Son of God

The Son of God

A meaning behind a name can be very significant. It can be a way to interpret someone, describe him or her, and see who he or she really is. Jesus is a man who has numerous names and various meanings to them. He is known as a teacher, a famous prophet, a miracle worker, and a wonderful example. One significant name that Jesus is known for is the Son of God. At the heart of the Nicene Creed, it states “ the only- begotten Son of God”. The Son of God is to be of the same nature as God and the Son of God is “of God”. Out of all the names for Jesus, Son of God has had one of the most lifelong impacts in Christian history and has become part of the profession of faith by many Christians. But according to the theological view, Jesus is known as a respected prophet, but not as the Son of God. The Son of God is extremely significant in the historical context, Christianity, and the theological view. What exactly does the Son of God mean? Literally speaking, it does not mean that God procreated him, it is much more spiritual than that. Jesus was “chosen to be” the “Son of God” by the Resurrection from the dead.

This was not in human flesh but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was the divine Son of God who went sent down from God to save us. There is disagreement about Jesus’ nature and his relationship with God the Father. Many believe in the trinity and use expressions, God, the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in attempts to express this saying as all three persons. On the other hand, many believe that there is only one highest being who expressed Himself in three different ways. They believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are pure forms of God. While others trust that God is the only divine being and that Christ is only a created being. It is taught in the Bible that the Messiah was Jesus, whose “mortal” parents were Joseph and Mary of Nazareth. Jesus was a man who lived a sinless life and then gave His life on the cross in order to redeem mankind from their sins. According to John 1:11-12, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. The historical view of Jesus had many names and meanings, but in the Scriptures, Christians referred to Jesus as the Son of God. In both the Old and New Testament Jesus was referred to as the Son of God. In the Old Testament, the Son of God is recurrent. According to NewAdvent. org, the word “son” was used by many of the Semites to represent a close connection or intimate relationship. A hero or warrior was known as the “son of strength”, a wicked man “son of wickedness”, and a possessor “son of possession”. In the Old Testament the label “Son Page 3 of God” was applied to persons having any special relationship with God.

The title “ Sons of God” were referred to as Angels, leaders of the people, kings, princes, and judges because they withheld authority from God. In the Old Testament, Jesus was not only known as the Son of God but he was also called Emmanuel (which means God with us), Wonderful, God the Mighty, Prince of Peace, Counselor, the Father of the world to come. In the New Testament, the Son of God is referred to Jesus Christ in both the Gospels and Epistles. By expressing His Divinity this shed light on many of the meanings attached to passages of the Gospels. In the New Testament, an angel announced: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the highest… the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”. Also, it states that Nathaniel, at his first meeting, called Him the Son of God. Ironically the Devils and Jews also referred to Him as the Son of God. In each one of these cases, the meaning of the Son of God was equivalent to the Messiah. A puzzling question from the theological standpoint that raised conflict was, “How could Jesus be The Son of God and God at the same time? The question has been on the minds of many Theologists for centuries. Christian theology depends on the Father-Son language to correctly describe the connection between Jesus and God. For thousands of years, Christians have believed that there is one God, and three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each of them being one with God. According to Christian theology, there is a problem with the doctrine of the trinity. The doctrine states that there is precisely one God; which means that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Spirit is God; and that Father, Son, and Spirit are separate.

This could mean that ‘is God’ Page 4 either means ‘is identical God’ or ‘is divine’. Either way, there is a problem with this puzzle. One way it opposes the doctrine is if the Father is equal to God and the Son is equal to God, then it would conclude that the Father is identical to the Son. Another way this opposes the doctrine is if the Father is divine and the Son is divine and the Father is separate from the Son, then there are at least two divine persons, which means there would be two Gods. According to theology, either way, the doctrine would be missing pieces to its puzzle. Jesus was a man of wonder with many names and meanings to them. He was known for being a teacher, a famous prophet, a miracle worker, and a wonderful example. One significant name that Jesus was known for is the Son of God. Throughout Christian history, the title Son of God has had a lifelong impact on Christian and became part of their profession of faith. The development of the theological view was very different. Jesus may be known as a respected prophet, but he was not as the Son of God. The title of Jesus as the Son of God is very significant. He is a man of glorious wonder and faith. Although through the theologist’s eyes Jesus maybe the Son of God but is not God himself. But in the historical view and the Bible, the Son of God is extremely significant and respected.

Reference

1. Page 5 Bibliography Dunn, James Douglas Grant. , and Scott Mcknight. “Chapter 4. ” The Historical Jesus in Recent Research. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns, 2005.
2. Print Borg, Marcus J., and N. T. Wright. The Meaning of Jesus: Two Visions. [San Francisco, CA]: HarperSanFrancisco, 1998. Print.
3. Aherne, Cornelius. “Son of God. ” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 14. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 13 Apr. 2012
4. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14142b.htm Dunn, James Douglas Grant. , and Scott Mcknight. “Chapter 4. ” The Historical Jesus in Recent Research. Winona Lake, Ind: Eisenbrauns, 2005.
5. “Son of God. ” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Apr. 2012.
6. Murray, Michael, and Michael Rea. “Philosophy and Christian Theology”. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Web. 13 Apr. 2012.