The world recognizes Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, sacrificed for the redemption of humanity. Nothing else is known of any human having resurrected into life, after burial. The only credence of Jesus being God’s Son was His observed resurrection from the grave. While the Jews rejected Him for calling Himself God’s Son, they held no reason for objection. Christians are adamant about Jesus being God’s only begotten Son, as scripturally, captured by John.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16-17).
The term “beget,” implies conception, when applicable in the physical universe. A baby is conceived in its mother’s womb, anticipated to be born after nine months. Many conceived fetuses fail to reach delivery. A child may be aborted, before delivery, or be prematurely delivered. The tradition of mourning is reserved for those who have been born and can communicate with others in the physical universe. Christians are correct on the aspect of Jesus being Christ and having been the only begotten Son of God. But there are other unrecognised God’s begotten Children.
Although having also gone through physical birth processes, Jesus was God’s only begotten Son, legitimized by the Holy Spirit in Him. The controversy that existed between Jesus and the Jews, emanated from His claim of being God’s Son. This was an affront, not only against logic, but also against the, hitherto, unknown reality of humans being God’s children. The condition that entitles humans to be God’s children, although physical, is the Holy Spirit.
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who the Spirit of God leads are the children of God” (Romans 8:7-14)
Without the Holy Spirit, it would be futile for anyone to claim to be God’s child. The generality of humanity is disconnected from God. The legitimizing agent for anyone to claim to be God’s Child is the Holy Spirit. Ordinary humans are figuratively disconnected from God, as narrated through the Garden of Eden incident. Ordinary humans have no right to call God their Father. There is a precise procedure before one can be accepted to become God’s child, as illustrated through the Prodigal Son parable.
Jesus ceased to be God’s only begotten Son and became God, just as His Father is God, after resurrection. The Spiritual miracle on the Day of Pentecost enabled thousands to become God’s begotten Children. After conception, the fetus would be under the protection of a mother’s womb. Stillbirths may be experienced along the way. Nevertheless, the function of the womb is to protect the baby, during the gestation period, leading to the day of delivery.
The expecting mother needs maximum support, for the fetus to survive during the gestation period. A good diet, among other prerequisites, for its healthy development, in the womb, is paramount. The mother may die before the child’s delivery, depicting the cessation of that child’s survival. Analogously, a God’s begotten child may, or may not reach the delivery stage.
The Church function is similar to a physical mother of an unborn fetus. But an aborted child is not mourned similarly to how ordinary humans are mourned. The Church is applicable as the spiritual mother of God’s begotten children. In the absence of DNA, physical children are commonly accepted as belonging to the father figure in a household. Some mothers have managed to keep secrets, where true fathers would be different. This is what happens in a world of deception and corruption.
Who knows his true father, except the mother who may be truthful or untruthful? The advent of DNA can now expose deceptive mothers, as true fathers can now be established. Some mothers attempt to abort, without success, until the child reaches the birth stage. It takes a resilient child to survive turbulent times during gestation. The conception of God’s child does not require DNA testing to prove legitimacy. God can identify His own, among those claiming to be His children. He knows and protects those that are truly His.
Currently, God’s Church is humanly unidentifiable, because of too much treachery engulfing the Christian world. Nevertheless, God’s legitimate children can hardly be deceived, because they recognize Jesus’ voice when compared to other illegitimate voices. In a physical womb, it may take a highly resilient baby to survive the gestation period. Otherwise, the baby fails to make it through to the delivery stage. The same applies to the begotten children of God.
Jesus faced similar trials as God’s only begotten Son, during His time on earth. He held on, until the day of delivery, characterized by His crucifixion and resurrection. Figuratively, the resurrection is symbolized on the day of a physical baby’s delivery into this world. The difference is signified in the uncertainties of the physical child’s future, culminating in an eventual return to the grave. Everyone born into this world ought to know that death is inevitable, whether one likes it or not.
God’s Church is the Mother of all God’s begotten Children. The question asked by many people is: “Which one is the true Church of God?” That question does not arise among God’s truly begotten children. They know the voice of Jesus, who also knows them. Depending on whichever background, those people make a positive difference. They would always be causative, rather than being effects on their respective environments. They are not identified by label, but by their works, which would not be different from Jesus’ works.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.
“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again” (John 10:11-17 NIV).
As long as Jesus is the central point, God’s true Church cannot necessarily be cowed to conform to group requirements. There would be unpopular radicals, among truthful Church groupings. As long as the group is Christ-centric, disagreements will always be addressed scripturally. Those who are less focused on Christ would accommodate a smaller number of God’s children, but accommodating more worldly congregants. God’s children are not necessarily attracted to peaceful environments.
There cannot be any denomination that is better than others. But the more effective ones are those making a difference in directing congregants to Christ. The works of such Churches cannot be different from the aspirations of Christ. That does not necessarily require travelling long distances on foot or wearing the attire applicable in Jesus’ times.
Everything would be conducted according to the current directions of Jesus, rather than the pastorally regimented directions. If truly representing God’s Church, a congregation would be in disharmony. Jesus caused disharmony among the Jews. He did not suggest schism to establish a harmonious fellowship. That is why they eventually killed Him.
Jesus practised truth among the untruthful people. The same applied to the apostles, who were later killed for similar reasons. Everyone wants peace, which cannot always be possible in God’s Church. Zimbabwe is currently experiencing an interesting phenomenon.
A progressive political party like the CCC is considered to represent the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people. But can anyone show me a political party that appears as thrown into sixes and sevens, more than the CCC?
That tag of controversy is indicative of the datum that where there is hope would be where one finds controversy. It comes as no surprise that there is tranquillity in ZANU PF, whichever way one looks at it. This is notwithstanding the corruption and bad things committed in the ZANU PF government.
To Nicodemus, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth; no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3). This was an answer to Nicodemus who had appreciated that Jesus was not ordinary. The process of being born requires some precision. In the physical world, we know that a child in the womb normally takes nine months before being born.
Similarly, there is a Spiritual process, before a begotten Child of God is born. Jesus was the only one born already being God’s begotten Son. In other words, Jesus had every prerequisite of God’s Kingdom. He did not need to be taught by anyone of this world, because He came directly from Heaven.
Jesus was not a product of some educational institution. He was a direct representative having directly come from God. The process of human birth, for Him, was only necessary for showing physical humans the way to God’s Kingdom. Therefore, Jesus was the first, only begotten Son, to demonstrate Christianity through His ministry as Christ, to save Mankind.
His baptism through John was merely a formality, designed to help humans to follow His example. Otherwise, Jesus did not need baptism, except for the reason of fulfilling procedural requirements. Everything done by Jesus was for humans’ adoption and application. In other words, the primary purpose of Jesus was to plot the way towards God’s Kingdom. After Jesus’ resurrection, God’s Church was first formed on the Day of Pentecost.
That experience was the first of its kind, but it resulted from the services of Jesus, leading to His death on the cross. Believers became God’s begotten Children from that moment, onwards. It is no longer necessary to assume that Jesus remained as God’s only begotten Son. Jesus unequivocally confirmed this when He projected what would take place on Judgment Day.
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:37-40 NIV).
Jesus revealed the truth of God’s begotten Children, being in our midst. The righteous would not, at that time, have been regarded as God’s begotten Children, although accepted into God’s Kingdom. This serves as the only confirmation that the idea of assuming that Jesus remains the only begotten Son of God is fallacious.
There are several other begotten Children of God in our midst as also confirmed by the apostle Paul. A begotten Child of God remains in His physical state until the day of the renunciation of His physical body. This is commonly referred to as death, which carries a different meaning in Christianity. As the plotter of the way to our salvation, Christ is the pioneer.
But the assumption that Jesus remains as the only begotten Son of God should be considered fallacious. There are several other begotten Children of God, who may or may not make it into God’s Kingdom. The only key that remains to be, is in the ability to follow the footsteps of Jesus according to the proper description of Christianity. Those who are not Christians are advised to conduct themselves ethically. That would leave the possibility of them being counted among the righteous, as referred to by Jesus.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those who have witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
The Print copy is now available at Amazon.com for $13.99
Also available as an e-copy at Lulu.com for $6.99
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