in depth: The Eternal Generation of the Son
Many theologians in the history of the church have supported the doctrine called the eternal generation of the Son. Likely deriving from Origen, the phrase denotes the inter-Trinitarian relationship between the Father and the Son. “Generation” suggests that there is a divine sonship prior to the incarnation, and that there is a clear distinction of persons within the one Godhead (see comments on 5:26). The doctrine is affirmed in confessions like the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed (AD 381) and post-Reformation statements like the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF 2.3). The doctrine is strongly supported by 1:18, especially the use of the term long but wrongly translated as “only begotten” (μονογενής). Since the term is more accurately translated as “unique Son,” support for the doctrine in recent years has decreased. Some have even claimed the doctrine lacks biblical support.
Although our interpretation of the term “unique Son” (μονογενής) goes against the idea of “only begotten,” and therefore distances that term from the concept of “generation” (see comments on 1:14), there is no reason to deny the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son. The eternal generation of the Son is not best drawn from a few dubious proof texts but is rooted in a rigorous and comprehensive Trinitarian hermeneutic. Scripture’s subject matter depicts the Trinitarian relationship between the Father and the Son in a manner that is nicely summarized by the doctrine of eternal generation.166 The idea of eternal generation corresponds fittingly to what God has shown of himself in his own eternal being (the imminent Trinity). For “God has given form and order to the history of salvation because he intends not only to save us through it but also to reveal himself through it. The economy is shaped by God’s intention to communicate his identity and character.” And when the Son and Holy Spirit are depicted in human history, they behave as they truly are: “Their eternal personalities, we might say, are exhibited here in time.”168 Thus, the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son can rightly be drawn from the subject matter of Scripture, with 1:18 giving a glimpse into the very nature of God and the intimate union between God the Father and God the Son.
Klink, E. W., III. (2016). John. (C. E. Arnold, Ed.) (p. 119). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
