SON OF GOD

Before Jesus was born, the angel informed Mary: "the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God" (Lk. 1:35). The descriptive reveals something of the unique essence of Christ. The phrase "son of" is sometimes employed in the Scriptures to depict the nature of someone (cf. Mk. 3:17; Jn. 17:12). The Gospel accounts refer to Jesus as being the Son of God some 150 times. (a) He is described as the "Son" in O.T. prophecy (Psa. 2:7; Hos. 11:1). (b) God himself acknowledged Jesus as his Son (Mt. 3:17; 17:5). (c) Based upon undeniable evidence, the disciples recognized Christ as God's Son (Mt. 16:16). (d) Some of the Lord's enemies even conceded his divine Sonship (Mt. 27:54). (e) Jesus made a clear distinction between the nature of his relationship to the Father, and that which others enjoy in an accommodative fashion. In his prayers he never prayed "our" Father; rather, it was "my" Father (Mt. 11:25; Mk. 14:36; Jn. 11:41; cf. Jn. 20:17). Jesus claimed that God was his own Father in a unique sense (Jn. 5:18). The person who refuses to believe that Jesus is the Son of God cannot possibly be right with the Heavenly Father (see Lk. 10:16).