1 John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah, has been born of God, and everyone who loves the One who has begotten loves the One who has been begotten.
Πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ὅτι Ἰησοῦς ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ γεγέννηται, καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὸν γεννήσαντα ἀγαπᾷ [καὶ] τὸν γεγεννημένον ἐξ αὐτοῦ.
The link between God the Father and God the Son is nonnegotiable for orthodox believers. The challenge is how to understand this relationship and the characteristics of the Messiah. It is a diamond field that can never be completely mined. There are some clear understandings that must be in place to be within orthodox doctrine. Sadly, there are groups that masquerade as orthodox but are far from the crucial confessions of faith that the church has made since Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). This acknowledgement is the open door to eternal life.
The word that has been debated among interpreters since the early days is “begotten.” This word means to bring something forth as in birth. Jesus was born through the Holy Spirit but revealed by the Father. John may be thinking more of the incarnation here than anything eternal. Interestingly there are two different tenses with the substantival participles. “The one who has begotten” is perfect tense, with the emphasis on the on-going relationship of love. “The one who was begotten” is aorist tense pointing more to the historical event of Jesus’ birth.
To love the Father is to love the Son. To love the Son is to love the Father. We do not need to know all the nuances of Christology but we must love God the Father and Son. To reject the Son is to reject the Father. To misunderstand or misinterpret the Son means to misunderstand and misinterpret the Father.
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