Unitarian unbelievers in Jesus' pre-human existence believe, as the Bible teaches, that those who died do not exist anymore. Death indeed interrupts someone's existence (as opposed to what mainstream Christendom believes), and resurrection then is the reversal of this state: those who died are being given life again, they are brought into existence.
The same Unitarians believe begetting is the process when a parent gives life to his offspring, brings it into existence. But for some reason, some of them do not believe what happens at resurrection is a begetting, despite the process being the same.
But when the only child of a parent dies, how many children does the parent have? Is the parent still a father to his dead son? Is the dead child still a son to his father? As in the case of humans, the relationship Father-Son ends because the relationship needs two entities. If one is missing, there's no relationship. That is why God can become again Jesus' Father at resurrection.
Here are some arguments in favor of the idea that resurrection from the dead is begetting.
Luke 20:36
Jesus was once asked by some Sadducees a question about the resurrection of the dead. When Jesus describes the resurrected ones, he says:
Luke 20:36 for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
Jesus says that being sons of the resurrection, those resurrected from the dead are sons of God. One of the reasons they are sons of God is because God, through Jesus, resurrected them, gave them life and brought them into existence once more.
Colossians 1:18
The apostle Paul himself says this about Jesus and his resurrection:
He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Even in resurrection he has to be literally the first one. Yes, Jesus was the first one to be resurrected to eternal life. Thus, he is described by Paul as being the firstborn from the dead. In other words, he is God's first begotten from the dead, by way of resurrection to eternal life. Yes, God gave him life and brought him into existence by way of resurrection to eternal life, he was born from the dead.
Romans 1:4
Paul says something similar in his letter to the Romans:
who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord
The resurrection from the dead declared him to be the Son of God. But some argue that this verse must actually be understood as saying that God showed/proved that Jesus was his son by resurrecting him, the ultimate proof of Jesus being a son of Him, and not that Jesus became again a son to God because God gave him again life and brought him again into existence. Is that what Paul really wants to say?
When Paul says Jesus was "declared" son of God, he uses the Greek verb horizo (ὁρίζω in Greek). Note how this verb is translated in every instance it is used in the NT:
- Luke 22:22 "For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!"
- Acts 2:23 "this Man, delivered over by the determined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.
- Acts 10:42 "And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead"
- Acts 11:29 "And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.
- Acts 17:26 "and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation"
- Acts 17:31 "because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead"
- Hebrews 4:7 "He again fixes a certain day, "Today," saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, "today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."
Please note that in a total of 37 English translations, this verb is rendered in these ways, by this many translations:
- declare: 15
- proved: 2
- established: 2
- designated: 3
- marked out: 3
- demonstrated: 1
- predestined: 1
- known: 3
- appointed: 3
- shown: 3
- before-ordained: 1
Here they are:
New American Standard Bible:
who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
New American Bible:
but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
New International Version:
and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Geneva Bible:
And declared mightily to be the Sonne of God, touching the Spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead)
New Jerusalem Bible:
was born a descendant of David and who, in terms of the Spirit and of holiness, was designated Son of God in power by resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ, our Lord,
KJV:
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Revised Standard Version:
and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Complete Jewish Bible:
he was powerfully demonstrated to be Son of God spiritually, set apart by his having been resurrected from the dead; he is Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord.
God's Word translation
In his spiritual, holy nature he was declared the Son of God. This was shown in a powerful way when he came back to life.
American Standard Version:
who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,
Bible in Basic English:
But was marked out as Son of God in power by the Holy Spirit through the coming to life again of the dead; Jesus Christ our Lord,
Bishops' New Testament:
And hath ben declared to be the sonne of God, with power after the spirite that sanctifieth, by the resurrectio from the dead, of Iesus Christe our Lorde.
Holman Christian Standard Bible:
and was established as the powerful Son of God by the resurrection from the dead according to the Spirit of holiness.
Darby:
marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by resurrection of the dead) Jesus Christ our Lord;
Douay-Rheims American Edition:
Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead;
English Revised Version:
who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord,
English Standard Version:
and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Etheridge Translation of the NT Peshitta:
and is known (to be) the Son of Aloha by power, and by the Holy Spirit, who raised him from among the dead, Jeshu Meshiha our Lord:
Magiera Peshitta NT Translation:
and was made known [as] the Son of God by power and by the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead,
Murdock Translation of the NT Peshitta:
and was made known as the Son of God, by power, and by the Holy Spirit,) who arose from the dead, Jesus Messiah, our Lord,
New English Translation:
who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
New Living Translation:
and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
New Revised Standard Version:
and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
Tyndale's New Testament:
and declared to be the sonne of God with power of the holy goost that sanctifieth sence the tyme that Iesus Christ oure Lorde rose agayne from deeth
Webster Bible:
And declared {to be} the Son of God, with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Young's Literal Translation:
who is marked out Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification, by the rising again from the dead,) Jesus Christ our Lord;
Weymouth New Testament:
but as regards the holiness of His Spirit was decisively proved by His Resurrection to be the Son of God--I mean concerning Jesus Christ our Lord,
World English Bible:
who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,
International Standard Version:
and was declared by the resurrection from the dead to be the powerful Son of God according to the spirit of holiness-Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.
The Message:
his unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead
Amplified Bible:
And according to the Spirit of holiness was openly designated the Son of God in power by His resurrection from the dead
Contemporary English Version:
But the Holy Spirit proved that Jesus is the powerful Son of God, because he was raised from death.
New Century Version:
But through the Spirit of holiness he was declared to be God's Son with great power by rising from the dead.
New International Reader's Version:
By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was appointed to be the mighty Son of God because he rose from the dead. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.
Wycliffe New Testament:
and he was before-ordained the Son of God in virtue, by the Spirit of hallowing of the again-rising of dead men, of Jesus Christ our Lord
Worldwide English (New Testament):
He came alive from death. That showed he was God's Son. He had God's power. God's Holy Spirit did all this.
Today's New International Version:
and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Some translations which have footnotes for "declare/shown", want to make sure the reader does not miss out on other legitimate renderings of this verb:
NIV: "Or was appointed to be the Son of God with power"
KJV: declared: Gr. "determined"
NLT: "Or and was designated"
Notice how shown/known/proved/demonstrated constitute a minority of renderings, while declared/established/designated/appointed/ordained constitute a majority. There's a good explanation for this. None of the minority meanings are actual meanings of this verb. Here is what some lexicons have to say about the meanings of it:
- BDAG: to make a determination about an entity, determine, appoint, fix, set: of persons - appoint, designate, declare
- Friberg: of persons appoint, designate; as making a definite plan appoint, decide, determine;
- Barclay Newman: decide, determine; appoint, designate
- Louw-Nida: (figurative extension of meaning of ὁρίζω ‘to set limits on,’ not occurring in the NT) to come to a definite decision or firm resolve - ‘to decide, to determine, to resolve.’
- Lust-Eynikel-Hauspie: M: to establish, to ordain (an ordinance)
- Gingrich: determine, fix, set; appoint, designate, declare
- Thayer: to determine, appoint
- Liddell-Scottto mark out by boundaries; to limit, determine, appoint, lay down, order
- Strong: to mark off by boundaries, to determine;
"to make a determination about an entity, determine, appoint, fix, set"
But this meaning has two subsections:
a) of things
b) of persons
Naturally, Romans 1:4 is placed under b), because the verb's object here is a person, the Son of God. Now section b) is defined as:
b. of persons appoint, designate, declare.
Of course "declare" may have different shades of meaning. Which ones are we to consider for Rom 1:4? This lexicon is not merely saying that this verb also means "declare", but it specifies that this is a sub-meaning of "to make a determination about an entity, determine, appoint, fix, set".
One has to put the meaning "declare" in the context of "to make a determination about an entity, determine, appoint, fix, set". Those shades of meaning of "declare" are the valid ones, the ones that have an affinity for "making a determination about an entity, determine, appoint, fix, set". Most of the 15 translation committees that chose "declare" probably had in mind "to make a determination about an entity, determine, appoint, fix, set" when they chose to translate "declare".
Notice how the "declared" in the sense of "showing" Jesus to be a son of God, or "providing the decisive proof" that Jesus is a son of God, fits nowhere in this picture. These have nothing to do with "declare" in the sense of "to make a determination about an entity, determine, appoint, fix, set".
Also, the "appointed" rendering is used by three translations, while one more says in its footnote it can also be translated as "appointed", and another one's footnote says "designated"; two say "established", three more say "designated", fifteen more "declared".
There are good reasons then to conclude that Paul is saying here that Jesus was "appointed" by God to be his son through resurrection, by giving him life again and bringing him again into existence, and not that the resurrection was the ultimate proof of Jesus being a son of Him.
Being appointed to be the son of God is not a new idea. Psalm 2:7 already expressed the same idea.
Psalm 2:7
I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You'
Notice how Messiah's status as a son is also the result of a decree. What does a decree do other than appoint/establish/designate/determine somebody to be something?
Is this verse referring to the birth of the son of God as a human? What does the context say?
Verses 1-3 say:
Why are the nations in an uproar And the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, "Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!"
We know exactly when these first three verses, the beginning of this Psalm, were fulfilled; here's what 1st century Christian exegesis said:
Acts 4:24-28 And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, "O Lord, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, 'why did the gentiles rage, and the peoples devise futile things? 'the kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ.' "For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur.
These verses have their fulfillment, as these Christians said, when "in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur". That is, they are indicating the time when Jesus was arrested and put to death.
Then the psalm continues, showing what happens afterwards:
Psalm 2:4-6 He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger And terrify them in His fury, saying, "But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
Notice how the events in this psalm are presented chronologically. First the rulers take their stand against Jesus, arresting him, torturing him and killing him. After that God laughs at them. and after that speaks to them in anger, saying He has installed his king, Jesus. Then Jesus cuts in, saying:
Psalm 2:7-8 "I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 'Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
So what is the context of verse 7?, the decree of God saying "You are my Son, today I have begotten you'? The death of Christ Jesus. It is also plain to see that the events presented in this psalm are succeeding chronologically, one after another, up until verse 7. What reason would be there to say that verse 7, the decree, does not also follow chronologically as well, after Jesus' death? No reason at all, especially since God tells Jesus in verse 8 that:
Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
This verse is fulfilled chronologically, after Jesus death and after resurrection:
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth".If verse 8 is fulfilled after the resurrection, and verse 7 after the death of Jesus, it is only natural to see that the decree of God that appoints Jesus as son again occurs between his death and after events following his resurrection; that is, the decree went out when the resurrection occurred, the act through which Jesus receives again life from his Father, when his Father brings him into existence again, making him His son again, saying to him:
Philippians 2:9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth
Acts 5:30-31 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. “He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Psalm 2:7 You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.
The context therefore leaves no room for the interpretation that Psalm 2:7 was actually fulfilled at Jesus' birth as a human. On the contrary, it points to Jesus becoming a son again to God at his resurrection from the dead, in harmony with what Paul said in Romans 1:4, that Jesus was appointed, by the decree of resurrection, to be God's son.
In conclusion, the Bible does indeed indicate that what happens at resurrection is begetting, life being given to creatures of God, bringing them into existence. The resurrected ones are sons of God because they are resurrected. Jesus is the first born of the dead by being resurrected to eternal life. Jesus is also appointed son of God by his resurrection. God tells him at his resurrection "You are my son, today I have begotten you'.
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