Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Bible.com Matthew 8:5 "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, 6 and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. 7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. 8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour." Bible.com Who is modern "Israel"? Galatians 3:29 "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Bible.com A Roman centurion had more faith than all of the supposed people of God. Do we have faith in God's Word? Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Bible.com 2 Timothy 3:14 "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; 15 and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." Bible.com Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Bible.com Romans 12:3 "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Bible.com Titus 1:2 "in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" Bible.com Hebrews 6: 18 "that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:" Bible.com Numbers 23:19 "God is not a man, that he should lie; Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" Bible.com Isaiah 55:11 "so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." Bible.com God has many precious promises in His Word. Do we believe them? When we read God's promises in prayer and ask God to honor His Word, then He will. "God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him." MH 479.2 https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p135.2520&index=0 link to first blog on faith:
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Was Jesus "Begotten"?
Has Jesus always existed? John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." In the Greek the same word is used for begotten in Hebrews 11:17 and it means unique. "μονογενῆ (monogenÄ“): Often translated as "only begotten," it strictly means "one-of-a-kind" or "unique." https://search.brave.com/searchq=greek+John+3%3A16&conversation=09aaf8200162969fde56e53b938ed916ce43 and https://godrules.net/library/strongs2b/gre3439.htm In other words, there is no one like him and no one else could take his place. "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son," https://www.bible.com/bible/1/HEB.11.KJV Abraham not only had Ishmael and Isaac, he also had other sons as given in Genesis 25:1 "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah. 9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;" https://www.bible.com/bible/1/GEN.25.KJV Isaac was the son of promise, the one with whom the covenant was made. Jesus was the one who came because of the covenant was made back in Genesis 3:15 "and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/GEN.3.KJV In John 14:15 Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.14.KJV Who gave the commandments in Exodus 20? Exodus 20:1 “And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." https://www.bible.com/bible/1/EXO.20.KJV We compare Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” https://www.bible.com/bible/1/EXO.3.KJV with John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.8.KJV and the picture becomes even more clear. In commentary on these verses EGW says in the book the Desire of Ages, “Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, ‘whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity’. Micah 5:2,” margin. DA 469.5 https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.2295&index=0 “Jehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One, Himself the Source and Sustainer of all, is alone entitled to supreme reverence and worship.” PP 305.4 https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p84.1344&index=0 (see John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”) https://www.bible.com/bible/1/JHN.1.KJV “Before Abraham was, I am.” Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God. The message He gave to Moses to give to the children of Israel was, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” The prophet Micah writes of Him, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, tho thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of Thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” ST August 29, 1900, par. 13 https://egwwritings.org/readpanels=p820.16966&index=0 Jesus has always existed and is divine and one with the Father. Here are other blogs about Jesus’ divinity. https://iodtiger.blogspot.com/2018/07/examining-each-text-more-on-jesusgod.html and https://iodtiger.blogspot.com/2013/03/jesusgod.html
The Spirit of Prophecy is also clear on this subject. The following are quotes from EGW writings. When Satan rebelled in heaven, "They (God the Father and God the Son) clearly set forth that Jesus was the Son of God, existing with him before the angels were created; and that he had ever stood at the right hand of God, and his mild, loving authority had not heretofore been questioned;" 1SP 19.1 https://egwwritings.org/readpanels=p141.63&index=0 "The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father." RH April 5, 1906, par. 7. https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p146.102&index=0 "He was the only-begotten Son of God, who was one with the Father from the beginning." 9 LtMs, Ms 92, 1894, par. 1 https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p14059.5123006&index=0 "When man’s redemption was to be worked out, God gave the commandment that the sword should awake against His only begotten Son, who had been one with Him from eternity." 18LtMs, Ms 76, 1903, par. 25 https://egwwritings.org/readpanels=p14068.9640038&index=0 The following EGW quote actually taken as a whole explains Proverbs 8:24 "When there were no depths, I was brought forth; When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth:" https://www.bible.com/bible/1/PRO.8.KJV "The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate—a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created beings. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:1, 2. Christ, the Word, the only begotten of God, was one with the eternal Father—one in nature, in character, in purpose—the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6. His “goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Micah 5:2. And the Son of God declares concerning Himself: “The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. I was set up from everlasting.... When He appointed the foundations of the earth: then I was by Him, as one brought up with Him: and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him.” Proverbs 8:22-30. PP 34.1" https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p84.75&index=0 Satan, clothed in the garb of an angel of light, presents for the study of the human mind subjects which seem very interesting and which are full of scientific mystery. In the investigation of these subjects, men are led to accept erroneous conclusions and to unite with seducing spirits in the work of propounding new theories which lead away from the truth. 9T 67.3 https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p115.363&index=0