What Does it Mean That Jesus Was Begotten?

Throughout the Bible, we read that Jesus was begotten of the Father such as in 1 John, "By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him," (1 John 4:9 NASB1995). According to some, these verses prove Arianism. Firstly, let us learn what the word "begotten" or "μονογενῆ" means. According to the A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, the Greek word used means: "pertaining to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship," (Arndt). Based on this definition of the word, there is no conflict with the Trinity; in fact, this word further proves the Trinity by showing a specific relationship among God.

Works Cited:

Arndt, William. A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2000.