Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists

Abraham's "only begotten son, "although he
was not Abraham's only son, or even his
firstborn son (Gen. 16:16; 21:1-21; 25:1-6).
Isaac was the unique son, the only one of his
kind, destined to become Abraham's
successor. "Jesus Christ, the pre-existent God,
the divine creative Word, at His incarnation
became in a unique sense the Son of God--
which is why He is designated 'monogenes'
the only one of His kind, altogether unique in
many aspects of His being and life. No other
child of the human race was so compacted in
his being, had so unequaled a relation to the
Godhead, or did such a work as is true of
Him. So 'monogenes' describes a relation
between God the Father and Jesus Christ the
Son as separate Persons of the Godhead. This
is a relation that belongs to Christ's complex,
divine-human personality, in connection with
the economy of the plan of salvation."
(Committee on Problems in Bible Translation,
Problems in Bible Translation [Washington,
D. C.: Review and Herald, 19541, p. 202).
Likewise, when Christ is called the "firstborn"
149