What does it mean to be "the Son of God?"

[Seeker_Of_Truth]

Throughout the New Testament, we can find many references to Christ as being the Son of man and, also, the Son of God. In a conversation I have been having, it is apparent that different non-Catholic religions view the Son of God as being something different than what Catholics believe it to be, and so I thought it would be interesting to see what these views are.

I will begin by clarifying that even as a Catholic, I am not too knowledgeable on the subject, so I will not be able to provide much to the conversation, yet I would love to hear what others think.

To begin, perhaps we could look at one of the references Christ makes to himself as being the Son of God:

Matthew 26:63-65: And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes, and said, “He has uttered blasphemy.”

So what is going on here?

Thank you so much to all of those who contribute! I hope this will be a meaningful, charitable discussion.

 

[hamba2han]

Jesus (pbuh) is not the only “son of God” mentioned in the Bible:

Jacob is God’s son and firstborn: “Israel is my son, even my firstborn” Exodus 4:22.

Solomon is God’s son “He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son”: 2 Samuel 7:13-14.

Ephraim is God’s firstborn: “for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Jeremiah 31:9 (who is God’s firstborn? Israel or Ephraim?).

Adam is the son of God “Adam, which was the son of God.” Luke 3:38.

Common people (you and me) are the sons of God: “Ye are the children of the LORD your God” Deuteronomy 14:1. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” Romans 8:14. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:” John 1:12. “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” Philippians 2:15. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: … now are we the sons of God” 1 John 3:1-2. “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:7. “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,” Job 2:1. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,” Job 1:6. “when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men,” Genesis 6:4. “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair” Genesis 6:2

And was Jesus the only begotten son of God? Read Psalms 2:7

"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me (King David, King), Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee."

 

[paarsurrey]

the Son of God.

Hi
Using search engine of BibleGateway.com the word “Son of God” I get following references from OTBible.
Genesis 4:25
Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
Genesis 4:24-26 (in Context) Genesis 4 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 5:22
And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:21-23 (in Context) Genesis 5 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 6:2
the **sons of God **saw that **the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
Genesis 6:1-3 (in Context) Genesis 6 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 6:4
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God **went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:3-5 (in Context) Genesis 6 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 9:1
God’s Covenant With Noah ] Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.
Genesis 9:1-3 (in Context) Genesis 9 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 9:8
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him:
Genesis 9:7-9 (in Context) Genesis 9 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 17:19
Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
Genesis 17:18-20 (in Context) Genesis 17 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 17:23
On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or bought with his money, every male in his household, and circumcised them, as God told him.
Genesis 17:22-24 (in Context) Genesis 17 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 21:2
Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him.
Genesis 21:1-3 (in Context) Genesis 21 (Whole Chapter)
Genesis 21:4
When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him.
Genesis 21:3-5 (in Context) Genesis 21 (Whole Chapter)
Unquote
Just a little thinking on these verses one comes to know as to what was the usage in the OTBible.
Thanks

 

[Seeker_Of_Truth]

Thanks for the contributions thus far.

 

[Willma]

Jesus (pbuh) is not the only “son of God” mentioned in the Bible:

Jacob is God’s son and firstborn: “Israel is my son, even my firstborn” Exodus 4:22.

Solomon is God’s son “He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son”: 2 Samuel 7:13-14.

Ephraim is God’s firstborn: “for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Jeremiah 31:9 (who is God’s firstborn? Israel or Ephraim?).

Adam is the son of God “Adam, which was the son of God.” Luke 3:38.

Common people (you and me) are the sons of God: “Ye are the children of the LORD your God” Deuteronomy 14:1. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” Romans 8:14. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:” John 1:12. “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” Philippians 2:15. “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: … now are we the sons of God” 1 John 3:1-2. “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:7. “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,” Job 2:1. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,” Job 1:6. “when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men,” Genesis 6:4. “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair” Genesis 6:2

And was Jesus the only begotten son of God? Read Psalms 2:7

"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me (King David, King), Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee."

Very interesting.

 

[AaronsStaff]

When Jesus says he is the Son of God, he means exactly that he is the Father’s **only **son not a son the son.
as we say in the Nicene creed Jesus Christ is "Begotten not made, one in being with the father. meaning that Jesus was not made he always existed just not in the flesh. He is the second person of the blessed trinity. First being the Father, second being the Son,and third being the Holy Spirit.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

John 5:16-23 (New International Version)

16So, because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews persecuted him. 17Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working.” 18For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

In the text from his trail, and John 5:18 the Jews of Jesus’ time understood “Son of God” as Jesus used it, to mean that Jesus was claiming to be God. In John 8:58 Jesus applies the very name of God from Exodus 3:14 to himself, the Jews picked up stones to kill him. In John 10:30 Jesus was claiming to have the very nature of the God the Father, again the Jews picked up stones.

Son of God also has other meanings, at other times in biblical history. Genesis 6 for example was written three or four thousand years before the New Testament itself. So, imposing “Sons of God” as it is used there on John is in short a word study fallacy. In John 10:33-34, Jesus uses Psalms 82:6 to contrast his own nature, as being equal to God the Father – he was arguing from the lesser to the greater in that text.

Son of God

The plural, “sons of God,” is used (Gen. 6:2, 4) to denote the pious descendants of Seth. In Job 1:6; 38:7 this name is applied to the angels. Hosea uses the phrase (1:10) to designate the gracious relation in which men stand to God.

In the New Testament this phrase frequently denotes the relation into which we are brought to God by adoption (Rom. 8:14, 19; 2 Cor. 6:18; Gal. 4:5, 6; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 3:1, 2). It occurs thirty-seven times in the New Testament as the distinctive title of our Saviour. He does not bear this title in consequence of his miraculous birth, nor of his incarnation, his resurrection, and exaltation to the Father’s right hand. **This is a title of nature and not of office. The sonship of Christ denotes his equality with the Father. To call Christ the Son of God is to assert his true and proper divinity. The second Person of the Trinity, because of his eternal relation to the first Person, is the Son of God. He is the Son of God as to his divine nature, while as to his human nature he is the Son of David **(Rom. 1:3, 4. Comp. Gal. 4:4; John 1:1-14; 5:18-25; 10:30-38, which prove that Christ was the Son of God before his incarnation, and that his claim to this title is a claim of equality with God).

When used with reference to creatures, whether men or angels, this word is always in the plural. In the singular it is always used of the second Person of the Trinity, with the single exception of Luke 3:38, where it is used of Adam.

biblegateway.com/resources/dictionaries/dict_meaning.php?source=1&wid=T0003477

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

forananswer.org/John/Jn1_18.htm

John 1:18 says that Jesus is God’s only unique Son.

see link for explanation.

 

[Seeker_Of_Truth]

Daniel,

Thanks for your explanations. They make sense.

I remember reading more about this in The Life of Christ, by Fulton Sheen, but, sadly, I don’t have the book with me. I’ll have to check this out further once I get back home.

 

[Seeker_Of_Truth]

Sorry for the double post, but I found an article on New Advent that I found regarding this subject. I have not read it yet, but was posting it here for further reference and discussion.

Here is the link.

 

[TraditionalCath]

Throughout the New Testament, we can find many references to Christ as being the Son of man and, also, the Son of God. In a conversation I have been having, it is apparent that different non-Catholic religions view the Son of God as being something different than what Catholics believe it to be, and so I thought it would be interesting to see what these views are.

I will begin by clarifying that even as a Catholic, I am not too knowledgeable on the subject, so I will not be able to provide much to the conversation, yet I would love to hear what others think.

To begin, perhaps we could look at one of the references Christ makes to himself as being the Son of God:

So what is going on here?

Thank you so much to all of those who contribute! I hope this will be a meaningful, charitable discussion.

see this link from ca library:

The Eternal Sonship of Christ

catholic.com/library/Eternal_Sonship_of_Christ.asp

 

[Oregooner]

As I understand it, “Son of God” was a commonly used phrase that marked the person out to be a great man. It applies to Jesus in a more literal way as Gabriel points out in the Annuciation:

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 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.” Luke 1:31-35.

Gabriel is making it clear to Mary that Jesus is the actual Son of God.

 

[Peregrino]

As I understand it, “Son of God” was a commonly used phrase that marked the person out to be a great man. It applies to Jesus in a more literal way as Gabriel points out in the Annuciation:

"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 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; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 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.” Luke 1:31-35.

Gabriel is making it clear to Mary that Jesus is the actual Son of God.

I don’t see clearly that the annunciation passage you have quoted rules out “the great man” status you highlighted being applied to Jesus, i.e. it doesn’t clearly indicate to me that Jesus is the “actual” son of God as you put it.

Second (this may be an error of translation from the Greek), the passage you highlighted could be read literally to indicate that David is the father of Jesus, or (assuming Jesus’ divinity) that David is the Father of God (“and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David”). This latter interpretation would be somewhat problematic given Hamba2han’s highlighting of Psalm 2:7…

Of course, the term “father” in these passages is used in a different sense than the literal. I find it interesting though that the Archangel Gabriel uses the term “father” in reference to David but not to God. Could it be that anyone who is blessed with presence of the Holy Spirit (or “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit) is a son of God?

 

[dessert]

Jesus (pbuh) is not the only “son of God” mentioned in the Bible:
** Son of God**
Jesus is the only begotten not made Son of God
Jacob is God’s son and firstborn: “Israel is my son, even my firstborn” Exodus 4:22.
Jesus is God’s first born of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Israel is a first nation
Jacob is man’s son born of man

Solomon is God’s son “He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son”: 2 Samuel 7:13-14. Solomon is born of man

Ephraim is God’s firstborn: “for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.” Jeremiah 31:9 (who is God’s firstborn? Israel or Ephraim?).

Adam is the son of God “Adam, which was the son of God.” Luke 3:38.

**God created the earth how? out of nothing he created.
He “made” created Adam how? out of dust dust to dust he created them
He made Eve how? out of Adam rib.
He made man in his image.
Adam and Eve made Cain , man out of man and woman.
Jesus became the flesh of God as the Word proceeds from the Father **
When did we become not only friends not servants but also sons
when Jesus ascended to the Father to be one again.
Christ the Annointed One who proceeded from the Father who had always been with the Father went back to the Father.
Christ through the Holy Spirit came to dwell on the earth.

“She, who offers the fruit, which leads to death, whose task manifests a mysterious kinship with death, is nonetheless from now on the keeper of the seal of life and the antithesis of death.”
Pope Benedict XVI
pg 28 Daughter Zion, Meditaions on the Church’s Marian Belief, Ignatious Press

Common people (you and me) are the sons of God: We aare if we have accepted the sacraments that have been taught and handed to us from Jesus Christ.
"Ye are the children of the LORD your God" Deuteronomy 14:1. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
The Holy Spirit of Christ
they are the sons of God” Romans 8:14. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:” **Receive him and you shall be haealed Amen!**John 1:12. “That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;” Amen!! Philippians 2:15. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: … now are we the sons of God"Yes after the resurrection Amen!! 1 John 3:1-2. “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:7. “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,” Job 2:1. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,” Job 1:6. "when the sons of God
Were these angels?
came in unto the daughters of men," Genesis 6:4. “That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they [were] fair” Genesis 6:2 How do you know that these were not angels?

And was Jesus the only begotten son of God? Read Psalms 2:7

"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me (King David, King), Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee."

**They al beget each other begot begot begot
Man from Man but Christ was begotten from the Father his divinity did not have a father or a mother he always existed, The flesh was begotten of God pure and Holy . **

Dessert

 

[Oregooner]

I don’t see clearly that the annunciation passage you have quoted rules out “the great man” status you highlighted being applied to Jesus, i.e. it doesn’t clearly indicate to me that Jesus is the “actual” son of God as you put it.

Second (this may be an error of translation from the Greek), the passage you highlighted could be read literally to indicate that David is the father of Jesus, or (assuming Jesus’ divinity) that David is the Father of God (“and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David”). This latter interpretation would be somewhat problematic given Hamba2han’s highlighting of Psalm 2:7…

Of course, the term “father” in these passages is used in a different sense than the literal. I find it interesting though that the Archangel Gabriel uses the term “father” in reference to David but not to God. Could it be that anyone who is blessed with presence of the Holy Spirit (or “overshadowed” by the Holy Spirit) is a son of God?

I didn’t mean to suggest that Jesus is not a ‘great man’, only that the title “Son of God” is the literal truth when it comes to Jesus as opposed to merely being a title. I am always wary when a Scripture passage seems to come out of nowhere like the last half of verse 35. Gabriel seems keen to point out the that manner in which Jesus comes to us has something to do with Him being labeled the “Son of God”.

My opinion is that Gabriel was trying to correct, in advance, the notion that Jesus was merely a “great man” and not God himself. (Obviously Luke probably ran across these objections and included Gabriel’s words in his gospel to make this point.)

I don’t think we need to make too much of Hamba2han’s emphasis on “begotten” when applied to David. I don’t think it has the same technical meaning in Psalms 2 that it does in the Nicene Creed.

As to your last rumination, I think that the “overshadowing” applies only to Mary. It is a mechanical answer to the mechanical question Mary asks regarding how a virgin could have a child.

Those are my thoughts anyway.

 

[inJESUS]

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Speaking in the Temple, the Lord Jesus Christ turning to the high priests, scribes, and elders of the people told them this parable.

There was a Landowner, Who planted a vineyard, set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country.

When the season of fruit drew near, He sent his servants to the tenants to get His fruit; and the tenants took His servants and beat one, killed the other, and stoned another. Again, He sent other servants, more than the first, and they did the same.

Afterward, **He sent His only Son to them **saying, “They will respect my Son.”

 

[fellowChristian]

If you believe in Scripture----

At the begining of the book of John we learn that the “Word” is someone, not something.

1 In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God.

2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.

4 What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men;

5 and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it.

And if you look at the begining of the book of Genesis you’ll notice God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1
1 In the beginning **God **created heaven, and earth.

God the Father

2 And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the **spirit of God **moved over the waters.

God the Holy Spirit

3 And God said: Be light made. And light was made.

The Word of God, before He came in the flesh, Jesus

26 God said, “Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all the creatures that creep along the ground.”

The Holy Trinity

Back to the book of John

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth out, saying: This was he of whom I spoke: He that shall come after me, is preferred before me: because he was before me.
16 And of his fullness we all have received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses; grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time: the only **begotten Son **who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Begotten =1. spawn, sire, breed, father, (esp. of a male parent) to procreate or generate (offspring).

Our children share our nature,they are human beings because we are.

Jesus shares His Fathers nature, He is God because the Father is God.

Jesus also shares His mothers nature,He is human because she is human.

All of us have one nature we are human.

Jesus has **two natures **He is both human **and **Divine. because of His parents.

And because Jesus is one with His Church His Church is both human and Divine.

We make up the body of His Church that is the human part. Jesus being one with His Church, and the Holy Spirit guiding it. That is the Divine part.

Through Scripture, Tradition and the Magisterium. This is how I know Jesus is both, at the same time, human and Divine.

 

[Khalfan]

If there is anyone believing in Bible,-

Jesus (pbuh) himself taught about his **‘Holy Sonship’ **of God.

John 10:33 The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

(Jesus (pbhu) was supposed to accept that accusation if he indeed was God. Check below what he answered)

34 Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’?

(Check below who were those ‘Gods’)

35 "**If he **(The very Father GOD) called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),

(It was people like Moses and David (pbuh). God himself called those messengers GOD in the scriptures jews believed. But the never recognised them (Neither the Christians do) as GODS or members of Trinity. It was a Jewish custom to refer people of divine purpose (messengers), God and Son of God. Jesus (pbuh) knew it very well and so he quoted Jewish law and those ‘GODS’. Those men were sent with divine purpose and Jews never found blasphemy in their claim of being ‘Son of God’ or ‘GOD’. If that claim of being Son of God or God didn’t make them real GOD or one in trinity, if that claim never was a blasphemy for Jews, how can the claim of Jesus (pbuh) that he is Son of God can make him GOD? How can it make him one in trinity? How can it be blasphemy? Jesus (pbuh) asking exactly them same question in the next verse. Check below)

36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

If Jesus (pbuh) didn’t recognize himself different from other Sons of God and Gods that mentioned in previous scriptures, how can we?!!!

 

[Sixtus]

What does it mean to be “the Son of God?”

“My father has not ceased work and I am working too, this made the Jews angry because He was claiming equality with God” Jn 5:18

" To deny honour to the Son is to deny it to the Father Jn 5: 23

and again: " the Father does not judge anyone but has given full jurisdiction to the Son" Jn 5:22

In other words, the Son is of the Father, the two are of the SAME substance. So both are God

 

[Peregrino]

****It was a Jewish custom to refer people of divine purpose (messengers), God and Son of God.

I have read this before and pondered it often. I find it quite significant.

What does it mean to be “the Son of God?”

“My father has not ceased work and I am working too, this made the Jews angry because He was claiming equality with God” Jn 5:18

Could it be that the people denouncing Jesus did so because only God could work on the Sabbath and Jesus’ Sabbath-time healing activities combined with his common appelation of “abba” in reference to God crossed the line and made it appear as though he was pretending to be equal with God (do only things God could do)? Throw on top of that his miraculous ability to heal.

" To deny honour to the Son is to deny it to the Father Jn 5: 23

and again: " the Father does not judge anyone but has given full jurisdiction to the Son" Jn 5:22

If you read in Khalfan’s point that messengers or those with divine purpose were called sons of God and these read:

"To deny honour to the messenger of God is to deny it to the Father;

“the Father does not judge qnyone but has given full jurisdiction to those with divine purpose”

In other words, the Son is of the Father, the two are of the SAME substance. So both are God

Using the passages you have highlighted, I think you are jumping to a conclusion with this sentence. No Jew would have used the terms “same substance” (that is probably of Greek origin). Likewise, there is nothing in the passages referencing substances. You are bringing in material outside of the passages you have highlighted.