This post is a difficult one, because in order to discuss it, we have to talk about the beliefs of other groups and why orthodox Christianity is different. So, if you are in one of the groups below, know that I’m not trying to insult or mispresent those teachings; these difference are what I believe separates Christianity from other beliefs, and I think drawing the distinction is important here. One of the major reasons for this series is students asking me if certain groups are Christian or not, and to do that, we have to compare and contrast them. Hopefully we can all still be friends after.
NUMBER ONE: WE BELIEVE GOD HAS A SON
Now, right away, that is going to cause problems with Muslim believers. As mentioned earlier, there is a sura in the Q’uran that specifically states “He begets not, nor is he begotten.” Another sura states, “Exalted is He above having a son.” So, for Muslims, starting with “He gave his only begotten son” is non-starter from the get-go. In fact, the idea that God and Jesus are somehow related or equal is considered one of the worst sins in Islam. (side note: if you’re are going to try to witness to Muslims, start somewhere other than John 3:16. Free advice for the day.)
I will however say that I think, for Muslims, there is some misunderstanding of exactly what sonship means to Christians. From what I have seen, interacting with Muslims, many of them believe the Christian Trinity is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and Mary the Mother. That is, God and Mary had some sort of physical union to conceive Jesus. This is clearly offensive to Muslims (and Christians, by the way), so it’s no surprise they reject that idea. There is some debate about whether Muhammed actually believed in this version of the Trinity; I won’t make a judgement on that, but just say in my experience it’s a common idea among current day Muslims. We’ll get into the Christian concept of the Trinity in another post, but for now suffice to say this is not the orthodox view.
NUMBER TWO: JESUS WAS NOT ADOPTED
This is distinct from the teachings of Jehovah’s Witness, which is one of the reasons orthodox Christians believe that Jehovah’s Witness should be classified as a heresy. In brief, JWs teach that Michael the archangel and Jesus were the same being, essentially that Michael is the “heavenly name” of Jesus. This one being was in heaven as Michael, came to earth, was born/lived/died as Jesus, was spiritually resurrected, and returned to heaven as Michael. There’s a lot that orthodox Christian would disagree with there, but primarily there is a distinction between angels and the Son, so they could not be the same person.
I have also heard multiple Jehovah’s Witnesses describe this as an “adoption.” That is, the idea is that God needed someone to go to Earth and be born as His son, and Michael was chosen/volunteered. God then subsequently “adopted” Michael as His son, hence the “only begotten son” in John 3:16, as well as all the references Jesus made to “the son.” I have not been able to verify this as official JW teaching, so take it with a grain of salt.
Aside from Jehovah’s Witnesses, you will also sometimes hear that God “adopted” Jesus at his baptism; that is, when the Father says “this is my beloved son,” it means that Jesus began to be God’s son in that moment. This interpretation has also been traditionally refuted by orthodox Christians, based on the “begotten” aspect of John 3:16.
NUMBER THREE: JESUS WAS THE ONLY SON
This one is where orthodox Christians and Latter Day Saints (Mormons) have differences. However, it is fairly difficult to discuss it briefly, as there are a lot of variations within different branches of Mormonism regarding God and his children, and to my knowledge, some of those changes have varied significantly with time. I will try to summarize as best I can.
The primary issue across the different branches of Mormonism is the belief God has more than one son/daughter. Some (including Joseph Smith, the founder) taught that we are ALL God’s children, and that we can grow in our faith and obedience to eventually become like Jesus, as another “joint-heir” or heavenly sibling. Though not universally taught, it is also common for Mormons to believe that we can potentially become like God Himself (an underlying theme is that God was once a man and was exalted to become God). Others teach that God has multiple wives, and has multiple children by them as any man could, and Jesus (and Lucifer) are among those children.
Again, I want to emphasize that I’m sure there are some LatterDay Saints that will argue that those are either old versions of their beliefs or that I’ve misrepresented them. That is not my intent here. I do however believe, despite variations, that the LDS and other denominations teach that Jesus is not the the singularly only begotten son of God the Father. That is one of the reasons why most orthodox Christians place them in the heresy category.
SUMMARY
I think sometimes we forget how unique the phrase “only begotten son” really is. For most pagan mythologies, the gods had many children, so having only one would have been unusual. For monotheistic religions, God is completely singular and “other,” so the idea of having any children at all is surprising and often considered blasphemous. But for Christians, this is one of the most powerful examples of the Father’s love – God gave his only son.
The one. The only. The unique. The infinitely intimate.
We who are parents grasp a small fraction of that love for our own children. There is nothing we would not do for them. The thought of giving one up to help others? I don’t know. I don’t think there’s many of us that would consider it even for a moment. I know I wouldn’t.
How great must be God’s love for us.