ, monogene]” (KJV).
• Luke 7:12, “As He drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only [μονογενῆ, monogene] son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her” (ESV).
• Luke 8:42, “. . . for he had an only [μονογενῆ, monogene]” daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.
• Luke 9:38, “And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg You to look at my son, for he is my only [μονογενῆ, monogene]” child” (ESV).

That term, “only begotten Son,” is found in several New Testament verses and it always refers to Jesus Christ. When John wrote about the coming of Christ to earth, he wrote in John 1:14, “And the Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (ESV). And later, John wrote in 1 John 4:9, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him” (ESV).

The term “only begotten” means “the only one of its kind.” Some Bible translations use the phrase “one and only” son. So Jesus is the only son of God. There is no one else like Him. What else does the Bible tell us about God’s only begotten Son? The Bible says in Colossians 1:15-17, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, (16) for through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through Him and for Him. (17) He existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together” (NLT).

And it is this only begotten Son, the Creator, the Word, the second member of the Godhead, the exact image of the invisible God — it is this only begotten Son that the Father gave for you. This is who came at Christmas. This is who was born of a virgin. This is who was laid in a manger. This is who died on Good Friday. This is who rose from the dead on Easter. And it is this only begotten Son, our Savior, whose return we long for.

Why did God send His only begotten Son? God sent His only begotten Son so that we might become adopted sons and daughters of God. Every person is created by God. But not every person is a child of God. The only way to become a child of God is by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible says this in John 1:12, “But to all who believed hHm and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God” (NLT).

Through Jesus — and only through Jesus — you become God’s child. The Bible says in Galatians 4:4-5, “But when the right time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. (5) God sent Him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that He could adopt us as hHs very own children” (NLT).

God didn’t make us slaves. He made us his children. Look at Romans 8:15, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father” (NLT). That’s why Jesus came. And that is the greatest news about Christmas: God sent His only begotten Son so that you might become an adopted son or daughter of God.

• What are some benefits of being adopted?
• Do you believe that an adopted child is not really your child? Why or why not?
• For God to go to such lengths to provide a way for us to be adopted by Him, what does this tell you about God and what should be your response?

Scripture To Meditate On: Ephesians 1:5, “God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure” (NLT).

Prayer To Pray: “Father, how can we ever thank You enough for giving Your only begotten Son for us? It is beyond imagination that You would do such a thing. Jesus, how can we ever thank You enough for coming to forgive us, to save us, and to adopt us into Your family? We will be eternally grateful. Thank You for this greatest Christmas gift of all. In Your name we pray. Amen.”