BBI II-D #1 The “Genesis” of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:18 & Luke 1:35)

We are beginning section “D” of Bereans Bible Institute Module II on the doctrine of God and His Only-Begotten Son. This section will deal primarily with the “proof-texting” done by Biblical Unitarians (Socinians) and their specific arguments in their attempt to prove that Jesus had no pre-human existence, and that He was not LITERALLY the “Son of God,” not LITERALLY “begotten” out of God, fathered by God Himself.

In this first installment, I tackle the two primary “proof-texts” that Biblical Unitarians lean on in the Synoptic Gospels. The first is Matthew 1:18 which they claim proves that the Son’s “genesis/origin” was at His conception in Mary. Therefore, His conscious Person could not have existed previously. The second proof-text is Luke 1:35 where Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the mother of Jesus. This verse is used to prove that the expression “Son of God” does not mean that God literally “fathered” Jesus, but instead that He was only CALLED the “Son of God,” and that His sonship was by adoption not by procreation.

In Matt. 1:18 Biblical Unitarians make a severe contextual error by going beyond what the text actually says, thus drawing an unwarranted conclusion. In Luke 1:35 they rely on incorrect Trinitarian translations. They ignore the nuances of the Greek grammar which prove that Jesus was already “begotten” before Mary became pregnant, and Gabriel said that it was for THIS REASON He would be called “Son of God.”