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From the book: The Challenge of the Christian Theology and more...
of Ewald Frank |
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Was the Son born
in heaven?
In the Nicene/Constantinople creed we find the following
statement about Jesus Christ, »… God’s Son, born of the
Father before all time: God from God, light from light, true
God from the true God, begotten, not created, of one nature
with the Father …« Where do we find this in the Bible that
God in heaven has brought forth another divine person, a
Son, who was begotten and born in eternity? Nowhere! Such a
thought is not only totally unscriptural; it is also against
reasoning. Until now only mothers have given birth to
children, who were begotten by fathers. The birth of the
Son, the Messiah, Who is the Anointed One , was foretold
throughout the Old Testament since the first promise in Gen.
3: 15 after the fall in paradise. In Micah 5 we find the
prediction that He would be born in the city of Bethlehem,
which means »House of bread«, as we find confirmed in the
Gospels. He is the living bread who came down from heaven (Jn.
6: 48-58). In reference to the Son of God we must not only
remain with the subject, we must stay with the Truth of
God’s Word.
As God manifested Himself throughout the Old Testament
period in visible form as the Lord, so He came in the New
Testament into a body of flesh . »… A body hast thou
prepared me … to do thy will, O God.« (Heb. 10: 5+7; Ps. 40:
7-8). From this moment we not only see the Son but also the
Father. The »I am« is now also the »thou art«, the second
Adam (1 Cor. 15: 45-49), the beginning of the new creation
of God (Rev. 3: 14), the first-born among many brethren
(Rom. 8: 29) as well as the first-born from the dead (Col.
1: 18; Rev. 1: 5). All this happened for our sake. He had to
be the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world (Jn.
1: 29). He had to be the High Priest, Who went with His Own
blood into the heavenly sanctuary (Heb. 9: 11-12). He has to
be the Mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2: 5). He has to
be the Advocate with the Father until the redeemed have
reached their completion (1 Jn. 2: 1).
Everything written in the Old Testament in reference to the
Son was still in the future:
»… Out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be
ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old,
from everlasting. Therefore will he give them up, until the
time that she who travaileth hath brought forth …« (Mic. 5:
2b-3a).
»I will be his father, and he shall be my son.« (2 Sam. 7:
14; Heb. 1: 5).
»… Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.« (Ps. 2:
7; Acts 13: 33; Heb. 1: 5; 5: 5). Eternity has no today and
no tomorrow. The »today« according to Hebrews 4: 7 and other
Scriptures is the »day of Salvation«, the »acceptable time
of grace« (2 Cor. 6: 2).
»I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God from my
mother’s body.« (Ps. 22: 10; Lk. 1: 26-38).
»Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold,
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel.« (Isa. 7: 14; Mt. 1: 18-25).
» For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and
the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The
Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.« (Isa. 9: 6; Lk. 1:
31-35).
»He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the
rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn …«
(Ps. 89: 26-27). Many more Scriptures could be listed.
The fulfilment of these Bible prophecies concerning the
birth of the Son of God is clearly shown in the Gospels and
can be easily read. Luke records: When Mary heard the
announcement given by the Angel Gabriel about the birth of
the Son she was very surprised and said, »How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered, and said
unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the
power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also
that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God.« (Lk. 1: 34-35).
A Father in heaven did not give birth to the Son, but rather
the virgin who conceived here on earth. That is the only
true doctrine of the Bible about the birth of the Son. The
Father has begotten the Son, therefore the Son is the one
begotten in the womb of Mary. The emphasis in Scripture is
placed on the »only begotten Son of God« (Jn. 3: 16-18 a.
o.).
The promised Son was begotten once and born here on earth.
There is no dual sonship, also there is only one fatherhood.
Before appearing as the »Son« He was the Word, the Logos,
the Lord Who now took upon Himself the shape of a servant. »God,
who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time
past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last
days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir
of all things, by whom also he made the worlds« (Heb. 1:
1-2).
The church fathers that came from heathenism remained with
the theme but not with the revealed truth of the Holy
Scriptures. With their Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek
concepts about gods and deities they made a grievous mistake,
which later became a common church doctrine and also was
adopted as a »tenet« by all other churches. In their
declaration they invented the totally unscriptural, and yes,
paradoxical thesis that the Son already existed in heaven as
a divine and separate person and that the preexisting Son
then became a Son on earth. Where does the Bible teach such
a doctrine? Nowhere! From that followed more
oriental-mesopotamic mythology, calling Mary the »mother of
God« as was proclaimed in the Council of Ephesus (431 A.
D.), but is not found a single time in the Bible.
The argument concerning God sending the Son is pointless
without the revelation that before He was born as Son He was
the Word, the Logos. Is it written, »In the beginning was
the Son.«? No, but rather: »In the beginning was the Word …
And the Word was made, (became) flesh.«
In all the ages God did send His servants and prophets.
Moses was a man sent from God: »… The Lord God of the
Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go …«
(Ex. 7: 16).
John the Baptist was a man sent from God to prepare the way
of the Lord. »Behold, I send my messenger before thy face …«
(Mk. 1: 2).
Also the twelve apostles were sent ones (Mt. 10: 5), the
seventy were also sent (Lk. 10: 1). Paul was a sent one, as
he was told, »Depart; for I will send thee far from here
unto the Gentiles.« (Acts 22: 21).
The Lord Himself said, »Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that
receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.« (Jn. 13: 20).
Thus saith the Lord, »… as my Father hath sent me, even so
send I you.« (Jn. 20: 21).
He also said, »I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and
scribes …« (Mt. 23: 34).
»O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and
stonest them who are sent unto thee …« (Mt. 23: 37). All
these who were sent were born on earth as was the Son of God.
Therefore He could say, »… for I am not alone, but I and the
Father that sent Me.« (Jn. 8: 16b). |
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