What it doesn't mean is God had sex with Mary who gave birth to a demi-god like person. So what is the relationship that is being expressed in this epithet that is unique to Jesus without being heretical?
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What does the Son of God mean?
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com7fy8
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Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God our Heavenly Father sent His own Son through the body of Mary to us on this earth, in order to save us from our sins. So, what this means includes how God who loves us has given us His own very best, no second-best being or blessing, but His very own Son.
And Jesus is our example of how to become and live (Ephesians 5:2) . . . because God loves us so He desires for us to be as blessed as His own Son Jesus. And Jesus Himself has claimed this in prayer for us John 17:22-26, even praying that our Father loves us as He loves His own Son.
And Jesus is our example of how to become and live (Ephesians 5:2) . . . because God loves us so He desires for us to be as blessed as His own Son Jesus. And Jesus Himself has claimed this in prayer for us John 17:22-26, even praying that our Father loves us as He loves His own Son.
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Yes, Jesus is the Son of God there is no argument here but this does not explain what the relationship of Father and Son is when referring to God.
"God sent his own Son..." how is Jesus God's Son? Was he God's Son before the incarnation such is suggested in the language "that he sent his son..." This sonship cannot be from the result of physical relationship. It cannot describe that one came before the other. It cannot describe one is greater than the other which would be contradictory to the trinity.
It is a spiritual relationship? Is it a contextual term metaphorically used to establish the authority of Christ? How is this relationship similar with myself as a son to my biological father?
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1213
Disciple of Jesus
In Bible, Son of God is not unique and only something to Jesus. Bible speaks of many sons of God:
I said, "You are gods, All of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you shall die like men, And fall like one of the rulers."
Psalms 82:6-7
Now it happened on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh, that Satan also came among them.
Job 1:6
It happened, when men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them, that God's sons saw that men's daughters were beautiful, and they took for themselves wives of all that they chose.
Genesis 6:1-2
And disciples of Jesus could be also children of God:
But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name:
John 1:12
And what it means, perhaps this can help people to understand it:
… Whoever is born of God doesn't commit sin, because his seed remains in him; and he can't sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.
1 John 3:7-10
…."Most assuredly I tell you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he can't enter into the Kingdom of God! That which is born of the flesh is flesh. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born anew.'
John 3:3-7
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Jesus was declared the Son of God when he was resurrected (Romans 1:4). Therefore, He was begotten Son at resurrection.
Descended from heaven, Son of Man (John 3:13). Ascended to heaven (resurrected), Son of God.
The begotten Son is sent back into the world (John 3:16) = the Holy Spirit is poured out to all men.
Those who have the Son have life (1 John 5:12) = those who have the Holy Spirit are born again (have life given by the Spirit).
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The bible uses "Son of God" as an epithet to Christ which is unique to him, all your examples uses plurals and are generally applied not uniquely. This is part of the problem as epithets don't have to carry the literal meanings of the words within them. For example I can have "a rock" but calling someone "The Rock" doesn't mean they are a rock or anything to do with a rock and it uses the term abstractly probably identifying elements of their character or they way they look. So is this the same with Jesus? Is calling him "Son of God" actually not the same as "a son" a human son as we traditionally think it to be and instead it is used abstractly. If so what is trying to be expressed by this epithet? Authority? Spiritual relationship? hierarchy role within the trinity?
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You're answering questions I didn't ask. The question is what does the Son of God mean? This is important as it is an area of contention between faiths that are strictly unitarian such as Judaism or Islam. Speaking of a son of God is insulting and compromising to God in the eyes of these faiths but it also is misunderstood as the sonship is not talking about a physical relationship nor it is suggesting more than one gods (tritheistic), or that one came before the other. So if it does not mean those things what does it mean?
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Messiah means literally "anointed one" and was the common way in which the Jews referred to kings of the dynasty of David. "Anointed" refers of course to the method of investiture of the Jewish kings. It translated into the Greek as "Christos". The Jews regarded themselves as a "theocracy"... a kingdom ruled by God. The Jews also envisaged a (metaphorical) throne room in which there were three thrones. God occupied the central throne. At "the right hand of God" was the throne of the "king messiah" who was the reigning king of the house and family of David. At "the left hand of God" was the throne of the "priest messiah" who was the high priest of the house and family of Zadok. Ideally there were always two messiahs who were known collectively as the "sons of God". All these terms, "messiah", "kingdom of God", "at the right hand of God" and "son of God" were political rather than religious statements. It was a later generation of gentile Christians who re-interpreted these phrases in a very different religious sense. Both before and after the death of Jesus the early Christians, who were, after all, practicing Jews, understood these terms in their traditional sense. Jesus in claiming to be the messiah had not committed any blasphemy... there was no religious crime that the high priest could legitimately charge him with. That is why he went to the Romans to do the job.
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are you saying the epithet "Son of God" is synonymous to "I AM"
"Son of God" then shows us the authority of Jesus as God himself?
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I think you're the first to address the OP. This is interesting, so you are saying the epithet uniquely declares he is the messiah and Jesus seems to occupy both roles as king and priest.
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I understand what you're saying that Son of God invokes the divine and Son of Man invokes the human. But this is not complete as both are epithets and both in fact show Jesus as more than a man.
I appreciate your logic however how does this contribute to the trinity as it seems paradoxical being God and "of God" at the same time. Maybe this is just the way it is as being God and Son of God also seems paradoxical or maybe these terms are not meant to describe a genus of God/Man.
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albein
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If you meant that Jesus is more than a man then you would be right depending on how you frame it. The human nature of Jesus (i.e., the logos + flesh) is no more a man than anyone else. Regarding his divine nature, it contains the image of god which men are made in. So Jesus is more than a man in the sense that there is more to him than any other man, yes.
It is not paradoxical when taken in the context of the scriptures. Jesus never calls himself the "son of god." It is attributed to him by others. Others are describing Jesus as being "of god." This is important because Jesus in the flesh, as they are witnessing, is fully human. To note that this fully human man is "of god" is significant.
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Micah888
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1. Firstly the relationship of God the Father to God the Word (the Son) is a very unique Father-Son relationship which is really beyond human grasp. We are dealing with the Mystery of God.
2. The perfect Father-Son relationship is perfect and continuous love for each other, fellowship with each other, and harmony with each other (not found too often in humanity). That is implied in the fact that the only begotten (uniquely begotten) Son is "in the bosom of the Father".
3. But since the Son is also the Word, He is the "Divine Expression" (Logos) of God -- the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person. That allows the Father to remain invisible to human eyes, and presents the Son as either "the Angel of the LORD" in the OT or as the Lord Jesus Christ in the NT to human beings.
4. While the Father is "the Head" or Authority of Christ, He has placed ALL AUTHORITY ("all power") in the hands of Christ, including the power to judge all men. At some point in time the Son will hand everything back to the Father, so that God may be all in all.
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ViaCrucis
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The Son is begotten of the Father before all ages. When we call Jesus the Son of God we are saying that He is the One mentioned in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Jesus did not become the Son; Jesus is the Son. Has always been the Son. The Son never became the Son.
The Son did, however, became a human being, by His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Father never became Father--but has always been Father because He has always had a Son.
The Son never became Son, but has always been the Son because He has always been the One begotten of the Father.
As the Nicene Creed says, "[We believe] in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father."
-CryptoLutheran
Jesus did not become the Son; Jesus is the Son. Has always been the Son. The Son never became the Son.
The Son did, however, became a human being, by His conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Father never became Father--but has always been Father because He has always had a Son.
The Son never became Son, but has always been the Son because He has always been the One begotten of the Father.
As the Nicene Creed says, "[We believe] in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages, God of God, Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father."
-CryptoLutheran
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If I understand you correctly although the Father/Son is ineffable it does describe a sense of authority as is naturally understood in a Father/Son relationship.
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JackRT had a good post. Let me try and add to it.
Son of God is not a proper name for the 2nd person of the Trinity, but lacking a better we use it.
Judges 13:18 He replied, “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding.
Son of God is a descriptive name/title. He has many others. They all try to teach a relationship between God and man. So Son of God and Son of Man teach; God became man, but was still God. Why? God came to us because we can't come to him.
Now the most specific meaning of Son of God should start with the first scripture on the subject.
Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
This scripture has the Father installing his Son as King of earth. The message of Psalm 2 is for all time, just as the Son of God rules the earth for all time. It teaches the kings/leaders of earth to follow God or else the Son's wrath will destroy you. It also promises a blessing for those that follow God.
Now a little thought. The Son of God is at the right hand of the Father. This teaches a relationship of king and right hand man. The right hand man is the one that executes and enforces the kings decrees. So the Son of God is king over earth while the Father is king in heaven. This is reinforced with scripture that teaches the Son to be mediator between the Father and men. The shepherd concept reinforces the idea that kings do not rule just to be served but do also serve the people to guide their lives. The ultimate way for a king to serve his people is to go to battle and die for his subjects.
Now the scripture that leads so many astray is "today I have begotten you." Since the Father says today, God had to say this on a day. Days/time did not start till creation. This should be enough proof that Son of God is not an eternal name for the 2nd person which John did write was there in the Word before creation. Further look to Paul to see that the Son gives up his rule over earth on the last day.
1 Corinthians 15:24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
It should be very clear that Son of God proclaims his rule over earth and his Church in this age.
The High Priest concept is there as taught in Hebrews, but it doesn't come out as strong.
Hebrews 5:5 In the same way, Christ did not take on himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.”
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