Seminary Viewpoints

A Word for the Nations: “This Day I Have Begotten You”

Sam Horn: Today I have with me Pastor Mark Minnick. And, Mark, you just preached a phenomenal message on Psalm two in our series “Return of The King.” In Psalm two you referenced a verse that I’ve been curious about and I’m sure many of our viewers have been curious about. It’s the verse where the Messiah is actually talking to his father, and in verse seven he talks about the decree that his father has given about him. He uses this phrase, “The Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day I have begotten thee.” I’ve always been curious about how God the Son and God the Father could talk that way. How is it that God the Father is talking about begetting his own son?

Mark Minnick: Well, that question really zeroes in on the primary interpretational difficulty in this psalm because anyone who reads that language of the father be getting the son immediately begins to assume that has some reference to the father’s giving life to the second person of the Godhead. And, of course, that can very quickly lead you to a heretic conclusion. The Spirit of God has given to us the inspired interpretation of that verse; We’re not left in any doubt as to what that means. That interpretation is in the thirteenth chapter of the book of Acts, and I’m just going to turn to it and read the verse there. I think it’ll be self-evident once it’s brought to everyone’s attention. This was the Apostle Paul; he’s preaching in Antioch of Pisidia, which is in modern-day Turkey. Paul is speaking of the crucifixion of the Messiah, and then he announces the good news that God raised him from the dead. And Paul realizes that his hearers would do well–that it would be helpful to them to have scriptural confirmation. So, he says in the 33rd verse of Acts 13, “God has fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he has raised up Jesus again; as it is written in the second psalm.” He then quotes the part of the psalm that foretells the resurrection; he says, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” Listen to that wording again. “God raised up Jesus again; as it is written in the second psalm. Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.” What is a begetting but a bringing to life? When did God the Father bring to life the Messiah? After he’d been crucified.

Horn: At his resurrection. So that really was a connection for me and very, very helpful. And I know our viewers will be helped as well. I’m glad you could be here with us. Pastor Minnick, thank you for your answer.