Son of God

Occurrences in Scripture

In the Old Testament the expression is applied to three groups.

• Angelic beings: In Job 1:6 the heavenly beings assembled before God are called "the sons of God."
• The people of Israel: Exodus 4:22 calls Israel "my son, even my firstborn."
• The kings of the Davidic dynasty: In 2 Samuel 7:14 and Psalms 2:7, God declares that the king will be his son.

The identity of "the sons of God" in Genesis 6:2 has long been debated.

In the New Testament the expression refers chiefly to Jesus.

• The voice from heaven: At the baptism of Jesus (Mark 1:11) and at the Transfiguration, a voice from heaven calls Jesus "my beloved Son."
• Human confessions: Peter confessed, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), and the centurion at the foot of the cross also called Jesus the Son of God (Mark 15:39).
• The purpose of the Gospel: The Gospel of John 20:31 states that the Gospel was written so that its readers might believe that Jesus is the Son of God.
• Adam: Luke 3:38, at the close of its genealogy, describes Adam as "the son of God."

Paul also calls believers who are led by the Holy Spirit sons of God (Romans 8:14; Galatians 3:26).

Background

In Hebrew, the word for "son" (ben) can denote not only physical descent but also one who shares a certain quality or stands in a certain relationship. Accordingly, "son of God" was used to express election, mission, and intimate relationship rather than divine birth. In the ancient Near East, kings were sometimes thought of as sons of a god. In the Roman world of the New Testament era, the emperor was likewise exalted as "son of a god." Some scholars interpret the meaning of the title against this background.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The sonship granted to Israel and to the Davidic king in the Old Testament is closely connected with the Davidic covenant. The New Testament carries this title forward and applies it to Jesus as the Messiah, that is, the Christ. At the same time, it portrays Jesus' sonship as a unique relationship, distinct from that of all others. The term rendered "only begotten Son" in John 3:16 expresses this uniqueness; the New Korean Revised Version renders it doksaengja ("only begotten Son"), while the Revised New Korean Standard Version renders it oeadeul ("only son").

The sonship of believers is explained as the result of God's adoption (Galatians 4:5). Believers therefore call God "Abba, Father" (Romans 8:15).

Interpretations and Issues

In the fourth century a major controversy arose over the sonship of Jesus. Arianism regarded the Son as a created being. In 325 the Council of Nicaea rejected this view and confessed that the Son is of the same substance as the Father. This confession was carried forward in the Nicene Creed. Following this confession, the major Korean denominations, including the Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, Full Gospel, and Anglican churches, understand the Son as the second person of the Trinity.

Jehovah's Witnesses call Jesus the Son of God but teach that he is a created being and is not equal to the Father.

Some scholars offer a different interpretation from the perspective of historical Jesus research. They argue that in its first-century Jewish context the title originally designated the messianic king, and that its theological meaning deepened later within the church. The relationship between this title and the title Son of Man is also a major issue in Christology.

There are broadly three interpretations of "the sons of God" in Genesis 6:2:

• The view that they were angels
• The view that they were descendants of Seth
• The view that they were ancient rulers

The text itself does not disclose their identity.

In the Korean Church

The older Korean translation of the Apostles' Creed confesses, "I believe in his only Son [geu oeadeul], our Lord Jesus Christ." The newer translation renders this phrase as "his one and only Son" [geuui yuilhasin adeul]. Matthew 16:16 and John 20:31 are frequently cited in confessions of faith and in evangelistic preaching.