What is John telling us by using such an unusual phrase? One thing is for certain: he is not telling us that Jesus Christ was “created” at some time in the past. He is not denying everything he said in the previous seventeen verses and turning Jesus into a creation! Such ideas flow from wrong thinking about what monogenes means. Remember that the term means “unique” or “one of a kind.” In light of this, John’s meaning is clear. In fact, I would submit that outside of a Trinitarian understanding of this passage, John is making no sense at all!
