Why is Jesus referred to as the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14)?

The apostle John refers to Jesus as the “only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14, KJV), a description with profound theological significance. Some suggest that this verse may be the most crucial passage in the Bible on the doctrine of the incarnation of Christ: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (NKJV).

John wanted readers to understand that Jesus Christ was fully God in human form. This is what the word incarnation (from the Latin incarnatus) means. God the Son took on human flesh and came to live among us to make God known to us. “Only begotten” (KJV, NKJV, NASB95) is a translation of the Greek word monogenes, which means “unique or one of a kind.” John uses it here to emphasize the singular relationship that Jesus Christ has with God the Father. It is a kinship unlike any other.

In centuries past, it was assumed that the term monogenes derived from two Greek words—monos (“one” or “only”) and the verb gennaō (“to beget”). The older translation, “only begotten of the Father” (KJV, NKJV), is based on this assumption. However, more recent manuscript discoveries have revealed that the term actually derives from monos (“one” or “only”) and the noun genē (“kind” or “type”). Thus, monogenes refers to uniqueness or singularity without reference to origin, birth, chronology, or procreation. Newer Bible translations reflect this understanding as “the one and only Son, who came from the Father” (NIV) or “the Father’s one and only Son” (NLT).

The unique designation of monogenes—that Jesus is the only begotten of the Father or, better, the Father’s one and only Son—points directly to His divine nature. Christ holds a special, intimate, and beloved status as Son, sent from God (John 3:16–17) to wholly and entirely represent Him (John 3:16–17; 5:19).

Begotten of the Father does not mean that Jesus was “created,” “produced,” or “made” by the Father, as some false teachings suggest. Failing to understand the true meaning of these words in their original language, critics of trinitarian doctrine use the term begotten and its literal meaning in English to claim a chronological beginning for the Son.

The original language affirms that Jesus Christ shares the divine nature of God. It underscores His eternal pre-existence, meaning the Son has always existed with God from the very beginning (John 1:1–2; cf. John 8:58; 17:5, 24; 1 John 1:1; Revelation 1:8). The Son always shared in the Father’s divine nature and glory. He is of the same essence as the Father. His “one and only” status sets Jesus Christ apart from all other sons and daughters of God, including believers, who are God’s adopted children (John 1:12; Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:29).

This idea is further affirmed by the Nicene Creed, in which Jesus is described as “eternally begotten of the Father . . . begotten, not made.” This language, developed in fourth-century debates, emphasizes that, while the incarnate Son is dependent on the Father (John 6:57), He is both divine and eternal and not a created being. In this context, the phrase the only begotten of the Father does not imply a temporal event but an intimate, eternal relationship within the Godhead. This concept actually reinforces the doctrine of the Trinity, maintaining that Jesus Christ is both God and human without changing the nature of God.

Jesus is referred to as the only begotten of the Father because in His incarnate existence—His fully divine and miraculously human state—He is absolutely alone and unequaled (see Mark 12:6). All those who believe in Him are indeed made His children, but only in an infinitely inferior sense.