Counting Offspring


 

If Jesus is God’s “only begotten Son,” then how can angels and Christians also be God’s sons?

It is clear from verses such as the following that one title for Jesus is “Son of God.”
And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:29).

Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33).

And the high priest arose and said to Him, “Do You answer nothing? What is it these men testify against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:62–64).

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (Mark 1:1).

Throughout Scripture, others are also called “son(s) of God.”

Adam (Luke 3:38)
Angels (Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:7)
Believers (Matthew 5:9; Romans 8:14, 19; Galatians 3:26)
“A son of God” or “sons of God” are monikers for those who follow after God. But the phrase “the Son of God” is used only for Jesus Christ. He is called the “only begotten Son” to be more precise (John 1:14, 3:16, 3:18; 1 John 4:9) and “His [God’s] own Son” (Romans 8:3). Jesus is referred to as “the Son” when God is referred to as “the Father” (John 3:35–36, 5:19–27, 6:40, 17:1; 2 John 1:9; Matthew 28:19). In fact, Jesus is the Son, the second person of the godhead, which cannot be said of any human or angel.

When understood from the whole context of Scripture, there is really no contradiction. Jesus is called “the only begotten” as the unique Son of God in a very real sense that no angelic being or member of humanity can share.

6 thoughts on “Counting Offspring

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  1. It is, to begin with, figurative speech stating a status of favour through love and not genealogy. Jesus is God as we already see in Isaiah 9:6 and John 1. It was He who used the figurative speech, wrongly understood in a literal way for two thousand years, more or less. Man is rather narrow in his thinking. Fundamentalism is a restricting factor.

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    1. Dear AWETHENTIQ, Jesus is not God, he is the Son of God and not a ‘god son’. Neither in Isaiah 9:6 nor in John 1 is written that Jesus would be the God. The apostle John who writes his first chapter of his gospel in the manner of the Bereshith brings a Genesis of the New World, in which he recognises Jesus as the one spoken of in the Garden of Eden, the Second Adam, promised to bring salvation. Jesus is that promise, the Word spoken by God, having come into reality, having come into the flesh.

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