The question of whether Jesus is the Son of God is central to Christian belief and has been debated by theologians for centuries. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, but how can this be reconciled with the Islamic belief that God is absolutely one (tawhid)? This article will examine what the Bible says about Jesus as the Son of God and how this concept fits with the oneness of God.
The Oneness of God in Christianity
First, it is important to understand that Christianity firmly believes in one God. The Bible states “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Christians do not believe in multiple gods or that God is divided into parts. There is only one eternal, almighty, all-knowing God.
The concept of the Trinity recognizes that there are three Persons of the one God – the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. All three are equally God, co-eternal, and co-equal, yet they relate to each other in different roles. The Trinity is a mystery that is difficult to fully comprehend, but it affirms God’s oneness while also recognizing Jesus as divine.
Jesus is the Eternal Son of God
The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is the eternal Son of God. He was not created or born at a point in time. Rather, He has existed forever with the Father (John 1:1-3, 14). Some key verses that point to Jesus as the Son include:
- “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
- “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.” (John 1:18)
- “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
These verses clearly indicate that Jesus is God’s one and only Son in a unique relationship with the Father. He is divine, uncreated, and eternal.
Jesus’ Sonship and His Humanity
In addition to His divine eternal Sonship, Jesus took on human flesh to live on earth and die for our sins (John 1:14). God miraculously conceived Jesus in Mary’s womb through the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25). So Jesus has two natures – He is fully divine as the eternal Son of God, and fully human as conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a woman.
It’s Jesus’ humanity as God incarnate that enables Him to be our Messiah and Savior. As the Son of God in human flesh, Jesus lived a sinless life, died to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose again in victory over sin and death (Romans 4:25). Without becoming human, Jesus could not save humankind. So Christ’s Sonship encompasses both His deity as the eternal Son and His humanity as the Son conceived by the Spirit.
Jesus is the Unique Son of God
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus’ Sonship is completely unique. Yes, believers become “sons of God” through adoption and being born again by faith (Galatians 3:26, 4:4-7). However, Christ remains the “one and only Son” in a way that no one else can claim (John 1:14, 18). Hebrews explains that Jesus is greater than the angels because He is God’s Son in a very different sense (Hebrews 1:5).
Jesus is the “only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18 NKJV). The Greek word translated “only begotten” stresses the unique nature of Christ and has connotations of “one of a kind” or “unique” (monogenes). As God incarnate, Jesus relates to the Father in an absolutely unique relationship. So while believers are “sons of God,” only Jesus is THE Son of God.
The Meaning of Sonship
Throughout the Bible, a son shares the father’s nature and character. Jesus asserts “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). By calling Jesus the Son, God affirms that Jesus shares in His divine nature and perfectly reflects His character. As the Son, Jesus makes the Father known to us (John 14:7-9). Biblical scholar D.A. Carson writes that Jesus’ “sonship indicates shared trinitarian life with God the Father, shared glory and authority with the Father.”
A son also has intimate relationship with his father. Jesus said “I am in the Father and the Father is in me” (John 14:10). This profound union between the Father and the Son has always existed. Even when Jesus took on flesh, He remained in perfect relationship with His Father (John 17:21-23). The Father also gave His Son unique authority to carry out His will (Matthew 28:18).
Therefore, Jesus’ Sonship means He is of the very same essence as the Father, yet relates distinctly as the Son. This fits with the doctrine of the Trinity. By calling Jesus His Son, God affirms Christ’s deity and eternal union within the one Being of God.
Jesus as the Son Fulfills Old Testament Expectations
It’s also important to recognize that Jesus’ Sonship fulfills Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah. Psalm 2 is one of the clearest prophecies that the Messiah would be God’s begotten Son:
I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you…Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way” (Psalm 2:7, 12).
This directly corresponds with the voice of the Father at Jesus’ baptism saying “This is my Son, whom I love” (Matthew 3:17). Other Old Testament passages also depict the Messiah King as God’s Son:
- “He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’ And I will appoint him to be my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.” (Psalm 89:26-27)
- “I will proclaim the LORD’s decree: He said to me, ‘You are my son; today I have become your father.'” (Psalm 2:7)
So the Bible as a whole teaches that Jesus Christ is the promised Son of God who took on flesh to be our Savior. He is unique as the “one and only Son” while sharing the Father’s divine nature.
Objections and Responses
Now we can examine some common objections to Jesus as the Son and how Christians can respond:
Objection: God cannot have a literal “begotten” Son because He is spirit.
Response: The key is understanding that terms like “Father” and “Son” are used metaphorically to describe spiritual realities that human words cannot fully capture. Yes, God is spirit (John 4:24). But the Bible uses relational terms like Father and Son to portray the inter-Trinitarian relationship between the first and second Persons of the Godhead. These titles also reveal God’s heart of love towards humankind in sending Christ.
Objection: Having a Son implies sexual reproduction or that God is divided into parts.
Response: This is perhaps one of the most common misunderstandings. God the Father did not procreate with anyone to have Jesus as His Son. As spirit, God has no body and does not function physically. Scripture affirms God’s complete unity. Rather, the Father-Son language describes their relationship within the Trinity. This special relationship was also revealed when Jesus took on flesh through being conceived by the Spirit, not through any sexual act.
Objection: The Son had a beginning, so how can He be God?
Response: This objection confuses Jesus’ incarnation with His eternal nature. Yes, the man Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:18-23). This marked the beginning of Jesus as a human being. However, the Bible clearly teaches that as the eternal Word and Son, Jesus has always existed without beginning (John 1:1-3). The Son’s incarnation was not the beginning of His existence, only of His ministry in human flesh.
Objection: How can God be one if He has a Son?
Response: This is a legitimate question given Jesus’ clear statements that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). The unity between Father and Son has eternally existed through the shared divine nature. The Father and Son, along with the Spirit, make up the one Being of God. God is triune, so the Father’s Fatherhood and Jesus’ Sonship do not contradict His oneness. The three Persons of the Trinity cooperate in creation and redemption while remaining one God.
Objection: The Son only became divine later in time and is not equal to the Father.
Response: This view demeans Christ and contradicts Scripture. The Bible clearly teaches the Son’s eternal deity and equality with the Father (John 1:1-3, Philippians 2:6). The Son was not created and did not become divine at some point in time. Long before His incarnation, Jesus was always the eternal Word existing face to face with the Father (John 1:1). Hebrews 1 emphasizes that the Son is no mere angel, but rather is seated at the Father’s right hand sharing His throne.
So in summary, while the Father-Son relationship is difficult for finite minds to fully grasp, Scripture leaves no room for denying Jesus Christ’s deity and eternal nature as God’s one and only Son. He is unique and uncreated, sharing the Father’s divine attributes while also relating to the Father in the intimacy of Sonship.
The Son Reveals the Father’s Heart for Humanity
A final aspect of Jesus’ Sonship that’s awe-inspiring is how it reveals the Father’s heart of love for fallen humanity. John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son.” The Father willingly sent His beloved Son into the world to save rebellious sinners who had turned away from Him (Romans 5:8). God’s heart towards humankind is fully embodied in His Son.
Jesus’ favorite term for Himself was “Son of Man” which identified with humankind. This Son of God came not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:17). The eternal Son clothed Himself in flesh to become “God with us” – Immanuel (Matthew 1:23). What amazing love the Father must have to send His one and only Son for undeserving sinners! As 1 John 4:10 declares, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
For those who receive Christ by faith, Jesus gives them the right to become children of God (John 1:12). By being united to the Son through the Spirit, believers are adopted into God’s family as His beloved sons and daughters. So the Son’s relationship with the Father that has eternally existed within the Trinity is extended to all those who place their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Conclusion
In closing, the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who took on human flesh to be the Savior of the world. Jesus shares fully in the Father’s divine nature, yet relates in the role of Son. God’s triune nature allows Jesus to be the unique, uncreated Son of God while God remains one in essence. The Son’s loving submission to the Father to die as a sacrifice for sins reveals God’s heart for humanity. This beautiful doctrine of Christ’s Sonship gives God glory and allows those who believe to join in that special relationship as adopted sons and daughters of the Father through the Son.
