IN WHAT SENSE IS JESUS THE SON OF GOD?

-
By revelation, we know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Creator of heaven and earth. In other words, the Almighty God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The question that many ask is, "if God does not have a wife, how is Jesus His Son?" 

This question comes from the expectation that for one to be called a son, there must be a process of conception; i.e the process of becoming physically pregnant and child birth. Therefore, they say, since God has no wife, Jesus could not have been the Son of God.

So we ask the question, in what sense then is Jesus the Son of God? Is He the Son of God the same way Adam was called the son of God in the book of Luke? 

(Luke 3:38 KJV) Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

The answer is NO. In writing about the genealogy of Jesus, Luke assigned Adam as the son of God since he did not have a human father or mother. Adam was the son of God because God created him directly and most significantly because God put His spirit in him. This spirit in him is the life-giving breath of God. This spirit in Adam is not God, Himself, rather it is the spirit God formed in him. Adam is not personally divine.

(Genesis 2:7 KJV) And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

(Zechariah 12:1 KJV) The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.

The term "son" simply signified that he came from God and bore His image. Here, the term is not used because God physically gave birth to him through child birth.

(Genesis 1:27 KJV) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

So we ask again, is Jesus the Son of God the way angels are called sons of God in the book of Job?

(Job 2:1 KJV) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

The answer is NO. Angels are called the "sons of God" in the sense that they were created by and came from God. They are spirit beings, created to do the work of the Lord. 

(Hebrews 1:14 KJV) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

Men perceived them as being like God or having the image of God; hence they call them sons of God. For instance, the name of Michael, the Archangel is of Hebrew origin and means “who is like God?”

Is Jesus the Son of God the same way God called Israel His son or the way Christians are called sons of God? 

(Hosea 11:1 KJV) When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

(John 1:12 KJV) 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.

Again, the answer is NO. Israel was symbolically called God's son, as the one(s) chosen by God. It is obvious Israel is not personally divine; yet it is described as God’s son. The use of the term "son" for Israel or the children of Israel is used to depict the relationship God has with them which is Father-Son relationship. Also, Christians are called sons of God by faith, when they receive the spirit of Christ.

Jesus on the other hand is called the Son of God in the sense that He is God in the flesh. He is the Incarnation. He is called the Son of God because He was physically conceived by (the Spirit of) God through Mary. The angel specifically told Mary that Jesus would be called Son of God because the most High God will cause the conception of the baby.

(Luke 1:35 KJV) And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

The angel in that verse simply gave us the reason why we call Him and believe He is the Son of God. Of course God, Himself confirmed this status in the following verses:

(Luke 3:22 KJV) And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

(Luke 9:35 KJV) And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

In summary, Jesus is called the Son of God for two main reasons:

He is the Son of God by reason of His humanity or Incarnation as highlighted above in Luke 1:35. In eternity He is God; He is "the Word that is with God" in the book of John:

(John 1:1 KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John said, this Word which is God became flesh (human) and they beheld Him as the Son of God. In other words, it was when He became flesh that they saw Him as the Son of God. The Word became the Son. 

(John 1:14 NKJV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Before then He is the visible God that is in heaven. No one has ever seen God the Father at any time. Only the visible God (which is Jesus) shows His image. 

So, Jesus is also called the Son of God by reason that He is the only one that declares/ shows the image of the invisible God. Here, the term "Son" means image.

(John 1:18 NIV) No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

(Hebrews 1:3 KJV) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING CLEANSED AND BEING MADE WHOLE?

-
Image
Many Christians believe that the word translated “whole” in Luke 17:19 KJV refers to both physical and spiritual healing and that the nine lepers  in the chapter received only physical healing because they did not return to give thanks to Jesus where as the leper that returned to give thanks to Jesus received both physical and spiritual healing. They believe all the lepers were cleansed but the one that returned to Jesus got something extra which is that he was made whole (i.e his limbs which may have been lost or deformed as a result of the leprosy were restored or that he got salvation for his soul). Though this may be true, there's however a more likely possibility that the leper did not get something more than the rest of the nine. Let's first read the story: (Luke 17:12-19 KJV) And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when h
Read more

JACOB DID NOT WAIT FOR 7 OR 14 YEARS BEFORE LEAH/ RACHEL WERE GIVEN TO HIM. HE TOOK BOTH WIVES IMMEDIATELY.

-
Many Christians thought that Jacob worked seven years for Laban, realized that Laban deceived him to marry Leah, and then worked seven more years before finally getting married to Rachel. However the bible shows that he took both Leah and Rachel immediately before he began serving Laban. For clarity, I advise you to read this Jacob's story in other translations of the Bible aside King James Version (KJV). Meanwhile lets look at look at some of the facts from the Bible: (Genesis 29:21 KJV) And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. Please note that the 7 years of service required of Jacob were the total dowry and not the customary waiting period before a wife was given to the groom. In other words, Jacob took Leah after the customary waiting period which was a couple of days just like we read in vs 21. Notice that he said, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled" implying a certain number of d
Read more

DID GOD REGRET CREATING MAN IN GENESIS 6:6?

-
Image
Genesis 6:6 is one of those difficult verses in the bible of which different bible commentators have varied interpretations. The verse seems to suggest that God regretted His action of creating man on earth. But how can one attribute regret to the All-Knowing God?  Genesis 6:6 (ESV) And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.  Genesis 6:6 (KJV) And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  Genesis 6:6 (NASB) The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  The Hebrew word translated as “ regretted ” or " repented"  or " sorry"  in the above verse is yin'nā'hem , from the root word nacham . The word is exclusively about emotions: a feeling of pain, sadness, or unhappiness. The word does not imply that God feels He has made a mistake, or that He wishes to have done differently .  However, this word sim
Read more

“IT IS A SIN TO PAY OR RECEIVE TITHES” — PASTOR CHRIS OJIGBANI

-
For hundreds of years, Christians incur the wrath of God by paying and receiving tithe. Though the doctrine of tithe is popular and generally accepted in Christianity, it’s a wrong doctrine. It’s actually a sin to pay tithe and it’s equally a sin to receive tithe in Christianity. The doctrine is generally accepted because of the misinterpretation of some tithe related scriptures. A misinterpretation of a scripture can lead many generations astray. In like manner, the misinterpretation of tithe related scriptures has led many Christian generations astray. Before explaining the true meaning of the scriptures, it’s important I first explain what tithe means. What is tithe? Tithe as an English word means one tenth or 10 percent. Tithe in the scripture means a mandatory 10 percent of one’s increase (Deuteronomy 14:22). How often did Israelites give Tithe? The tithe system had a seven-year cycle. The Israelites were mandated to give tithe on the first year, second year,
Read more

IS THE RAPTURE BIBLICAL PART 2: WHY WOULD THE SAINTS RISE TO MEET CHRIST IN THE AIR, WHEN HE IS ON HIS WAY TO THE EARTH?

-
Image
This is a continuation of my previous post " Is The Rapture Biblical " Why would the saints rise to meet Christ in the air, when He is on His way to the earth to defeat evil and to establish the Kingdom of God here? Why not simply wait for Him to arrive? Those who teach the rapture make much of this issue, claiming that it buttresses their theory. In fact, the truth of the matter actually further discredits their erroneous teaching. We need to look at the meaning of the Greek term translated “to meet” that Christ inspired Paul to use in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Dr. Leon Morris writes in the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: “The expression translated to meet is kind of a technical term ‘for the official welcome of a newly arrived dignitary’…and is very suitable in this context.” Notice that it pertains to a newly arrived dignitary, not to one who is merely passing through. In no way does it convey that Christ only enters the atmosphere and then reverses cou
Read more

UNDERSTANDING THE GIFT OF PROPHECY: THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FORETELLING, FORTH-TELLING AND FORTUNE TELLING

-
Image
There is so much misunderstanding in the Church today regarding the gift of prophecy. Many people believe that prophecy only refers to telling something before it happens. However, even in the Old Testament, the messages of the prophets contained as much, if not more, about the present than they did about the future. In Hebrew, the word translated prophecy is based on the word stem nābā, which simply means “to speak by divine inspiration, either in prediction or simple discourse.”  “ Prophecies ” is transliterated (i.e. brought straight over from Greek to English) from the noun  prophēteia . It is made up of  pro , meaning “before, in time or position” and a form of the verb  phēmi , meaning “to tell.” The verb form of this word can refer  EITHER : Foretelling  (predicting or telling something before it happens). It seeks to predict the future. It predicts or reveals personalities, occurrences, circumstances that will happen. It also concerns the revelation of even
Read more

A CHRISTIAN DOES NOT NEED DELIVERANCE.

-
As a Christian, you need to first understand your position in the spiritual realm. That will tell you whether you need deliverance or not from any authority. Let's look at the following scriptures: (Ephesians 2:6 KJV) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: The above verse shows that you are seated with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places. Where exactly is Christ Jesus seated in these heavenly places. Look at other verses below: (Ephesians 1:20-21 KJV) Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,  Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come. From the verses it can be deduced that a Christian is seated with Christ Jesus in heavenly places; at the right hand of God; far above all principality, and power, and might, an
Read more

YOU CANNOT PRAY TO JESUS IN THE NAME OF JESUS

-
It does not have any spiritual meaning. This could be why most prayers are not answered. You cannot ask or pray to Jesus in the name of Jesus. Stop praying such prayers: "Jesus I come to you in the name of Jesus" You can only pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? Praying in Jesus' name means praying with His authority. It is making a demand in His stead (place); as if He is the one making it. Authority means delegated power. You cannot exercise an authority on the same person that gave it to you. Look at it this way, you cannot go to the President of your country to make a demand in the name of that President rather you can go to another President in the name of your own President. Jesus said pray to the Father in His name: John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. Verse 26 & 27 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not
Read more

DID JESUS ASCEND TO HEAVEN TWICE?

-
Image
The question of Jesus ascending twice to heaven is not often asked because there is this general acceptance of only one ascension of Jesus which occurred in Acts 1:9, Mark 16:19 and Luke 24:51 (Acts 1:9 KJV) And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. (Mark 16:19 KJV) So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. (Luke 24:51 KJV) And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. However, there is an evidence in the Bible that He had earlier ascended to His Father in Heaven prior to this final ascension in the above verses.  Before His death, Jesus specifically told His disciples in the book of John chapter 16 that He would be going to His Father (which is in Heaven). (John 16:16-17 KJV) A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
Read more

IS THE BIBLE THE WORD OF GOD?

-
Image
The Bible is not the Word of God, Jesus is. Talking about Jesus in John 1:1 & 14, the Bible referred him as the Word of God:  (John 1:1 KJV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  (John 1:14 KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.  The Bible however contains the Word of God. Notice that the Bible in addition to containing the Word of God has other words that were not from God. It is therefore more appropriate to say that the Bible contains the Word of God. 
Read more