In
John 1:14: It is saying that the Son of God was only begotten of the Father in the sense of His human side or the Incarnation when the Word was made flesh. It is incorrect to say in Modern bibles in
John 1:18 that Jesus is the only begotten God because it saying that HE is the object of being begotten (being born) AS GOD. Jesus was begotten of the Father in the sense of His human side only. That is what
John 1:14 is saying. The Word was made flesh. The Word was not coming into existence.
One of your Modern Bibles says this:
John 1:18 NASB
“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”
Begotten means to be born. Jesus is not the born into existence God. Jesus is the only begotten Son in the sense that He was born by human flesh from God the Father. But the Word (second person of the Trinity) is eternal and forever existed.
Then there is
Micah 5:2 you have to deal with in certain Modern Bibles, too. You really cannot skate around that one in being a problem. Some Modern bibles suggest that the Messiah is not from everlasting.
Okay, we have two issues here: 1) the phrase "only begotten" and 2) Your interpretation of John 1:14.
Only begotten:
This phrase translates the single Greek word "
monogenes." The same word is used in Paul's epistle to the Hebrews.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “In Isaac your descendants shall be called.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. Hebrews 11:17-19.
Here we see the same phrase "only begotten son", wherein Paul highlights the profundity of Abraham's faith. Abraham trusted God so much that he was willing to go through the sacrifice of Isaac, believing that God would raise him from the dead. And Abraham was right and wise to think this about God because he knew that God would never fail to keep his promise concerning Isaac.
In other words, in order for God to keep his promise concerning his son, Isaac needed to be alive. If Isaac was killed, then God's promise would fail. But with Isaac alive God's promise would come true. And if Abraham were to kill Isaac in a ritual sacrifice, Abraham knew that God would bring him, Isaac, back to life.
In order to see the depth of Abraham's faith, we need to bear in mind that Isaiac was NOT Abraham's only son. Isaiac had a brother, Ishmael. The difference between Isaac and Ishmael is the fact that Isaac, not Ishmael was the son of promise -- the son whom God chose to promise.
From this context we come to understand the meaning of
monogenes:
only begotten.
Monogenes means "one-of-a-kind son" focused on the uniqueness of the son. Among all of Abraham's sons, Isaac was unique in that God chose Isaac to be the son of promise. Monogenes isn't focused on birth; it's focused on status. Isaac wasn't the only son born to Abraham but he was the only son whom God promised to bless.
John 1:14
Now we turn our attention to John 1:14. And let's use the KJV version.
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. KJV
Does this verse talk about the birth of Jesus? Yes. At the beginning of the verse it says, "the Word became flesh". This speaks about his birth and reminds us of the fact that he was not a spirit or a ghost or an apparition. He was a living, breathing, human being, born to the Virgin Mary.
Does "only begotten" talk about his birth? No. John is making a new point. And to understand John, we need a little background. John intends to make a point about the status of Jesus. John is using the term monogenes the same way Paul did in his epistle to the Hebrews. Jesus isn't the only son of God. Rather he is the unique son of God by whom the Father would keep his promise to Abraham to raise up a son who would bring righteousness and salvation to his people.
Jesus is not the only son of God.
In this context "son of God" has special meaning based on a coronation Psalm of David. Refer to Psalms 2 In that context, we hear the decree of Yahweh, "You are my son; Today I have begotten thee." Bear in mind, he is saying this to a grown man. He is NOT saying, "Today you were born" since this doesn't make sense. Rather, he is saying "Today I declare that you are my son."
This language comes from David's experience with God as recorded in 2 Samuel 7. In that context, God speaks to David about his son Solomon. He tells David that Solomon will be the beginning of a Dynasty that will exist forever. From that moment forward, all the kings of Israel will not only be sons of David, they will also be sons of God.
13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. 2Samuel 7:13-16 KJV
God the father established a throne and a kingdom that would last forever. And each king of Israel from that moment forward, God would call "my son" And according to Psalm 2, these men became "sons of God" by decree at their coronation ceremony.
With this as background we can now understand John's point. Jesus is not only the Word of God made flesh, he is the unique and special king of Israel that will fulfill God's promise to David that his dynasty would never end. In that context, monogenes points to the uniqueness of Jesus among all the kings of Israel.
Now for the NASB
18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
Again, monogenes refers to the uniqueness of a son and in this context the focus is on the unique king of Israel, whom God declares to be his sons. Among all the kings of Israel, Jesus is the unique and special king, who will fulfill God's promise to both Abraham and David. In this context one might misunderstand the phrase "only begotten God" to mean "only God who was born", which is not what John means to say. Rather, in the Ancient Near East, the kings of great nations and empires referred to themselves as "God" and in that context the term "God" means, "A ruler that for all intents and purposes is God incarnate."
John's point is this. Although these ancient kings claimed to be God incarnate, there is only one God incarnate because Jesus is the monogenes God, i.e. decreed as God by the Father himself. Not only this, but everyone who ever met Jesus could testify that Jesus is truly God incarnate because of his behavior. In John's words, Jesus exegeted God. Jesus represented God so perfectly that it was impossible to tell them apart.