Sons And The Son

Γέγραπται· Οὕτως ἠγάπησε τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν Υἱον αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν, ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Ποία ἀγάπης ὑπερβουλὴ, εἰ κοινὸν ἄνθρωπον χάριτι υἱοποιηθέντα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἔδωκε; Πῶς δὲ καὶ Μονογενὴς, εἰ υἱοθεσίᾳ τετιμημένος, καὶ οὐ φύσει ὤν υἱὸς, τῆς Γραφῆς λεγούσης· Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες; Καὶ Ὁσοι ἔλαβον αὐτὸν, ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς ἐξουσίαν τέκνα Θεοῦ γενέσθαι; Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ πολλῶν ὄντων θεῶν θέσει καὶ χάριτι, εἶς δέ ἐστιν ὁ φύσει Θεὸς, οὕτω καὶ πολλῶν υἱοθεσίᾳ τετιμημένων, εἶς ἐστιν ὁ φύσει Υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ μονογενῆς, ὄν ἔδεκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Δαμασκηνός, Κατὰ τῆς Αἱρεσεως Των Νεστοριανῶν Source: Migne PG 95.203b-c

It is written: 'God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him have eternal life.' 1 And how is this overflowing love, if for us he gave a common man by the adoption of grace as his son? How is he Only Begotten, if he has the honour of adoption but he is not by nature a son? As Scripture says, 'I said: You are gods, and sons of the most high.' 2 And: 'As many as received Him, He gave the power to become sons of God.' 3 But as there are many gods by the adoption of grace, one however is by nature the Son, He who is the Only Begotten given for us. Saint John of Damascus, Against the Nestorian Heretics.   1  Jn 3.61 2 Ps 81.6, Jn 10.34 3 Jn 1.12