This episode of We Believe unpacks the phrase from the Nicene Creed, “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.” I contrast pagan myths of divine sons—often immoral, localized, and historically ungrounded—with the unique, virtuous, and historical reality of Jesus. Pagan legends reflected a longing for a divine representative, but only Christ fulfilled that longing as the true, eternal Son who enters human history, not by lust or legend, but through miraculous incarnation and perfect love.

I then explore what it means for Jesus to be the "only-begotten" and "eternally begotten" Son. Unlike adopted or created sons, Christ shares the Father’s divine nature eternally. His Sonship is the basis for our adoption, the clearest revelation of the Father, the model of faithful obedience, and the anchor of our allegiance. Drawing from Scripture and the Church Fathers, the episode emphasizes that Jesus is not just a son of God, but the eternal Son—true God from true God.

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