Conformity to Christ: A Unique Outcome

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Bible verse more popular than John 3:16. Virtually every Christian knows it by heart, and if they don’t, you have my permission to shame them. No, sorry, I meant you have my permission to exhort them in love to memorize it. There, that sounds better. Just remember, if you don’t know it either, that double-edged Sword cuts both ways.

The New King James Version phrases the verse this way: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 NKJV). However, the International Standard Version phrases it this way: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his unique Son so that everyone who believes in him might not be lost but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ISV).

Did you catch that? In the first translation, God has an “only begotten” Son; in the second translation, God has a “unique” Son. Well, which is it?

The crux of the issue centers around the Greek word used in the passage: μονογενῆ.

Everyone agrees that the first part of the word (μονο) means “only.” The controversy surrounds the meaning of the second half of the word (γενῆ). Traditionally, it’s believed to be a suffix derived from the verb γεννάω which means “to be born.” If that’s the case, the word would be translated as “only born” or “only begotten.” However, recent scholarship has proposed that it comes from another word, γένος, which can mean “kind” or “type.” If that’s the case, the word could be translated as “only kind” or “only type” with “unique” being the best word for the meaning in English. The controversy arises because, in Greek, both of these options would be written the same way due to the sentence structure of the verse.

We can even see the integration of this new research in different editions of the same translation. The New American Standard Bible is one such example. The 1995 edition of the NASB phrases the verse this way: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NASB95). However, the latest 2020 edition of the NASB phrases it this way: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NASB). Did you catch it this time? The translators dropped the word “begotten” in their newest edition. This indicates that the translators of the NASB found sufficient reason to reflect the newest research in their latest translation. By reducing the phrase “only begotten Son” to “only Son” instead, a balance between the two translational possibilities is struck; it simultaneously preserves the two ideas of Jesus being an onlyborn son and His one-of-a-kind uniqueness.

Here’s the thing: no matter which of the two translational options best explains the Greek word, I want to clearly state that both of these options make an equally true claim in this particular context. On the one hand, Jesus is the “only begotten” Son of God because He is indeed the only son of God ever to be born of a woman.¹ On the other hand, Jesus is the “unique” Son of God because He is indeed the only son of God to share the same qualities and attributes as the Heavenly Father.² The issue revolves around discovering what the author intended to communicate here. With that in mind, it appears that “unique” is the appropriate translation for this verse.³

That’s because this particular form of the Greek word is found in only two other verses throughout the New Testament.⁴ The first verse is another reference to Jesus and doesn’t really provide any additional insight for us, but the second verse does help clarify the most likely meaning of μονογενῆ. That verse is Hebrews 11:17 which talks about Abraham’s son, Isaac. It reads, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered Isaac—he who had received the promises was about to offer his unique son in sacrifice” (Heb. 11:17 ISV). In this verse, μονογενῆ can’t mean “only begotten” son or even “one and only” son as it’s sometimes translated here because Abraham had another son before Isaac named Ishmael; you can find that story in Genesis 16. In its context, this verse talks about Isaac’s special status as the son by which God would carry out His promises to Abraham. He isn’t the only begotten son of Abraham; he’s the unique son of Abraham.

Now, at this point, you might be saying to yourself, “Okay, Nick. Thanks for the Greek lesson, but what does all this have to do with conformity to Christ?” Well, I’m glad you asked.

Passages related to conformity to Christ are found throughout all of the New Testament, but the phrase itself originates from Romans 8:29. That verse says, “Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son [Jesus Christ], that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom. 8:29 NIV, brackets mine). Did you catch that? The language of birth is being used again in this verse, but this time, it’s on the heels of people being conformed to Christ. Don’t worry, I won’t be having another Greek grammar spasm. There’s nothing controversial about the word used for “firstborn” here; it simply means “eldest” but, by extension, the most important sibling in the family hierarchy. Consequently, it implies that the family of God is growing and Christ is being replicated through the process of conformity. As Galatians 3:26 tells us, “You are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26 NASB).

Listen to what that passage is saying: the altogether unique Son of God will have brothers and sisters who are conformed into being like Him. Pause and reflect on that statement because it’s the pinnacle of this article and a paradox just waiting to be unpacked. I’ll say it again; the altogether unique Son of God will have brothers and sisters who are conformed into being like Him.

Uniqueness is the byproduct of conformity to Christ. Hence, growing in conformity to Christ looks like growing in uniqueness. As a result, when a believer is finally conformed to the image of Christ, they are transformed into someone altogether unique. That phrase seems counterintuitive and oxymoronic even, but the paradox of its truth is staring us in the face. As believers become more like Christ, they become more unique. As 2Corinthians 3:19 affirms, “All of us . . . are being transformed into the same likeness [as Jesus Christ], from one degree of radiant holiness to another” (2Cor 3:18 WNT, brackets mine).

The process of being conformed to Christ is called sanctification. Sanctification is a theological term that conveys the Greek and Hebrew concepts of being “set apart” from common use and “made holy” for godly use. Briefly stated, sanctification is the lifelong process whereby a Christian is being made holy. Notice I said “whereby a Christian is being made holy” and not just “whereby a Christian is holy.”⁵ That’s because sanctification is an ongoing, lifelong process; Christlikeness is the uniquely conformed outcome of sanctification.

Yet the problem of the paradox remains and rests in the juxtaposition of conformity to Christ and the uniqueness of an individual. When a person is being conformed, they’re being made into a duplicate of someone else. When a person is unique, they’re someone impossible to duplicate.

This heavenly paradox is obscurely reflected in our secular world. It’s no surprise to us when twins share some of the same character traits. Nevertheless, their various life experiences cause those similarities to manifest differently in each of them. That example can be even further diluted and extended to all of us who produce truly unique stories that end in becoming the autobiographies of our lives. But don’t get it twisted and think I’m talking to you about some sort of worldly uniqueness.

I’m speaking to you about a heavenly uniqueness. Our worldly uniqueness is just a type and shadow of what I’m pointing you toward. A believer’s uniqueness isn’t meant for this world; it’s meant for eternity. Remember what was previously discussed; sanctification—the process of being conformed to Christ—is an ongoing, lifelong process. Said another way, the uniqueness of a believer doesn’t fully manifest on earth because it isn’t fully completed on earth. Rather, as far as uniqueness is concerned, believers are being prepared for something in eternity; this world is just a training ground.

So, believers train by conforming themselves to Christ. This is no easy task; in fact, it’s an impossible one! Measuring up to God’s standard of moral perfection, like Christ did, is only one of the necessary requirements. Words would fail me to recount Christ’s qualifications adequately. Unceasing love, limitless forgiveness, undeterred patience, abundant kindness, unfitting humility, and unwavering faithfulness are just some of the many. These characteristics, and many more, are what we’ve been called to wrestle into submission and imitate through conformity. It’s beyond our natural abilities to accomplish; it’s an impossible task that everyone has already failed.

Thank God for the Gospel, a paradox unto itself. Thank God for that unceasing love and limitless forgiveness demonstrated by Christ. Thank God that, through Christ, perfect righteousness is a fulfilled requirement on our behalf. We can be conformed to Christ only because of Christ.

All that’s required of believers now is for them to take their training seriously. This too would be an impossible task if not for the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit in us. He is the One sent by Christ who enables us to live like Christ, thereby conforming us to Christ. He’s training us for our role in eternity as unique sons and daughters of God.

Believers are growing in their uniqueness now, and yes, that quality will likely be used for God’s glory in some special way here. However, the ultimate utility of that uniqueness is for a day yet unseen. I, for one, am eagerly looking forward to when I am given the gift of seeing the unique son or daughter of God that you truly are. I want to witness the role your uniqueness will play for God’s glory in the ages to come. You will be one of a kind. As the Scriptures say, “All of creation waits with eager longing for God to reveal his children . . . For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain, like the pain of childbirth” (Rom. 8:19 & 22 GNT).