The doctrine of eternal Sonship teaches that Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity, has eternally existed as the Son of God. This doctrine stands in contrast to the view that Jesus only became the Son of God at a certain point in time, such as His incarnation or resurrection.
The key biblical passages upholding eternal Sonship include:
- John 1:1-3, 14 – Jesus is the eternal Word who was with God and was God from the beginning. He became flesh at a point in time.
- John 3:16 – God sent His only begotten Son, implying Sonship preceded the sending.
- John 5:23 – The Father has granted the Son equal honor, implying eternal inter-Trinitarian relationships.
- John 17:5 – Jesus refers to the glory He had with the Father before the world began.
- Philippians 2:6-8 – Christ existed in the form of God prior to His incarnation.
- Colossians 1:15-17 – The Son is eternally begotten of the Father as the firstborn over all creation.
- Hebrews 1:2-3 – The Father appointed His Son heir of all things, implying Sonship preceded the appointment.
- 1 John 4:9 – The Father sent His only begotten Son into the world.
In addition to these explicit references, Scripture contains many passages that distinguish between the persons of the Father and the Son, implying an eternal relationship (Matthew 11:27; 28:19; John 5:19-23; 14:28; 17:1-26; 2 Corinthians 13:14, etc.). The Son is said to be “of” or “from” the Father in a way that implies an eternal generation or begetting (John 16:28; Galatians 4:4). Nowhere is the Son said to become the Son of God at a point in time; His Sonship is portrayed as eternally true of Him.
Church history provides abundant support for eternal Sonship as the orthodox view in contrast to the error of adoptionism, which teaches that Jesus only became God’s Son at a point in time. The Nicene Creed reflected the historic understanding that Jesus was “begotten not made” – the eternal Son of the eternal Father. Church fathers like Athanasius, Augustine, and John Calvin wrote extensively on why Scripture reveals Jesus as eternally possessing Sonship as part of His essential divine nature.
Eternal Sonship preserves the personal distinctions between the Father and the Son. It protects against modalism by avoiding the notion that Jesus only became the Son when He was sent from heaven. At the same time, it avoids subordinationism by affirming that the Son’s status as equal with the Father in essence, power, and glory has been true eternally. The Father-Son relationship within the Trinity is not one of a superior to subordinate, but of a Father to His only begotten and beloved Son.
In summary, the doctrine of eternal Sonship teaches that Christ has eternally existed as the second person of the Trinity, being truly uncreated and eternally begotten of the Father. It emphasizes the eternal Father-Son relationship that makes Jesus uniquely the Son and ensures that the Son is of one essence with the Father, equal in glory and majesty. This doctrine has strong biblical and historical support as orthodox Christian teaching about the eternal nature of Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
Key Biblical Support
The doctrine of eternal Sonship rests on explicit statements in Scripture about Jesus’ eternal nature as the Son:
1. John 1:1-3, 14
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, and without him was not any thing made that was made…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
This passage teaches that the Word (Jesus) was eternally existent and divine, and took on human flesh and became the incarnate Son at a point in time. His Sonship preceded and transcended the incarnation.
2. John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God sent the Son into the world, meaning He already possessed His identity and relationship as the Son beforehand. The sending of the Son was predicated on His pre-existing Sonship.
3. John 5:23
That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.
The Son is due equal honor as the Father, implying equality of nature and eternality of relation.
4. John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
Christ possessed glory with the Father before creation, affirming His eternal identity as the Son who shared the Father’s glory.
5. Philippians 2:6-8
Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
The Son had equality with God prior to the incarnation. His eternal identity was “in the form of God” before He took on human nature.
6. Colossians 1:15-17
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
This passage teaches both Christ’s eternity and priority over creation as the firstborn. He did not become the firstborn at a point in time but possesses this status eternally.
7. Hebrews 1:2-3
In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
As the appointed heir of creation, the Son’s status derives from His eternal relationship with the Father prior to creation.
8. 1 John 4:9
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
God’s sending of the Son presupposes that He already was the “only Son” prior to being sent.
The passages above strongly demonstrate Christ’s eternal Sonship as part of His essential Trinitarian identity as the second person of the Godhead. They refine the doctrine of the Trinity by specifying the distinction of persons between the Father and Son as an eternal Father-Son relationship.
Historical Support for Eternal Sonship
Throughout church history, theologians have upheld the doctrine of eternal Sonship in opposition to heresies that denied Christ’s eternally begotten nature as the Son:
The Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed reflects an early understanding that Jesus was “begotten not made” – indicating an eternal begetting by the Father:
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Athanasius
Athanasius contended against the Arians who taught the Son was created. He argued the Father eternally communicated the essence of deity to the Son:
He is then the Son, not lately come to be, but eternal; for thus it is written, ‘In the beginning was the Word;’ and God says, ‘my heart has uttered a good Word;’ and the Son says, speaking of Himself, ‘I in the Father and the Father in me.’ The Word then is not a creature, but an offspring proper to the Father’s essence.
Augustine
Augustine affirmed the Nicene teaching that Christ was eternally begotten to refute adoptionism. The Son did not become something He was not:
He did not begin to be the Son when He was born of the Virgin, but while remaining the Son, He was born according to the flesh of the Virgin. Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is co-eternal with the Father.
John Calvin
Calvin upheld Athanasius and Augustine’s teaching of eternal generation. The personal distinctions between the Father and Son prevent merging them into one:
For everlasting and ineffable is the correspondence between the Father and the Son…Whenever God is made known as a Father, we should at the same time understand that the beginning of this generation is inexplicable…He cannot cease to be the Father without denying Himself.
Throughout church history, orthodox teachers have upheld Christ’s eternal Sonship to maintain Trinitarian distinctions and combat heresy. The eternal generation of the Son upholds His true divinity as “begotten not made.”
Implications of the Doctrine
Several key implications emerge from understanding Jesus as the eternally begotten Son:
1. Preserves the distinctions between Father and Son
To reject eternal Sonship is to risk merging the identity and roles of the Father and Son. It can trend toward modalism to say the One God simply manifested Himself sometimes as Father and other times as Son. Eternal Sonship maintains the distinction of persons within the Godhead.
2. Upholds the deity and equality of the Son
The Son does not become divine or become equal to God at a point in time. He possesses an eternally begotten deity that is co-equal with the Father from all eternity.
3. Grounds the Son’s submission to the Father in relationships not essence
The Son obeys and is sent by the Father because He is the Son, not because He is inferior in nature to the Father in any way. His submission is a Trinitarian relational submission rather than ontological inferiority.
4. Explains why the Son is greater than angels
That the Son is eternal and co-equal with the Father makes clear why Scripture says He is greater and has a more excellent name than angels. A Son made lower than angels for a time would not have supremacy over them.
5. Clarifies how Sonship and monotheism connect
The eternally begotten Son is not a second God. He is of one essence with the Father, so Sonship does not compromise monotheism but enrichs it with eternal personal relationships.
In summary, the doctrine upholds orthodox Trinitarian theology against error and reveals aspects of Christ’s divine nature and redemption that might otherwise be obscured.
Objections to Eternal Sonship Considered
Despite strong biblical and historical evidence, some raise objections to eternal Sonship:
1. “Sonship implies subordination”
While Christ submitted Himself voluntarily to the Father’s will, Sonship does not imply inferiority of nature or lesser deity. Orthodoxy distinguishes between Christ’s ontological equality but economic submission to fulfill the covenant of redemption.
2. “Sonship implies a beginning point in time”
Scripture portrays Sonship as eternally true of Christ, without beginning. The language of eternal generation and begottenness in tradition does not imply a point before which the Son did not exist. The Son is eternally caused but uncaused.
3. “Sonship is just an anthropomorphism”
Reducing Sonship to a mere metaphor undermines the reality of eternal personal distinctions between the Father and Son. Fatherhood and Sonship in the Godhead are supramundane and ineffable but crucially reveal differentiated persons and roles.
4. “The Word became the Son at the incarnation”
This adoptionist view is foreign to Scripture, which already identifies Christ as the Son at the incarnation. That the preexistent Word became flesh does not mean He only became the Son then. Incarnation assumes prior Sonship.
These objections do not appear to pose significant challenges to the biblical evidence of Christ’s eternally begotten nature and identity as the Son of God.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the doctrine of eternal Sonship affirms that Jesus Christ has eternally existed as God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, possessing the divine nature eternally begotten of the Father. Scripture reveals Jesus as the Son prior to the incarnation. Church fathers upheld the eternal Sonship of Christ against heresies. This doctrine has vital implications for understanding the distinctions between the divine persons, Christ’s relationship to the Father, and the nature of His redemptive work. Objections to eternal Sonship ultimately fall short. The evidence firmly establishes the doctrine of eternal Sonship as faithful to the biblical presentation of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God.
