The real truth about the Son of God

[John Zain]

Muslims (and others) think Christians are crazy for believing Jesus is God's Son!

They know for sure God did not mate with some female entity to produce any offspring.

Christians know for sure that God did not create any Son of God.
“He was clothed with a robe dripped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” (Rev. 19:13).
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him …” (John 1:1-3).

Because of their religious teaching, the Jews of the NT believed:
Messiah = Christ = Son of God.
“We have found the Messiah (which is translated the Christ)” (John 1:41).
“Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63).
“Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61).
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16).
Did the Jews actually believe that God somehow created His “equal”, a Son of God?
The answer is “No”, and is explained in (Y) below.

First, let’s consider Gabriel
He appeared to Joseph in a dream …
"... you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)
And he was also sent to Mary …
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son,
and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest
… that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:31-35).
Please note that Gabriel did NOT say the baby to be born was the Son of God.
The baby was just to be called Jesus, the Son of the Highest, and the Son of God.
Robert is not really (a) Robert … he is a male human being called Robert.
God has given us actual names for the Word (the Logos) so we can relate to
the Second “Person” of the Triune Godhead.

(X) From the Catholic Encyclopedia … “The word ‘son’ was employed among the Semites
to signify not only filiation, but other close connection or intimate relationship ...”.

(Y) From the Jewish Encyclopedia … “Yet the term (Son of God) by no means carries the idea
of physical descent from, and essential unity with, God the Father. The Hebrew idiom conveys
nothing further than a simple expression of godlikeness.”

Four usages in the OT for the term “Son of God”, and none of them mean co-equality with God:
(1) The angels are the sons of God. The old story in Gen 6:2, says that the sons of God saw
the daughters of men and were fatally attracted to them. Job 1:6, tells of the day when the
sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. It was a regular title for the angels.
(2) The nation of Israel is the son of God. God called his son out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1).
In Exodus 4:22, God says of the nation, "Israel is my first-born son".
(3) The king of the nation is the son of God. In 2 Sam 7:14, God’s promise to the king is,
"I will be his father, and he shall be my son."
(4) In the later books, which were written between the Testaments, the good man is the son of God.
In Sirach 4:10, the promise to the man who is kind to the fatherless is:
"So shalt thou be a son of the Most High, and he shall love thee more than thy mother doth.”
In all these cases above the term "son" describes someone who is specially near and close to God.

Daily Study Bible (Mark 3:7-12)
“When we meet this title in the simplicity of the gospel story we are not to think in terms of
philosophy or theology or of the doctrine of the Trinity; we are to think of it as expressing
the fact that Jesus' relationship to God was so close that no other word could describe it ...”

“Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11).
This is an expression of exceptional love and immense compassion enjoyed by the most holy ones
of God alone. Since Jesus was "fully man", could Father God regard this "Son" as being an equal member of the Trinity?

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14).

 

[John Zain]

Gabriel told Mary that she would have "a son" ... not "a son who is the Son of God".
He could have used the “son of God” terminology … the Jews were familiar with it.
He just said to “call” Him “the Son of God” … he did not say that He actually was God's Son.

Some help …
Jesus was God's Son … as far as … the Holy Spirit being Jesus' Father.
So, for those of us who regard Jesus as being "fully man" and "fully God",
at least "part" of Jesus was the Son of God ... logically, I mean.

 

[veteran]

Isa 7:13-14
13 And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
(KJV)

Isa 9:6-7
6 For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
(KJV)

Matt 1:21-23
21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
(KJV)


Debate over; Jesus Christ Immanuel is not only The Only Begotten Son of God, but God Himself with us, walking upon the earth among men. He is not only The Prince of Peace, but also The almighty God, The everlasting Father! And no amount of Scripture chopping is going to change that!

 

[John Zain]

The KEY for me is this ...

Luke 1:35
And the angel (Gabriel) answered and said to her (Mary),
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you;
therefore (i.e. for that reason), also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

... which I had forgotten. My apologies.

However, Gabriel still did not say ...
“... that Holy One who is to be born will be the Son of God."

IMO, as with many other spiritual truths …
the Lord wanted this truth (and the truth of the Trinity) to be revealed via the Holy Spirit.
Others may believe in these truths because of being born into them via family, society, etc.
but without a real spiritual revelation have they been born again?

I am sorry for not making it clear in the OP that ...
I have always had the revelation that Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, was/is God.

My intent in the OP was to question why He was called the Son of God ...
because it makes no sense at all that somehow God could be a "Son" of anyone, anywhere, any time.

However, I have been reminded that Jesus can very reasonably be called God's Son ...
because the Holy Spirit (God) was His "Father" (my terminology, which many don't care for),
which is made clear in Luke 1:35.

 

[veteran]

The Book of Hebrews hints to why... the title of 'Son' is used for Christ Jesus Immanuel.

It's because God come in the flesh in order to... die in the flesh and be resurrected... was The unique Work The Father chose to use as the hingepoint for His Salvation.


Acts 4:10-12
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
(KJV)

We cannot just claim the Old Testament Names of The Father for that Salvation through His cross, like Yah, Yehovah, Adonai, I AM, Elohim, El, etc., even though the Name Yehoshua Mashiach (Jesus Christ) includes those.

We must... claim The Name of Jesus Christ (per one's language) specifically in recognizing The Son of God Who died on the cross for the remission of the sins of those who believe on The Father, THROUGH Jesus Christ.

1 Tim 2:5-6
5 For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
6 Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
(KJV)

 

[John Zain]

The Book of Hebrews hints to why... the title of 'Son' is used for Christ Jesus Immanuel.
It's because God come in the flesh in order to... die in the flesh and be resurrected...
was The unique Work The Father chose to use as the hingepoint for His Salvation.

Sorry, but I believe you are confused here.

The reason that the title "Son of God" was given to Jesus Christ,
who was the Word (the Logos), God manifested in the flesh ...
was that God sent Gabriel to instruct Mary (and also Joseph) what the Baby's name was to be:

Luke 1:35
And the angel (Gabriel) answered and said to her (Mary),
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you;
therefore (i.e. for that reason), also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God."

This was God's choice (and it fit in with the OT).
And God saw to it that this title for Jesus was carried on from that time forward.