Scripture reveals Jesus to be a man of many titles.  For example, one of the most frequent titles used in relation to Jesus is Son of God.  But what does this designation mean?  Can it be used synonymously with the title God the Son as is so often the case in Churches today?  Indeed, under the instruction of Trinitarian pastors, teachers and leaders, we have become accustomed to treating these two titles as equivalent. This tradition is so pervasive that often when we read the words Son of God in our Bibles we subconsciously replace them with God the Son. We then think this association is “proof” of Jesus’ deity.

Son of God

Hastings’ Dictionary of the New Testament speaks about this Son of God-God the Son synthesis when it says,

“…the title ‘Son of God’ is now appropriated to the Second Person of the Trinity; and the ordinary reader of the Bible assumes this to be the meaning wherever he finds the phrase. He has only, however, to read with a little attention to perceive that this is an assumption which ought not to be made without inquiry, because in Scripture there are many ‘sons of God.’”[1]

Although the fusion of the terms Son of God and God the Son is used to prove Jesus’ deity, it is important to understand that this was not always the orthodox view. 

Scripture speaks of many sons of God

As noted above, Scripture speaks of many sons of God.  Angels, who are created beings that carry out God’s will,[2] are said to be “sons of God.”  The first use of the phrase is found in the book of Genesis.  While there is some discussion as to exactly who these sons of God were, it is agreed that they were angelic beings created by God.

Genesis 6:1-2 (NASB)  Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, ²  that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. (emphasis added)

We also see “sons of God” used in the book of Job for angels who presented themselves before the Lord.[3]  In addition, even pagans referred to angelic beings as sons of God as seen in King Nebuchadnezzar’s response to seeing one “like a son of the gods” in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  The king then blessed the God of these faithful young men because He “sent His angel and delivered” His servants.[4] 

We’ve just begun to examine Scripture and yet it is already clear from just these few examples that the title son(s) of God is not reserved for deity.

Kings are called sons of God

In addition to angels, humans are also referred to in Scripture as sons of God since they were designated by God to rule on His behalf.  In Genesis 1:26, God gave Adam dominion over the earth.  Not only was he the first “king”[5] he was also given the designation son of God.

Luke 3:38(NASB)³⁸  the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (emphasis added)

Furthermore, we see the kings of Israel were given this appellation. God told the prophet Nathan to deliver a message to King David about future kings who would rule as sons of God.

1 Chronicles 17:11-14(NASB)”When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹²  “He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³  “I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴  “But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.“‘” (emphasis added)

Nathan’s prophecy had a dual application.  David’s son, who we find out later is Solomon, will be called God’s son, and will be given the throne of his father David.  A future king, also a descendant of David, will be God’s son as well, and he, too, will be given a kingdom, albeit an eternal one.[6] 

When Solomon becomes king he is called God’s anointed[7], which in Hebrew is mashiach, and in English is translated messiah.  Thus, we see that Solomon is called both God’s son and the anointed king or messiah. According to scholars, this is an obvious parallel to Jesus, the future messiah king and Son of God.

Thus Solomon, the idealized king of Israel’s golden age, is in Chronicles both called ‘Messiah’ and given the promise that he will be God’s son; and since God establishes his kingdom forever, the promise logically should apply to any faithful royal descendant.  It would seem a short step from this conjunction of sonship and Messiahship in Solomon to the designation of the future Messiah as God’s Son.[8]

This theme can be found in the gospels as well.  The angel Gabriel told Mary she would play a role in the fulfillment of the prophecy made to King David centuries before:

Luke 1:31-35 (NASB)”And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. ³²  “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; ³³  and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. (emphasis added)

According to this Scripture, Jesus would be called the Son of God, not because he is God the Son, but because of his miraculous conception in the womb of a virgin, and because he would be the fulfillment of the prophecy made to King David. Just as Solomon was God’s son and messiah (king), so Jesus would be called Son as the future Messiah.

In addition to the powerful testimony of Luke 1:31-35, there are other passages that reveal the meaning of “Son of God.”  For example, Nathanael communicates clearly what “Son of God” meant to first century Jews:

John 1:47-51 (NASB)⁴⁷ Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and *said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” ⁴⁸ Nathanael *said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” (emphasis added)

Nathanael provides us with an example of what Encyclopaedia Britannica calls a “synonymous parallelism,” which is, a literary device that “involves the repetition in the second part of what has already been expressed in the first, while simply varying the words.”[9]  Let’s apply this to Nathanael’s understanding of who Jesus was:

You are the Son of God [first part] , You are the King of Israel [first part repeated using different words]

In other words, Son of God is synonymous with King of Israel.  There is absolutely no connection to Jesus’ supposed deity in this passage.

Scripture provides us with yet another example.  The high priest presiding over Jesus’ trial persistently asked Jesus who he was.  During that exchange, we read that the high priest had the same understanding of “Son of God” as Nathanael did:

Matthew 26:62-66 (NASB) ⁶² The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” ⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” (emphasis added)

Christ or Christos in the Greek means anointed.  It’s the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew mashiach or messiah.  Thus, Christ, Messiah and the king of Israel are all synonymous terms that can, according to Scripture, be used interchangeably with the title Son of God when used of Jesus. 

Again, the gospel of Luke provides us with still one more example of what the title “Son of God” means.

Luke 4:40-41 (NASB)⁴⁰  While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. ⁴¹  Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. (emphasis added)

We would agree that demons know exactly who Jesus is.  But instead of shouting that he is God the Son or God clothed in flesh, they declare him to be the Son of God, a synonym for the Christ.  In fact, when Jesus encountered demons in an unrelated event just a few verses earlier, they reached the same conclusion regarding his identity: 

Luke 4:34-35 (NASB) [demon speaking] “Let us alone! What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” (emphasis added)

The demon did not say, “I know You are the Holy God,” but “I know You are the “Holy One of God.”  Clearly, in both instances, the demons knew Jesus to be the Messiah whom God sent and nothing of his supposed deity.

We find another powerful example in the gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 16:13-20 (NASB) ¹³  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴  And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵  He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷  And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven…²⁰  Then He [Jesus] warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ. (emphasis added)

In direct response to the question regarding Jesus’ identity, once again, Son of God is found to be synonymous with Christ (i.e. the Messiah) with absolutely no mention of divinity; a revelation that came directly from God.

Neither Nathanael, the high priest, the demons or Peter–who was under divine inspiration–interpreted Son of God to mean anything other than Christ, that is the Messiah, the promised king.  And according to Biblical scholar and popular author, N.T. Wright, this is exactly what the early Church believed: 

“Messiah”, or “Christ’, does not mean ‘the/a divine one”. It is very misleading to use the words as shorthands [sic] for the divine name or being of Jesus. It is comparatively easy to argue that Jesus (like several other first-century Jews) believed he was the Messiah. It is much harder, and a very different thing, to argue that he thought he was in some sense identified with Israel’s God. In this context, the phrase ‘son of God’ is systematically misleading because in pre- and non-Christian Judaism its primary referent is either Israel or the Messiah, and it retains these meanings in early Christianity…[10]

Theology professor and author Douglas McCready agrees:

While some have used the title Son of God to denote Jesus’ deity, neither the Judaism nor the paganism of Jesus’ day understood the title in this way. Neither did the early church.[11]

The Biblical record never tells us that Son of God is the equivalent of God the Son.  In fact, the term God the Son never appears in Scripture.  Never. 

Sadly, even secular sources sometimes better reflect Biblical truths than do the traditions of the Church. Wikipedia in its entry entitled, “Son of God” states that the title is “Not to be confused with God the Son.”[12] Further still, it quotes Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary’s position when it says that “As applied to Jesus, the term is a reference to his role as the Messiah, the King chosen by God.”[13]

Christians are Called Sons of God

The last application to be made with regard to the meaning of Son of God is to those who follow Jesus. Numerous times in the New Testament Christians are referred to as God’s sons.[14]  

John 1:12 (KJV)  But as many as received him [Jesus], to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (emphasis added)

Galatians 3:26(NASB)For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (emphasis added)

Just as Adam and Solomon were sons of God who ruled as kings, so we too, as sons and daughters of God by faith in Jesus, will rule with Christ in the coming kingdom.[15]  A resounding redemption of God’s plan for Adam to rule His creation.[16]  The word Adam, by the way is Hebrew for man or mankind.

Daniel 7:27 (NASB)’Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdomsunder the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’ (emphasis added)

Revelation 3:21-22 (NASB)²¹  ‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ²²  ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'” (emphasis added)

Revelation 20:6 (NASB) ⁶  Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (emphasis added)

Are all Sons of God created equal?

Although there are many sons of God[17] Jesus is to be esteemed above them all for he is the “only begotten son of God.”[18] He is so stylized because he is the only man to be miraculously conceived in the womb of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit.  And he is the only man designated by God to be the promised Messiah who, having been exalted to God’s right hand for his obedience unto death,[19] was given the authority to reign as king over all the earth.[20] Indeed, every knee will bow and declare him to be Lord to the glory of the Father. What Adam, the first son of God and ruler over the earth failed to do, Jesus, the Last Adam and greatest Son of God, accomplished. As such, Jesus will reign on earth for 1,000 years before handing the kingdom back over to the Father that God may be all in all.[21]

Neither Scripture or the first century Church viewed the title Son of God as proof of Jesus supposed deity.  It was never seen as a synonym with the non-Biblical phrase, God the Son. Indeed, it is an anachronism from the 4th century A.D. that has unfortunately heavily influenced our understanding of who Jesus is. Thus, it is imperative that we allow the Biblical record its proper place as arbiter of truth.  Now is the time to restore the Biblical meaning to the title Son of God, that it may accurately reflect the truth of Scripture, and point more clearly to Jesus, the Christ and soon coming king.

 

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[1] “Son of God,” Hastings’ Dictionary of the New Testament, accessed 4-15-19, StudyLight.org, https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hdn/s/son-of-god.html

[2] Psalm 103:20

[3] Job 1:6 and 2:1 NIV translates “sons of God” as “angels

[4] Daniel 3:25 and 28.  Jesus is  not the angel of the Lord as evidenced by Hebrews 1:4-5, 13-14.

[5] “God created man to be His kingdom agent, to rule and subdue the rest of creation, including the aggressive satanic forces, which would soon infringe upon it.” The Spirit Filled Bible (NKJV), Jack W. Hayford, general ed., (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991), p 5

“[Man] was to be God’s responsible representative and steward on earth, to work out his Creator’s will and fulfill the divine purpose.  World dominion would be granted to this new creature….This sublime creature, with his unbelievable privileges and heavy responsibilities, was to live and move in a kingly fashion.”  The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, (Chicago, IL: Mood Press, 1990),  p 4

[6] Daniel 7:13-14

[7] 2 Chronicles 6:42

[8] Ermine Huntress, “‘Son of God’ in Jewish Writings Prior to the Christian Era.” Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 54, no. 2, 1935, pp. 120-121., www.jstor.org/stable/3259680.

[9] “Ketuvim,” Encyclopaedia Britannica, accessed 04-17-19, https://www.britannica.com/topic/biblical-literature/The-Ketuvim#ref1096330

[10] N.T. Wright, “Jesus’ Self-Understanding” NTWrightPage – blog post accessed on 4-15-19  http://ntwrightpage.com/2016/04/05/jesus-self-understanding/

[11] Douglas McCready, He Came Down From Heaven, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), p. 56

[12] “Son of God,” Wikipedia, accessed 4-16-19, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_God

[13] Merriam-Webster’s, Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 2001), accessed 04-16-19, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_God 

[14] See also: Matthew 5:9, 13:38; Luke 20:34-36; Romans 8:14-15, 19

[15] Christians will reign with Jesus: 2 Timothy 2:11-12; Revelation 20:6; 22:5

[16] Genesis 1:26

[17] Hebrews 2:10

[18] John 1:14; 18, 3:16, 18; and 1 John 4:9

[19] Philippians 2:8-11; Ephesians 1:20-22

[20] Daniel 7:13-14

[21] 1 Corinthians 15:20-28