How did God beget His Son?

Last updated on August 28, 2025

Many believers wonder about the mystery of how God begot His Son. Did Saint Mary give birth to the Son of God? The answer, while seemingly simple, carries a deeper spiritual meaning. In a physical sense, yes—Saint Mary gave birth to The Lord Jesus. But what truly made Jesus the Son of God was not the biological process through Mary’s womb. Rather, it was the divine nature He inherited from God Himself. The Lord Jesus received “the name above all names,” and that name is “The Son of God.”

The Son Already Existed Before Time Began

Before Mary ever conceived, the Son of God already existed. His origin didn’t begin in Bethlehem or in Mary’s womb—it began in the eternal realm. According to the Gospel of John, the Son of God existed from the beginning. This means He did not come into being through natural conception but was begotten directly by God in eternity past.

John 1:1 declares:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

This powerful passage affirms that the Word, who later became flesh in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ—the Light—was not only with God but was God. That Word was the light of men, and through that light the eternal Son radiated into creation.

God Is Light—And the Son Is His Radiance

To fully grasp how God begot His Son, we must understand the nature of God Himself. The Apostle John gives us this crucial insight:

1 John 1:5 says:

“This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”

Now consider what happened in Genesis 1:3, when God first uttered His creative Word:

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

At that moment, when God spoke light into existence, He didn’t merely create physical illumination. That command manifested the image of Himself—His nature, His glory, His essence. In other words, His Word produced a radiance that was identical to who He is: pure light. That radiant image of God, born from His spoken Word, is the Son.

The Radiance of God’s Glory

The Book of Hebrews affirms this truth beautifully. It proclaims that the Son is not merely a created being but the very expression of God’s divine essence.

Hebrews 1:3 reveals:

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”

So then, how did God beget His Son? He begot Him through His Word—by sending forth light that revealed and radiated His divine nature. That light didn’t come from a separate source; it came from God Himself, and it was God. The Son was begotten, not created, and He stands eternally as the perfect reflection of the Father.

Conclusion: Born of Light, Not of Flesh

Friends, understanding this truth requires spiritual discernment. While Mary gave birth to Jesus in the flesh, the Son of God existed long before that moment in time. He was begotten when the Father spoke forth light—a light that carried God’s own image and glory. Jesus Christ is that light, the Word made flesh, the Son begotten before the foundation of the world.

This is the mystery and majesty of our faith: that God, who is light, revealed Himself through His Son so that we might also become children of light.

Let your light shine, brethren. And remember—if God begot His Son by light, then we too must live as reflections of that same divine light.

Until next time, may the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always. God bless you!