Thrice Begotten
The Bible teaches that there are three times when Jesus was begotten of God.
1. First, in His origins in eternity
2. Secondly when He was begotten by the holy spirit of the virgin Mary
3. Thirdly, when He was begotten from the dead
BORN IN ETERNITY
There is no passage which says directly that God begat Jesus in the days of eternity, although Proverbs 8, does speak of “wisdom” being begotten way back in the days of eternity. Many believe that this passage is really referring to Jesus, since He is expressly said to be the "wisdom of God." In addition, although the passage is poetic and contains many elements of symbolism, it makes no sense to apply it merely to the quality of wisdom. For example, the passage declares of wisdom, "I was brought forth," "I was daily his delight rejoicing always before him." If wisdom was brought forth by God, then this implies that before it was "brought forth" (literally, born), then God was not wise.
The passages which are more compelling are from the New Testament. Here are some which carry the most weight:
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. (1John 4:9)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)
Both these passages emphasize the fact that the one whom God sent INTO THE WORLD, was His only begotten Son. God did not send Jesus into the world AFTER He had already arrived. Obviously, He must have been sent, when He was elsewhere, that is, in heaven. Obeying the command, He arrived on earth where he had been sent. But at the time when He was sent, He was ALREADY the Only begotten Son. This is the identity of the person whom God sent. In Proverbs 30:4, Solomon also mentions God having a Son way back then, hundreds of years before Christ was born in Bethlehem.
Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? (Proverbs 30:4)
BORN IN BETHLEHEM
Jesus was born of God the second time when He was born in Bethlehem. It was by the spirit of God that He was conceived in Mary’s womb and so He became again, in a different sense the Son of God. He was born as a human being, as a member of the human race, but though He was the “Son of man (mankind)” the only Father He could claim was God. Therefore, He was, as a man, also begotten again of God and therefore became God’s Son the second time.
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)
BORN FROM THE DEAD
The Bible says that Jesus was begotten of God the third time, when God raised Him from the dead.
And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (Acts 13:32-33)
Paul is here quoting from a passage in Psalm 2, and he applies it to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. (Psalms 2:6-9)
This is why Jesus is also identified as being the “firstborn from the dead.”
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)
So Jesus has three identities and in each of these, He obtained this identity by virtue of the fact that he was begotten by God in each of them. First, He was the Son of God in His origins, as a divine heavenly Being. His identity changed and He became a human being, but again, even in this new identity, He was conceived directly by receiving God’s life so He was again begotten of God. Again, in the resurrection He received life when He was raised up (born again) by the spirit of God as the first of a new race of beings, the re-created, born again, divine/human members of the new creation. In all three of these identities, Jesus received life by the direct infusion of God’s own life and so, in all three cases, Jesus was directly the begotten Son of God.