1803071. 83-86. Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?

83. In what sense is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?

84. What is the meaning of the title "Lord"?

85. Why did the Son of God become man?

86. What does the word "Incarnation" mean?

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83. In what sense is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God?

Jesus is the Son of God in a unique and perfect way. At the time of his Baptism and his Transfiguration, the voice of the Father designated Jesus as his "beloved Son". In presenting himself as the Son who "knows the Father" (Matthew 11:27), Jesus affirmed his singular and eternal relationship with God his Father. He is "the Only Begotten Son of God" (I John 4:9), the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is the central figure of apostolic preaching. The apostles saw "his glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father" (John 1:14).

Further reading: CCC 441-445, 454

84. What is the meaning of the title "Lord"?

In the Bible this title regularly designates God as Sovereign. Jesus ascribed this title to himself and revealed his divine sovereignty by his power over nature, over demons, over sin and over death, above all by his own Resurrection. The first Christian creeds proclaimed that the power, the honor, and the glory that are due to God the Father also belong to Jesus: God "has given him the name which is above every other name" (Philippians2:9). He is the Lord of the world and of history, the only One to whom we must completely submit our personal freedom.

Further reading: CCC 446-451, 455

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85. Why did the Son of God become man?

For us men and for our salvation, the Son of God became incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit. He did so to reconcile us sinners with God, to have us learn by God's power of the Holy Spirit. He did so to reconcile us sinners with God, to have us learn of God's infinite love, to be our model of holiness and to make us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4).

Further reading: CCC 456-460

86. What does the word "Incarnation" mean?

The Church calls the mystery of the wonderful union of the divine and human natures in the one divine Person of the Word the "Incarnation." To bring about our salvation the Son of God was made "flesh" (John 1:14) and became truly man. Faith in the Incarnation is a distinctive sign of the Christian faith. 

Further reading: CCC 461-463, 483

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