Audio Download

Christ Brought Forth: Understanding the Son’s Origin from the Father

[Study Aired May 30, 2025]

Introduction

When we examine the relationship between God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, we encounter one of Scripture’s most profound mysteries. Many believers assume that Christ has always existed eternally alongside the Father, without any beginning or origin. Yet a careful study of the Bible reveals a different picture—one in which Christ was, in fact, begotten or “brought forth” by the Father at some point before the creation of the world.

Understanding Christ in this way does not diminish His divinity; rather, it sheds light on His unique relationship to the Father. In this article, we will systematically explore what the Scriptures teach on this topic, following the principle of “comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (1 Corinthians 2:13) so that Scripture interprets Scripture.

In this exploration, we will examine Christ as the Word and Beginning of Creation, as revealed in John’s Gospel and other passages that highlight His role in creation. We will then consider the Father’s unique relationship to Christ, focusing on the biblical evidence for the Father’s headship over the Son. Next, we will explore what Scripture means by referring to Christ as the “firstborn of all creation” and the “beginning.” We will also review Christ’s own testimony about His origin and relationship to the Father. The study will then turn to the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8, which foreshadows Christ’s pre-creation origin. Additionally, we will examine the meaning of the phrase “only begotten” and its significance in describing Jesus as the unique Son of God. From there, we will look at Christ as the express image of God, showing how He perfectly reveals the Father’s nature. We will also study Christ’s pre-existence as seen in the Old Testament, where He appears and acts before His incarnation. Finally, we will address common misunderstandings and clarify passages that are often used to argue against this biblical perspective.

Like the Bereans who “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Acts 17:11), you are encouraged to examine the Scriptures carefully and let God’s Word be the final authority.

The biblical evidence indicates that Jesus Christ did not exist alongside the Father without a beginning; rather, He was begotten — brought forth by the Father — at a specific point before time began, prior to the creation of the physical universe. Just as Eve was formed from Adam’s own substance (Genesis 2:22), Christ was brought forth from the Father’s very being to become the visible image of the invisible God. This eternal Father-Son relationship is the very foundation of how God reveals Himself to His creation.

The Word Made Flesh: Christ as the Beginning of Creation

John’s Gospel opens with one of the most profound passages about Christ’s nature and origin:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1–3)

A few verses later John writes:

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14).

In these verses, we discover Christ as the Logos—the Word of God—the perfect self-expression of the Father. This Word existed “in the beginning” with God, sharing the Father’s divine nature while maintaining a distinct personal identity. Notice how carefully John differentiates between “with God” (indicating a relationship) and “was God” (indicating divine nature).

From the very start of Genesis, we find the Word in action. “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Physical creation came into existence by the spoken word of God—an act of the divine Word (Christ Himself) bringing creation into being. As the psalmist confirms: “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.” (Psalm 33:6).

This creative work marked the beginning of the physical realm, but the Word Himself existed even before this beginning. He was brought forth from the Father before the world began, and then became the agent through whom all else was created. In other words, the Son of God is the beginning of God’s creation not as the first created object, but as the source from which creation flows. All things came “by Him” and “through Him”, rather than apart from Him.

The Father’s Unique Relationship to Christ

Throughout the New Testament, God is revealed as both the Father and the God of Jesus Christ. The apostles often highlight this relationship. For example, Peter exclaims: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:3), acknowledging that the Father is both Jesus’ God and Father. Paul uses similar language, writing, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) and referring to “the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:6). He states plainly in 1 Corinthians 11:3 that “the head of Christ is God.”

Even after His resurrection and ascension, Jesus Himself speaks of the Father as His God. To Mary Magdalene He says, “I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God” (John 20:17). In the book of Revelation, the glorified Christ still calls His Father “My God”: “Him that overcometh… I will write upon him the name of My God… which cometh down out of heaven from My God” (Revelation 3:12). And Jesus plainly taught, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

What do these scriptures tell us? They show a hierarchy in the Father-Son relationship. The Son shares the Father’s divine nature, but He willingly occupies a subordinate role under the Father’s authority. This does not mean the Son is of a different essence or an inferior kind of being to the Father; rather, it reflects a difference in their roles. Scripture explains that the Son humbled Himself and took a lower position as part of His mission to save us.  As Paul writes:

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:6–8)

Jesus, though fully divine (“in the form of God”), did not cling to His equality with God. Instead He emptied Himself (made Himself lower than angels), taking the form of a servant in human flesh. In doing so, He demonstrated the very relationship we’ve seen: He submitted to His Father’s will for the sake of our salvation.

Scripture never presents the Father-Son order as a rivalry; rather, it models filial reverence and willing submission. “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews 12:9). If earthly children honor their human fathers, how much more does the only-begotten Son honor the Father of spirits? Christ’s subjection—seen when He prayed, “Not My will, but Thine, be done” (Luke 22:42)—reveals the proper posture of every creature before the God from whom all life proceeds.

Christ as Firstborn: His Origin Before Time

Firstborn of All Creation

The apostle Paul makes a remarkable statement about Christ’s identity in Colossians 1:15: “[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” This verse highlights two key truths about Jesus: (1) He is the perfect image of the invisible God, and (2) He holds a unique status as “firstborn” in relation to all creation.

The Greek term translated “firstborn” is prōtótokos (πρωτότοκος) G4416. This word literally combines prōtos (“first”) and tokos (“to bear” or “to bring forth”). It conveys “the first one brought forth.” By calling Jesus “the firstborn of every creature,” Scripture indicates that Christ was brought forth from God before any other creature was made. He is first both in chronology (before all creation) and in preeminence (above all creation).

Importantly, Paul makes clear that “firstborn” does not mean Jesus is a mere part of creation or simply the oldest created being. Paul immediately continues: “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth… All things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Colossians 1:16–17). In other words, Christ is the Author and Sustainer of creation. Everything that exists was made through Him and for Him. This places Christ outside the category of “created things” – He is the Source of created things. Just as an architect exists before the building he constructs, Christ exists before and above the creation He brought into being.

In Revelation 3:14, the risen Jesus calls Himself “the beginning of the creation of God.” The Greek word for “beginning” here is archē (ἀρχή), which means origin, first cause, or starting point. This doesn’t mean Christ was the first physical being God created; rather, Jesus is the origin of God’s creation. All creation begins with Him. We might say that the Father began His creative work by bringing forth the Son, and then created everything through the Son. Christ is “the beginning” in the sense that He is the divine architect and foundation of all creation.

These New Testament revelations align with an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah’s origins. In Micah 5:2, the coming Messiah (Christ) is foretold to be born in Bethlehem, yet it says, “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” In Hebrew, the phrase “goings forth” (môṣā’āh) refers to origins or emanations. It indicates a specific point of origin, while “from of old, from everlasting” stretches that origin back into pre world past. Some translations render this as “from ancient days,” suggesting an origin in the distant past beyond human reckoning. Micah’s prophecy thus suggests that although the Messiah would enter our world in Bethlehem, His true beginnings were in God’s eternal realm—His “goings forth” were before time as we know it.

Christ’s Pre-Time Existence

The Bible explicitly teaches that Christ’s existence with the Father preceded the creation of the world. God’s plan of salvation was in place with Christ at its center even before time began. Paul writes that the Father “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). Likewise, Peter says of Jesus: “He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:20, NKJV). In other words, before the world was ever created, the Son was known and appointed by the Father, and only in these last times did He become manifest (revealed) to us.

These verses make it clear that “the foundation of the world” was not the beginning of Christ. The Father and Son enjoyed a relationship before time, outside of creation. When Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” we understand that in that beginning, Christ was already there with God. “In the beginning was the Word… with God” (John 1:1).

The New Testament also shows that it is through Christ that God accomplishes all His purposes. “[God] works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11), and that will was “to bring everything together in Christ” (Ephesians 1:10, NASB). From the very start, the Son was the centerpiece of the Father’s plan. Creation and redemption alike were to be carried out through Christ, in Christ, and for Christ.

Yet, even in His exalted role, Christ always remains subject to His Father. As Paul explains regarding the end of all things: “Then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). The Son now reigns over creation as King of kings, but the authority and life He has were given to Him by the Father. Ultimately, the Son will hand the Kingdom back to the Father, and the Father will remain the supreme authority over everyone. This eternal truth—that the Son is subject to the Father—has been true from the very beginning and will still be true at the very end.

Christ’s Own Testimony of His Origin

Jesus Himself confirmed this understanding of His heavenly origin and unique relationship to the Father. For example, speaking to the Jews, Christ said: “I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me.” (John 8:42). The phrase “proceeded forth” (Greek: exērchomai, ἐξέρχομαι) literally means “to come out of” or “to issue forth from.” Jesus is plainly stating that He came out from God. His life and being are not independent of the Father; He did not just appear on His own. Rather, He originated from the Father and was sent by the Father into the world.

In another confrontation, Jesus made a stunning claim about His pre-existence: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58). By saying “Before Abraham was, I AM,” Jesus invoked the divine name “I AM” – the name by which God identified Himself to Moses (“I AM THAT I AM,” Exodus 3:14). Jesus thus identified Himself with the eternal, self-existent God. He was indicating that His existence transcends time as we know it. Abraham lived almost two millennia before Christ’s earthly life; yet Jesus says “before” Abraham came into being, “I AM.” This statement reveals that even though Jesus was born in Bethlehem at a specific point in history, His true origin is before creation of the world. He has existed in the bosom of the Father, one with the Father’s eternal being.

On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed and spoke directly of the glory He shared with the Father before creation. He prayed: “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17:5, NKJV). Here the Son recalls the glory He enjoyed in the Father’s presence “before the world existed.” This is not the language of a created being who came into existence at Bethlehem; this is the Son of God who existed with the Father, even before time, and who was brought forth from the Father to share in His glory. Jesus’ own words leave no doubt: His origins are divine and age-abiding, rooted in His relationship with the Father beyond the bounds of creation.

Proverbs 8: Wisdom as a Type of Christ

A fascinating Old Testament insight into Christ’s origin is found in the personification of Wisdom in Proverbs 8. In this chapter, Wisdom is depicted as a woman who existed before creation and was present with God as He created all things. Throughout history, many Bible students and Christian thinkers have seen this personified “Wisdom” as a foreshadowing of Christ, since the New Testament explicitly calls Christ “the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).

In Proverbs 8:22–23 (NKJV), Wisdom speaks about her origin:

“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old. 
I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.”

And in Proverbs 8:24–25, Wisdom continues:

“When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth.”

Twice in this passage, Wisdom says “I was brought forth” before anything was created. The Hebrew verb for “brought forth” here is ḫûl (חוּל), which carries the sense of giving birth or undergoing labor. The imagery is that of a birth or an emergence with effort. In fact, some modern translations render these phrases as “I was given birth.” By saying “I was brought forth,” the text emphasizes that Wisdom’s emergence was a distinct event—a kind of birth out of God—occurring before the creation of the world, through the initiative and power of God.

This poetic imagery strongly supports the idea of Christ being “brought forth” from the Father before the ages. Just as Wisdom is portrayed as coming out from God in a pre-creation “birth,” so the New Testament reveals Jesus as the only begotten Son who truly came out of the Father’s substance before all ages. Wisdom in Proverbs rejoices at God’s creation, saying she was beside God “as a master craftsman” (Proverbs 8:30) when He made the world. In a similar and greater way, Christ was at the Father’s side as the active agent in creation. The Proverbs 8 portrait establishes Christ’s precedence over the physical world, while still indicating a formative origin event within God’s own eternal life. In other words, Scripture gives us a picture in Wisdom of how the Son could be with God and yet brought forth of God before anything else.

Only Begotten of the Father

The Gospel of John introduces another crucial term to describe Christ’s origin: “only begotten.” John 1:14 declares of Jesus, “(we beheld His glory, the glory as of) the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” And John 3:16 famously says, “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.”

The term “only begotten” is translated from the Greek word monogenēs (μονογενής). This word comes from monos meaning “only” or “unique,” and genos meaning “kind” or “offspring.” Thus monogenēs literally means “one-of-a-kind son” or “unique son.” It denotes uniqueness of origin or relationship. Notably, monogenēs does not mean “eternally existing” or “without origin.” Instead, it points to a singular, unique generation. When the Bible calls Jesus the “only begotten Son” of God, it emphasizes that He alone is God’s Son in this unique way.

What makes Christ “unique” as God’s Son? It is the fact that He shares God’s own divine nature and came forth from God Himself. Just as a human son shares in the nature of his father, Jesus shares in the very nature of God. No one else in the universe is God’s “Son” in that sense. Angels are sometimes poetically called “sons of God” (Job 38:7) and humans in Christ are given the right to become “children of God” (John 1:12), but only Jesus is the Son of the Father, of the same essence as the Father. He is not a created being like the rest of creation; He was born of the Father in a way that is entirely unique and outside the natural order of created things.

This is why John 3:16’s truth is so profound: God “gave His only begotten Son” for our salvation. The Father sacrificed His very own Son, the only Son who is of His own nature and being. This also implies that the Father-Son relationship pre-existed the incarnation and the world. The Son who was “given” in 3:16 is the Son who already was with the Father. The Father did not appoint a being to become His Son at some point in history; He gave the Son who was already His only begotten. Thus, monogenēs underscores both Christ’s origin from the Father and His uniqueness as Son of God.

Christ as the Express Image of God

The New Testament further describes the Son’s relationship to the Father by using the language of image and imprint. Hebrews 1:3 says of Jesus: “[The Son is] the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power.” Here, Jesus is called the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation (express image) of God’s being.

The Greek term translated “express image” is charaktḗr (χαρακτήρ). In ancient usage, a charaktēr was an engraving tool or the imprint it left—such as the impression made by a signet ring in wax or a die stamping an image on a coin. By calling the Son the charaktēr of God’s own person (or substance), Scripture is telling us that Jesus is the exact imprint of God’s very being. In other words, the Son is the perfect visible expression of who and what the Father is.

This imagery beautifully illustrates how Christ can be distinct from the Father yet perfectly like Him. Just as an imprint is a distinct entity from the seal yet is an exact likeness of it, the Son is distinct from the Father as a person, yet is an exact likeness of the Father’s nature. The Son is not the Father Himself, but everything about the Son corresponds exactly to the Father. This is why Jesus could say to His disciple Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). He did not mean that He was the Father, but rather that in seeing Jesus, one is gazing upon an exact representation of the Father’s character. To know what the Father is like, we need only look at the Son.

Because Christ is the express image of God, “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The complete fullness of God’s deity lives in the Son in bodily form. How can the fullness of God dwell in a man? Precisely because this man Jesus is begotten from God and shares His nature. The Son has the “DNA” of the Father, so to speak. Just as the wax imprint contains the full design of the seal that pressed it, so the Son, coming forth from the Father’s very substance, contains the full nature of God. Thus He can serve as the visible revelation of the invisible God. Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) — the Father made visible in a Son.

Christ’s Pre-Existence in the Old Testament

Long before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Scripture gives us hints and glimpses of His existence and work. The Son of God was active in the world even in Old Testament times, often appearing in temporary forms. The most prominent motif is the “Angel of the LORD” – a mysterious figure who appears throughout the Old Testament. Many Bible scholars recognize that this “Angel of the LORD” (or Messenger of the LORD) is actually the pre-incarnate Christ — the Son of God appearing in visible form before His human birth.

The term “angel” in Hebrew (mal’ak) and Greek (angelos) simply means “messenger.” This special Messenger of the LORD often speaks as God Himself and bears God’s authority. For example, in Genesis 22, as Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God, “the Angel of the LORD” intervenes. The text says: “The Angel of the LORD called to Abraham out of heaven a second time, and said: ‘By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD…’” (Genesis 22:15–16). Here the Angel of the LORD speaks in the first person as God (“By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD”). He doesn’t say “Thus says the LORD” as a typical angel would; He says “I… says the LORD,” swearing by Himself. This strongly indicates that this “Angel” is actually the LORD in divine form. In other words, it is Christ, appearing as the Messenger of the Father. He is distinct in person (as the Angel/Messenger), yet identifies Himself as God. Abraham, in fact, had earlier referred to this being as “the Judge of all the earth” (Genesis 18:25) when the LORD (in angelic form) appeared to him before the destruction of Sodom.

Similar appearances of the LORD’s Messenger occur throughout the Old Testament. In Exodus 3, “the Angel of the LORD” appeared to Moses in the burning bush, yet the voice from the bush is God’s: “God called to him from the midst of the bush… ‘I AM THAT I AM’” (Exodus 3:4, 14). In Exodus 13:21–22, as Israel traverses the wilderness, “the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud… and by night in a pillar of fire.” This pillar of cloud and fire is later described as “the Angel of God” (Exodus 14:19) who went before the camp of Israel. The divine presence leading and guarding Israel was, evidently, Christ in His pre-incarnate form (see 1 Corinthians 10:4, where Paul says Christ was the spiritual Rock accompanying Israel). In Joshua 5:13–15, Joshua encounters “the Commander of the LORD’s army,” a majestic figure who accepts Joshua’s worship and declares the ground to be holy — echoes of Moses’ burning bush encounter. This Commander does not refuse worship (as ordinary angels do in Scripture, cf. Revelation 22:8–9), implying that He is the LORD Himself. Again, this is understood to be a manifestation of the Son of God.

In each of these cases, the pre-incarnate Christ appears as a visible and tangible “Messenger” of the Father, representing God to humans. These appearances (often called theophanies, appearances of God) demonstrate that Christ was already acting as the Mediator between God and man long before He took on flesh. As Paul writes in the New Testament: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5). There has always been only one Mediator — the Son of God. It was the Son’s role, even in Old Testament times, to bridge the gap between the invisible God and His creatures, whether by voice, angelic form, cloud, fire, or other means. No one has ever seen the Father directly; whenever God appeared or spoke directly to people, it was the Word — the Son — making Him known. This further underscores the truth that the Son was “brought forth” to reveal the Father and interact with creation on the Father’s behalf.

Christ Reveals the Invisible Father

A central reason Christ was begotten as the Son of God is to reveal the otherwise invisible and unapproachable God to His creatures. As John’s Gospel explains: “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” (John 1:18). Here we see both the transcendence of the Father (whom no human has ever seen in His full glory) and the mission of the Son to “declare” or make Him known. The Greek word for “declared” is exegeomai (ἐξηγέομαι), from which we get the term “exegesis” – it means to explain, interpret, or fully reveal. Jesus is essentially the exegesis of God. The Son “expounds” the Father to us in a way we can comprehend.

Jesus repeatedly affirmed that His role is to reveal the Father. He told the Jewish leaders: “Ye have neither heard [the Father’s] voice at any time, nor seen His shape” (John 5:37). No human being, in our mortal state, has directly seen God or heard Him in His unveiled glory. Jesus then said: “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.” (John 6:46, NKJV). Only Jesus, the Son who came from God’s immediate presence, has truly seen the Father. Therefore only Jesus is qualified to reveal Him to us.

In fact, Jesus made the astounding statement: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). This does not mean Jesus is the Father – He was not saying that He and the Father are the same person. Rather, He was saying that through Him, the Father is perfectly revealed. To see the Son is to see a perfect reflection of the Father’s character, will, and nature. “I and My Father are one,” Jesus said (John 10:30) – one in purpose, one in nature – so much so that to know the Son is to know the Father. Christ is so perfectly the image of God that beholding Christ is as if one beholds the Father’s very being (yet in a form we can handle).

All the titles and metaphors for Christ underscore this revelatory purpose. He is called the Word of God – just as our words express our invisible thoughts, Jesus as the Word expresses the unseen God. He is called the Image of God – an image is a visible representation of someone invisible. He is called the Light of the World – light makes visible what was hidden in darkness. Before Christ came, humanity was largely in the dark about God’s true character. “Darkness covered the earth” spiritually (Isaiah 60:2). But when Jesus came, “the people who sat in darkness saw a great light” (Matthew 4:16). John 1:9 says of Christ, “That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” He illuminated the truth about God for all who would receive Him.

No one has ever perceived the Father in His unmediated glory, yet the Son makes that invisible God known. “God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Because the Father is spirit, inaccessible to fleshly eyes, He appoints His Son—the Word made flesh—to exegete His character to creation. Thus Jesus can say, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). In beholding the Son’s earthly life of truth, grace, and self-sacrificing love, we behold the spiritual essence of the Father Himself.

In sum, the Son of God exists in order to declare the Father. He was begotten for this very purpose: to be the One in whom the fullness of God dwells and through whom creatures can know their Creator. The Son brings the infinite, unreachable God within reach. As Jesus said, “All things are delivered unto Me of My Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27). Our knowledge of the Father comes exclusively through the Son revealing Him to us. This is the heart of why the Father-Son relationship exists in the Godhead: revelation and communication. The Father, in His love, shares Himself by bringing forth a Son who can convey His love and truth to the universe.

The Father’s Role in Exalting Christ

After Jesus fulfilled His redemptive mission on earth, the Scriptures show that it was the Father who exalted Him to the highest place of honor. The Son’s exaltation was not something He grasped for Himself; it was bestowed by His Father. We read, for example: “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.” (Philippians 2:9). The context is that because Jesus humbled Himself unto death, God exalted Him in reward. Likewise, the apostle Peter preached about Jesus, saying, “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 5:31, NKJV). In both verses, God the Father is the one lifting Jesus up.

What does this tell us? It reinforces the Father-Son dynamic. The Father raised Jesus from the dead (see Acts 2:32) and seated Him at His own right hand in heaven (Ephesians 1:20). The supreme position that Christ now holds—Lord of lords, with a name above every name—is a position granted by the Father. The Son receives honor, glory, and authority from the Father, and in turn the Father is glorified when the Son is honored. Jesus said, “He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23). The Father wills that all creation honor His Son, and in doing so, the Father Himself is honored.

Even now, after His ascension, there remains a divine order. The Father is supreme, reigning as the ultimate authority, and the Son sits at the Father’s right hand as the appointed Lord over all creation (Hebrews 1:3; 1 Peter 3:22). The Son carries out the Father’s will and rulership over the universe. As we have seen, “the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). This doesn’t detract from Christ’s divinity; it’s simply the order within the Godhead. The Father lovingly exalts the Son, sharing His throne (Revelation 3:21) and giving Him a name above all, and the Son eternally subjects Himself to His Father, ruling under the Father’s authority.

One beautiful example of this order is in the future vision of the Kingdom: “Then comes the end, when [Christ] delivers the kingdom to God the Father… The Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:24, 28). Ultimately, everything goes back to the Father, and God (the Father) will be “all in all.” But it is the Father’s delight that in the meantime “all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (John 5:23). In heaven, the Father has ordained that every knee bows to Jesus and every tongue confesses Jesus as Lord “to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11). Thus, the Father’s exaltation of Christ shows us once again their relationship: the Father as the source of all authority and glory, and the Son as the beloved recipient of the Father’s authority and glory, through whom we worship the Father.

Addressing Common Misunderstandings

Given this biblical presentation of Christ as begotten of the Father (having a beginning in the Father) and as operating in a subordinate role to the Father, some questions naturally arise. There are a few Scripture passages that, at first glance, might seem to contradict this understanding. Let’s address some of the most common misunderstandings:

1. “Making Himself Equal with God”?

In the Gospel of John we read accusations from Jesus’ enemies that can be confusing if misinterpreted. John 5:18 notes that the Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus “because He…said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.” Later in John 10:33, they accuse Jesus, “For a good work we stone Thee not; but for blasphemy, and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God.” It is crucial to recognize that these statements are the assertions of Jesus’ opponents, not proclamations of Jesus Himself. The Jews assumed that when Jesus claimed God as His Father, He was elevating Himself to the status of a rival God or asserting independent equality against God. Jesus immediately clarified their misunderstanding. In John 10:36, He responded, “Why do you accuse me of blasphemy? Because I said, I am the Son of God?” All Jesus had affirmed was that He is the Son of God. He wasn’t claiming to be a separate God or usurping the Father’s position. He was claiming a unique Sonship — a oneness with the Father as Son, not as a second, competing deity. In essence, Jesus’ claim “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30) speaks of unity of nature and purpose, not a rebellion or rivalry against the Father. Thus, the charge that Jesus was “making Himself equal with God” was a misinterpretation by His opponents. Jesus always maintained that He was sent by the Father and did nothing of Himself (John 8:28–29).

2. Jesus’ Own Statements of Subordination

In contrast to His enemies’ accusations, Jesus’ own words consistently acknowledge the Father’s greater position. We have already seen several examples: even after His resurrection, Jesus calls the Father “My God” (John 20:17). He plainly stated, “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). In prayer to His Father, Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Far from claiming absolute co-equality in authority, Jesus always directed attention, worship, and glory to His Father as His God, His Sender, and His Head. He said, “the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do” (John 5:19), and “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). These and many other statements underscore that Christ consistently presented Himself as the obedient Son, working in perfect submission to His Father. Any interpretation of Jesus’ nature that erases this Father-Son hierarchy is missing the clear testimony of Jesus’ own words. He never taught that He was co-equal in authority with the Father; rather, He taught that loving and obeying the Father was His constant priority (John 14:31).

3. “Equal with God” in Philippians 2

Philippians 2:6 is sometimes cited to argue that Jesus is fully equal with the Father in every respect, so let’s examine it. The KJV reads that Christ Jesus, “being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” At first glance, this could be read to mean Jesus considered Himself equal with God and didn’t think it was “robbery” (something illicit) to do so. But the KJV phrasing is a bit difficult in modern English. A clearer translation helps. For instance, the NASB renders it: “Although He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself…” Similarly, the ESV says, “[He] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” The meaning of the Greek text is that even though Christ already existed in the form of God (i.e. He had a divine pre-existence), He did not consider His equality with God (His shared divine status) something to hold onto at all costs or use to His own advantage. Instead, He willingly emptied Himself — that is, laid aside His divine privileges — and took on the form of a servant in the incarnation.

In other words, Philippians 2 is not teaching that Jesus is or isn’t ontologically equal to the Father; it’s teaching about Jesus’ attitude. Unlike “the son of perdition” (who did grasp at equality with God; see 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), Jesus did not grasp or cling to His high position. He was willing to temporarily give up His heavenly status and humble Himself for our sake. Therefore, Philippians 2 actually reinforces what we’ve been saying: Jesus chose subordination. Rather than assert His equality with God, He “made Himself of no reputation” (Phil 2:7 KJV) — literally emptied or humbled Himself — to become our Savior. This was a voluntary act of submission to the Father’s will, not a denial of His divine nature. After this humble obedience, as we saw, the Father exalted Him (Phil 2:9). Thus, Philippians 2 harmonizes perfectly with the idea that in role and function the Son submitted to the Father’s authority.

Conclusion: Christ’s True Identity Confirmed

When we carefully survey the totality of Scripture, a cohesive picture of Jesus Christ emerges. The Bible’s consistent testimony is that Christ is the Son of God, begotten of the Father, and dependent on the Father, even while He shares the Father’s divine nature. The Father is the source of Christ’s life and authority. Jesus is, as one translation of John 1:18 puts it, “the only begotten God” — the unique Son who comes from the Father’s very being to reveal Him.

From start to finish, Christ stands as the Word of God, the divine agent through whom creation came into existence. Throughout Scripture, we see Jesus portrayed as the Son in relation to the Father: He is always carrying out the Father’s will, speaking the Father’s words, revealing the Father’s character, and ultimately returning all glory to the Father. Even the Father’s own voice from heaven confirmed this relationship at Jesus’ baptism: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). The Father did not announce, “This is my co-equal partner” or “This is an eternal colleague.” He plainly declared Jesus to be His Son.

Grasping Christ’s identity in these biblical terms actually magnifies His unique and exalted position in God’s plan. The Son is above every creature in the universe precisely because He is the Son of the Creator. He is not an adopted son or a metaphorical son; He is the literal offspring of God’s own substance, and therefore He shares in the very nature of God. No angel, no human, no other being can claim such a relationship. As Hebrews says, to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are My Son” (Hebrews 1:5)? Only Jesus has that status. Yet, for all His divine privileges, Jesus always pointed back to His Father as the One who sent Him, empowered Him, and gave Him authority. There is no rivalry in the Godhead — the Son’s highest joy is to glorify the Father, and the Father’s delight is to exalt the Son.

Consider what this Father-Son dynamic means for our salvation. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). The Father did not send an unrelated divine associate or a created emissary; He sent His own beloved Son, the only one who shares His nature. It was a sacrifice of inconceivable love — the Father giving up His dearly loved one-of-a-kind Son to a painful death for us. And it was the Son’s supreme act of love and loyalty to His Father — that He was willing to lay down His life in obedience to the Father’s will (John 10:17–18, 14:31). The plan of redemption shows the Father’s heart of love in sending His Son, and the Son’s heart of love in submitting to His Father. We see a Father willing to sacrifice and a Son willing to obey. This reveals depths of God’s character that we would never understand without the Father-Son relationship.

Moreover, the Son’s willing subjection to the Father provides the perfect model for us in our relationship to God. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “Father… not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). He humbled Himself under God’s mighty hand, and in due time God highly exalted Him (cf. 1 Peter 5:6, Philippians 2:9). In the same way, we are called to humble ourselves and obey God, trusting that He will lift us up in due course. Jesus said, “I do always those things that please [the Father]” (John 8:29). As God’s children, our aim should likewise be to always do what pleases our heavenly Father, following in the footsteps of the faithful Son.

Understanding who Jesus truly is — the Son of God who had His beginning in the Father — gives us a deeper appreciation for the family-love of God. We come to know God not as a solitary distant deity, but as a Father overflowing with love, who has from eternity shared His life with His Son. The Father, through the Son, is bringing “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). In other words, God’s plan was to have a family: a universe full of His children. But at the center of that family is the only-begotten Son, through whom the rest of us can be “born again” into God’s household. The Father-Son relationship between God and Jesus becomes the pattern and gateway for our relationship with God. We are invited to become sons and daughters of God by receiving and being united to the Son (Galatians 4:4–7).

In conclusion, Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God, begotten of the Father before all ages, brought forth to be the perfect revelation of God’s glory. Through Him, the Father made all things. In Him, we see the Father. After accomplishing our redemption on the cross, Jesus was raised and exalted to the highest place at the Father’s right hand, crowned Lord of all — “to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). One day, every knee will bow to the Son and every tongue will confess His lordship, and it will redound to the praise of the Father who sent Him.

As we worship Jesus Christ as Lord, we do so to the glory of God the Father. For the Father has declared of the Son: “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Luke 9:35). And the Son declares of the Father: “As the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.” (John 5:26–27). The early Christians summarized it simply:

“For us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through Him we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:6, paraphrased from KJV/NKJV)

All things are from the Father, and all things are through the Son. To the Father – the source of all – and to His only-begotten Son – the channel of all – be blessing, and honor, and glory, and power forever. Amen.