THEOSISAthanasius the Great
Why do you, Arians, despite all the evidence, fail to comprehend the teachings found in Deuteronomy? You continue to speak against the Lord, suggesting He is merely a creation, a made thing, or a product of birth. You assert that 'birth' and 'work' are synonymous, yet you reveal your own ignorance and malevolence. The first inquiry highlights this: 'Did not this thy Father Himself obtain thee, and make thee, and create thee?' (Deuteronomy 32:6). Just a bit further down in the same hymn, it states, 'Thou hast forsaken the God that begat thee, and hast forgotten the God that nourisheth thee.' The profundity of these phrases is truly remarkable!
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Moses refrained from using 'begotten' initially, to avoid equating it with the term 'created', thus denying heretics the opportunity to argue that Moses conflated God’s declaration 'Let us create man' (Gen. 1:26) with His later affirmation that 'God who begot you has forsaken you', incorrectly suggesting these terms were interchangeable. Rather, by using 'created', he alludes to the natural condition of humanity, indicating they are works of creation, while the term 'begotten' reveals the divine nature of God, manifested to humanity at creation.
Understanding their ingratitude, Moses first asks, 'Do ye render this to the Lord?' before reiterating, 'Did not this thy Father Himself obtain thee, and make thee, and create thee?' He then continues, ‘They have devoured demons, and not God, gods which their fathers did not know: new and recent ones have come, which their fathers did not know. You have forsaken the God who gave birth to you.' God not only fashioned them as humans but called them His sons, signifying a relationship as if He had begotten them. In this context, 'begotten' translates to 'son', as the prophet proclaims, 'I begotten sons and exalted them' (Isaiah 1:2). Typically, when Scripture communicates the idea of ‘son’, it employs 'begotten' rather than 'created'. This notion is echoed by John when he states, 'He gave them power to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who are not born of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of men, but of God’ (John 1:12-13). Here, John's language aptly emphasizes that they are called sons not by birthright but through adoption, with 'begotten' signifying they bear the title 'son'. Yet, as the prophet indicates, 'rejected' the Benefactor (Isaiah 1:2). Thus, it is through God's grace that He becomes the Father to those He created, which occurs when His people, as the Apostle states, receive in their hearts the Spirit of His Son, 'crying, “Abba Father”' (Galatians 4:6). Therefore, those who have accepted the Word are granted the status of children of God; otherwise, as mere creations by nature, they could not claim sonship without receiving the Spirit of the true and natural Son.
To facilitate this, 'the Word was made flesh' so that humanity could receive the divine essence within themselves. This sentiment is mirrored in the prophet Malachi, who asks, 'Is not God alone your maker? Is not the Father one to you all?' (Malachi 2:10). The prophet first references 'created', then mentions 'Father', indicating that we are originally creatures and are formed by the Word, but later, we are adopted, with God the Creator becoming our Father. Hence, the Father is the inheritance of the Son, and the possession of the Father is not the creature but the Son. This illustrates that by nature, we are not sons; rather, the Son dwells within us, and consequently, God is not our Father by nature but through the Word residing in us, through whom we call out 'Abba Father'. Given this reality, when the Father recognizes His Son in any individual, He also refers to them as sons and uses the term 'begotten'. Since 'begat' indicates 'son', and 'created' points to 'works', we first bear the title 'created' before we are called 'begotten'. As it is written, 'Let us make man' (Genesis 1:26), and only after receiving the grace of the Spirit are we designated as born. Certainly, the eminent Moses used 'begotten' initially with good intent, followed by the term 'begotten' so that the Israelites would remember their initial nature, realizing that while they are creatures by nature, they are graced by being called born as sons. In considering the relationship between the terms 'created' and 'begotten' concerning the birth of God the Son from the Father, one may reflect on Proverbs 8:25.