One of the titles of the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This post will examine what this phrase means and what it does not mean concerning Christ. I will begin by describing what this phrase does not mean.
To call Christ, the Son of God does not mean that He was a created being. Colossians 1:16,17 says,
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Clearly, Christ is the creator of all things and also the sustainer of all things. Micah 5:2 says of Christ, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
To call Christ, the Son of God does not mean that He was some kind of lesser god. John 1:1 says,
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word (logos in Greek), the second person of the triune Godhead, has always been with the Father and always has been God Himself. At the beginning of time, He already “was” and there has never been a time when He was not. One of the major points of the Gospel of John if not the major point is to say that Jesus is the “I AM” of the Bible. John 8:58 says,
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
The Lord, Himself claimed equality with God in John 10:30,
30 I and my Father are one.
Hebrews 1:8 calls the Father and the Son both equally God. Christ does what only God can do. He receives worship (John 20:28) and forgives sins (Mark 2:7).
Isaiah 44:6 is a verse which illustrates the equality of the Father and the Son. It says,
6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
It shows them to be distinct persons (plural) of the Godhead with distinct roles in salvation (King and redeemer) while saying together as one God, “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”
The word “Son” in the phrase Son of God is best understood in terms of the incarnation. God took on flesh and became man. The Lord Jesus Christ humbled Himself by taking on the form of a servant. He submitted His will to the Father’s will as a perfect Son should. His perfect obedience to the point of death and then His resurrection provided the way for many to be made the sons of God and to receive the inheritance with Him as joint-heirs. Now He is both the Son of God and the Son of Man, the one mediator between God and man, the only way to the Father.