Sonship of Christ :The Father and His Begotten Son

Jesus: Not Created, Not Made, but Truly Begotten of the Father

At the centre of the Gospel is a relationship. Before the world existed, before angels or humanity, before time itself, the Bible describes a Father and His Son. Not a symbolic son, not a created being, and not a role they chose to play. A real Father and a real Son.

This truth is woven through Scripture, yet often overlooked. Many believers know Jesus as Saviour, King and Redeemer, but fewer know Him in the way the Bible first introduces Him: as the only begotten Son of God who came from the heart of the Father.

Begotten, Not Created

The Bible never presents Jesus as a creature or something God invented. He is begotten, which means He came forth from the Father before anything was made.

“The Lord brought me forth as the first of His works, before His deeds of old.” Proverbs 8:22-30

“From the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.” Psalm 110:3

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created.” Colossians 1:15-16

If all things were created by Him, then He cannot be part of creation. He existed before creation and was the One through whom the Father created the universe.

The Father Declares Him as His Son

God Himself repeatedly announces the relationship in plain, unmistakable words.

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17

“You are My Son, today I have begotten You.” Psalm 2:7

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” John 3:16

If Jesus were only a metaphorical son or a symbolic son, these words would lose their meaning. The power of these statements is in their reality. The Father’s love is expressed in giving His real Son.

A Son From the Father’s Own Being

Jesus was not adopted into divinity. He came forth from the Father.

“I proceeded forth and came from God.” John 8:42

“For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.” John 5:26

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1-2

He shares the same divine nature, authority and life as His Father because He came from the Father’s own being. That is why He is called “the express image of His person” and “the brightness of His glory” (Hebrews 1:3).

Why This Matters

If Jesus were only a created being, then God did not truly give His own Son. He simply made someone to send.

The love of the Father is seen in the reality of the sacrifice.

He did not risk something small.

He did not offer someone distant.

He gave the One closest to His heart.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.” Romans 8:32

Understanding Jesus as the real Son magnifies the love of God, not diminishes it. It shows the depth of the Father’s heart. It reveals why heaven would go so far to save us.

Equality Through Relationship, Not Competition

Jesus does not compete with His Father. His identity comes from the Father.

“The Father is greater than I.” John 14:28

“I can of Myself do nothing.” John 5:30

“The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do.” John 5:19

And yet the Father lifts Him up and gives Him all things.

“The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.” John 3:35

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.” Matthew 28:18

Their unity is not based on sameness of role or a shared throne by force. It is based on pure love. A Father who gives everything and a Son who trusts completely.

The Beauty of the Father and the Son

When we see Jesus as the real Son, something beautiful becomes clear:

The Father’s love is not distant or impersonal.

The heart of God is family.

He has always been a Father, and love has always been His nature.

God did not become a Father when Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

He was already a Father from eternity.

And Jesus did not become the Son when He took on flesh.

He was already the Son from eternity.

From that eternal relationship comes the salvation of the world.

“God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” 2 Corinthians 5:19

“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell.” Colossians 1:19

The Father did not send a servant to save us.

He sent His Son.

And the Son did not come reluctantly.

He came because He loves the Father and loves us.