While the phrase “only begotten” is used literally in some scriptural instances,4 it is also used to mean the best of more than one son, specifically the son most like the father. For example, Paul referred to Isaac as Abraham’s “only begotten son,” but Isaac was neither Abraham’s only nor first son.5 While whatever portion of the Lord’s title as the Only Begotten comes from before his birth is beyond our reach in this life, all of us can and should reach to become his “only begotten son”—or person most like him—in every sphere in which we inhabit, up to the limit of our abilities.6
Becoming more like God requires you to learn more about how God is. What inhibits learning more about God isn’t just a lack of obedience to what you understand or desire to learn more, but also your reaction to new truth. You can’t learn much more about God than your already know without being confronted with ideas and people that are much better than those already in your life. The natural reaction to things of much greater value is to feel worse about what you presently value, including your present beliefs, your present associates, or even yourself. Many respond to this bad feeling by turning away from greater good.7
If you want to get to know God, you have to learn to seek, receive, and apply correction.8 Those who receive the most correction from God limit him least in duration, intensity, and topic. They are willing to be corrected in any way, on any topic, by any person or situation. They desire it more than others, respond to it better than others, and share what they learn more often with others.
The process of getting to know God is called being loved by him. Just as Jesus “loved” the rich young ruler by showing him that he was less righteous than he thought,9 you are loved by God as you seek, receive, and apply his correction. God chastens those who he loves.10 Those who are most loved are those who have accepted the greatest correction from God. One who abides in the love of God is one who has received chastisement from God and responded by implementing the suggested improvements while seeking for more.
The more of God’s love you receive in the form of correction, the more of God’s love you will receive in the form of affection and blessing. While God is willing to love all of his children equally, God does not value all of his children equally.11 God does not value those who profess to believe in him or say that they love him above those who do not.12 Rather, he values those who are more similar to him above those who are less similar to him.13
Those who seek, receive, and apply the most correction from God are known as “beloved sons.” The Greek word translated as “beloved” in the New Testament is agapétos (Strong’s 27) is a measure of reconciliation to God and worthiness of eternal life. Agape is the highest form of love, the kind that God has. It is not something God has for others except through their similitude toward him. His love for sinners consists of paying the price for them to receive forgiveness on condition of forsaking their sin,14 but he hates those who refuse to repent.15
You become most like Jesus by receiving the most correction from Jesus. John was “beloved” by Jesus16 because he was the person most like Jesus during the Lord’s ministry. John did not become the person most like Jesus by birth or accident. He became most like Jesus through seeking, receiving, and applying the most correction from him.
The Lord became a “beloved son” through continually living in full alignment with the Father as the Father taught him better ways of being. According to John, Jesus was filled with “grace and truth” (John 1:14) one step at a time, learning more about the Father as he continued living in full alignment with what he was taught about him. The Lord did not receive a fulness of how the Father is at first, but received it through incrementally learning and living more like the Father,17 becoming “the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
God provided us a record of this process specifically because we are all capable of following it.1231 This is the unified message of God’s servants throughout time: become as God is by following his example, living for the benefit of others, just as God would in your place.1232
Footnotes
- 1. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (John 15:1-7) ↩
- 2. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. (John 8:42) ↩
- 3. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. (Hebrews 12:7-8) ↩
- 4. The widow’s only son in Luke 7:12, Jairus’ only daughter in Luke 8:42, and the man’s only son in Luke 9:38. ↩
- 5. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son. (Hebrews 11:17) ↩
- 6. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18) In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (1 John 4:9) ↩
- 7. And after they had partaken of the fruit of the tree they did cast their eyes about as if they were ashamed. (1 Nephi 8:25) ↩
- 8. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. (Proverbs 3:11-12) For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:6) Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. (Hebrews 12:11) And my people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things which they suffer. (D&C 105:6) As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:19) ↩
- 9. Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. (Mark 10:21) ↩
- 10. For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:6) ↩
- 11. Behold, the Lord esteemeth all flesh in one; he that is righteous is favored of God.... (1 Nephi 17:35) ↩
- 12. But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. (Matthew 21:28-31) ↩
- 13. Because you are precious and revered in my eyes, and because I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. (Isaiah 43:4, Gileadi Translation) ↩
- 14. We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19) But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) ↩
- 15. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. (Psalm 5:5-6) For the Most High himself also hates sinners and will inflict punishment on the ungodly. (Sirach 12:6) ↩
- 16. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. (John 13:23) When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! (John 19:26) ↩
- 17. And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us. And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace; And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness; And thus he was called the Son of God, because he received not of the fulness at the first. And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This is my beloved Son. (D&C 93:11-15) ↩