Is Jesus God or God's Son?

Summary

Summary prepared by Acts 2:38 Life from the transcript below — the preacher’s words follow in full.

The question, and Luke 1:35 — the scriptural definition of 'Son of God'

• The question posed (in the host's frame): the New Testament repeatedly refers to Jesus, as the son of God. Does this title indicate, that Jesus is somehow separate from God, or less than God? Is Jesus God, or is he God's son? (The episode also carries an invitation, in Bernard's own voice, to the gathering it names — which stands verbatim-only, as episode furniture, not as part of the answer.) The host's question: we believe, that Jesus is God manifested in the flesh — to quote First Timothy 3:16 (as the question cites it). But the New Testament repeatedly refers to Jesus, as the son of God. What is the meaning of this title, Son of God? Does it indicate, that Jesus is somehow different than God, or less than God? Maybe, to put it succinctly: is Jesus God, or is he God's son? The answer: the short answer is: Jesus is the son of God. But we can also say: Jesus is God — i.e., as manifested in the flesh. So let me give you scripture, for this: Luke 1:35 gives you a scriptural definition, of the meaning — the term Son of God. In Luke 1:35, the angel Gabriel — speaking to Mary, the mother of Jesus, before he was conceived — and here's what the angel said, in the new King James (as he names the version): the holy spirit will come upon you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore also, that Holy one who is to be born will be called The Son of God. You see the word, therefore. Somebody said: when you see the word therefore, you ask what it's there for. It's there, to give you the definition, of the Son of God. So Gabriel says: the holy spirit is going to overshadow you, and cause you to conceive, miraculously. That's the Virgin conception. Therefore, the child that will be born is going to be called The Son of God. In other words: Jesus is called the Son of God, not because he's a second person. Or — not — his eternal name is son. But Jesus is called the Son of God, much like you and I are sons of our father. No earthly father — no human — caused the conception of Jesus. But God caused the conception, by a miracle, by overshadowing Mary, by his spirit. So that baby, that was born of Mary ('born a Mary', as heard), was literally the son of Mary. But that baby was also actually the son of God. So: it — as — it had its most basic — just like my son is my son, because I cause — caused — conception, so Jesus is the son of God, because God caused the conception. That's what it means.

Scriptures: 1 Timothy 3:16; Luke 1:35

'Son of' as nature — and Isaiah's 'no one like me'

• Now, there's also what you might call a metaphorical application, which is very important, as well. Is that: throughout scripture, the term son of is used to mean: has the nature of, has the characteristics of. Because a human son, you know, inherits genetic resemblances, from the father. And also — growing up in the father's home, through culture — adapts ('culture adapt it gets', as the letters stand) a lot of the — maybe the — mannerisms. So it's very common: if you see a boy, that's very likely he's going to look like his father. And you can tell the resemblance. Or he's going to act like his father. You could say: yeah, he acts just like his father. So that's why, in the New Testament — the Middle Eastern culture — the term son of became a synonym, or a metaphorical expression, of saying: you bear the likeness of. You look like. You act like. And so: Barnabas — his name literally means the son of consolation, the son of comfort — because he bore that nature. He was that kind of a person. Or: Jesus, calling James and John — when they got angry, and wanted to kill people — he called them sons of thunder. Or: when Jesus was rebuking certain unbelieving Jews, he calls them — he called them — sons of the devil. Not literally. But: you bear the nature of ('you bear the nature up', as the letters stand). And so we can say: the term Son of God, as related to Jesus, means — first of all — he was conceived, by God's spirit. Second of all, it means: he Bears God's likeness. Now: we are called sons of God, by creation, and by New Birth. And we do bear God's likeness, to some extent — at least, we hope so. But we don't bear God's perfect likeness. But Jesus was unique. And not only was he like God, in many ways: he bore the exact representation. He expressed the love of God, as no one else. He demonstrated the power, and authority, of God, as no one else. He demonstrated the glory of God. When you read the gospels, you see: he was unique. And so the Bible speaks of him, as the only begotten son of God. Which we often look at: begotten — again referring to the conception. But, as the Greek Scholars tell us, that word used there can also mean: unique, or one of a kind. And so we can say: while all of us, who are born again, are sons of God, in a limited sense — Jesus is the unique, only begotten, special, One of a Kind, Son of God — in the absolute sense. Because he Bears the perfect likeness of God. He reveals the perfect character of God. But if you're an Old Testament student, you'll know: from Isaiah — and there are many passages, but in Isaiah especially, starting with, say, verse — chapter 44, 45, 46 — God says: there's no one like me. There's no one beside me. There's no one before me. There's no one after me. I will not give my glory, to another. So if you find this Jesus Christ, who is the perfect Son of God — he's exactly like God, in every way — but then you already know, God says: no one is like me. No one is perfectly like me. No one is my equal. So — I think that's Isaiah 45:5, and 45:9 (as he cites the pair, under his own hedge) — no one is like me. No one is equal to me. Well: here's someone, who is like God. And — everybody — who's equal to God. What does that mean? He is God.

Scriptures: Isaiah 44-46; Isaiah 45:5; Isaiah 45:9

Both definitions land on God manifested in the flesh; 'son' always refers to the incarnation

• So indirectly — and also, let's go back to that literal concept: can God beget little Gods? So: can a spirit birth another spirit? No. That's foreign. We don't think of angels procreating, and bearing little baby Angels. And of course, we have Deuteronomy 6:4: hear, O Israel ('hero Israel', as heard), the Lord our God is one Lord. The Lord is one. And throughout the Bible, God is one. He's alone. He's unique. So when you look at the literal conception: it couldn't mean, that God is generating a baby God. And that would be a contradiction, in terms. Because God is eternal. So how could you have a new God, who's not eternal? It wouldn't be God. How could you have a baby God, that's not fully God? So if you're looking at the literal conception: it can only be according to the flesh. Which will indicate: Son of God means manifested in the flesh. If you look at the metaphorical meaning: again, he's exactly like God, in every way. He is God. The only way he's different, is because he has flesh. So both of those definitions — which I've derived directly from scripture itself — lead us to understand: that when you say, Jesus is the son of God, what you're actually saying is: Jesus Is God, manifested In the Flesh. As first Timothy 3:16 says. As John 1:1 through 14 says (as he cites the span). Now let me be very careful, to Define this: when you use the term son, as related to Jesus, then it always refers to the Incarnation. It's always referring to a point in time, when he was conceived. So Galatians 4:4: when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law. So the son is not Eternal. But made of a woman. Made in the time of the law. And so the term Eternal son never appears in scripture. It's the only begotten son. And the son always relates to human flesh. So, for example: Romans 5:10 speaks of the death of his son. You can't think of God dying, in the sense — can God's spirit cease to exist, poof, it's gone? Can God become permanently unconscious, or temporarily unconscious? No. When you think of death, that can only relate to humanity. So my point is: the term son always has reference to the Incarnation. Always includes reference to the flesh, and to time. Now: some Oneness people jump too far, and say: okay, father equals Spirit, or God — flesh; son equals flesh. That's not what I'm saying. I'm not saying the son is the flesh only ('the sun is the flesh only', as heard). I'm saying: the son is God, as he is manifested in the flesh. So, for example: Mark chapter 2 says, the son of man has power on Earth, to forgive sins. Are we saying, the flesh forgives sins? No. We're saying: God forgives sins. But in that case, it wasn't praying to God, as an invisible spirit in heaven. It was God, who healed the paralyzed man, who was able to say, right there in the flesh: your sins are forgiven. So God In the Flesh forgave sins. Or: Hebrews chapter 1 talks about the Angels worshiping the son. The son is addressed, as God. So it's okay, to address the son as God — when you're not saying the flesh is God, but you're saying: God, as he is Manifest in the flesh, is still God. Okay: with that in mind, then — when the Bible says Jesus is the son of God, you could substitute, in your thinking: Jesus Is God, manifested In the Flesh.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1-14; Galatians 4:4; Romans 5:10; Mark 2; Hebrews 1

Thomas's confession, and John's own conclusion (1 John 5:20)

• Now: does that sound strange? No. We actually have scripture, for this. So let's look at John — the Gospel of John, chapter 20, and verse 28. So this is the story of the resurrected Christ. He appears to Thomas, who didn't believe before. And he says: okay, go ahead, and touch me. And here's what Thomas confessed — John 20:28 (as he cites it): Thomas answered, said to him: my Lord, and my God. So going back to your original question: can you say Jesus is God? Yes. Thomas did it. And Jesus — here's the answer Jesus said to Thomas: because you've seen me, you believe. Blessed are those, who have not seen, and yet have believed. So this is not presented as an aberration — like Thomas making a mistake, or making an expression of surprise. No: he was making a confession. As a Jew, who believed Deuteronomy 6:4 (in its own place, in this section): hear, o Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. You are my Lord. You are my God. He wasn't saying: you're a second Lord, a second God. He was saying: you are the god of Israel. You are my Lord. You are my God. Now: if Jesus truly wasn't that, he should have rebuked him. Everybody else in scripture — every man, every Angel, who was falsely worshiped — they always said: don't worship me; worship God. But Jesus accepted this, and said: you're blessed. And also: blessed are those, who haven't seen, but believe. And that's us: we've never seen Jesus, in the flesh. But we confess him, as our Lord, and our God. And then John, under this grace of the spirit, he records this. So: Thomas confessed it. Jesus accepted it. John, as another disciple, believed it. The early church obviously did. And then John explains, in verse 30 and 31: and truly, Jesus did many other signs, in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written, that you may believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God. And that believing, you may have life, in his name. So, for John, this climactic moment — you are my Lord, you are my god — well, that shows: Jesus is the son of God. Now: if Son of God means second person in the Trinity, or lesser deity, or second deity — that wouldn't really fit. Because, after all — the Trinity had been invented — the terminology of the Trinity, three persons, was still 200 years in the future (as he dates it). Thomas couldn't have been thinking that way. When he said God, he would have been thinking in the Jewish way, the Old Testament way. The only scriptures they had were the Old Testament. And so then, for John to say: and I wrote this, so you'll believe that Jesus — the son of God. In other words, John is saying: when you call Jesus God, you understand: he's the son of God. Or: that makes perfect sense, with my definition. When you call Jesus God, you recognize: he's God manifested In the Flesh. Now John does this again, in first John, chapter 5, verse 20. I'll give you that as well, so you can see another witness, of the same thing. The end — so that was the climax of The Gospel of John. There's one more chapter, which is kind of an epilogue. But that's really the climactic moment, where John has been leading you, through the whole book, as the reader — so you'll get to this point, that you believe: Jesus Is My Lord, and my God. And therefore, you believe: Jesus is the son of God. So that's the point of the whole — the whole point of the book. And so, in his epistle — first John — he does the same thing, at the very end. The last two verses — or the second to last — yes, the last two verses: first John 5:20 (in its own place, in this section). And we know, that the Son of God Has Come. Now think about it: that means god manifests — manifested — in the flesh. And has given us to understand, that we may know him who is true ('that women know him who is true', as the reading stands in the letters). Which — he's referring more generally to God. And we are in him, who is true. And in his son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. So he says: this son, Jesus, is the true God. And then he says: little children, keep yourselves from Idols, or false gods. Amen.

Scriptures: John 20:28; John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:20

The closing catalogue — 'yes, you can say Jesus is God'

• So when we put it all together, we see: Jesus is the son of God — meaning God manifested in the flesh. Which means: yes, you can say Jesus is god. Well: if that sounds shocking, I just read to you John 20:28 (in its own place, above): he's God. First John 5:20 (in its own place, above): he's God. Titus 2:13: we're looking for the appearing of our great God, and Savior, Jesus Christ. Second Corinthians 5:19: God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself. So all these are statements, that Jesus is God. Colossians 4:4 (as the letters carry the citation — its footing is priced in the refs note): Christ is the image of God. Verse six ('for six', as spoken): the glory of God is revealed, in the face of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:15: Jesus is the image of the invisible God. John 14:9-11 (as he cites the span): Jesus said, if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. The father dwells in me. I think we've already mentioned First Timothy 3:16 (in its own place, above): God manifested in the flesh. Here's a good one — a prophecy, which everybody understands relates to Jesus: Isaiah 9:6. Unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given. The government shall be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called ('his name shall make a', as the reading stands) — wonderful counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting father, the Prince of Peace. So: the child, and the son, is more than a human child and son. He's also the Mighty God, the Everlasting father. Isaiah 7:14 says: he will be called Emmanuel. Which means, in the Hebrew — as Matthew 1:23 tells us — God With Us. So: yes, we call Jesus the son of God, when we want to emphasize his true human identity, as God manifested in the flesh. But that means: when we really understand what Son of God means, we can actually cut to the Chase, and say: Jesus is God. Now: why does the New Testament say son of God, more? Because it's coming from the point of view of his flesh. All the disciples — they met Jesus, as a man. And they knew him as a human, before they understood he was God. Whereas we, two thousand years later: we never met Jesus In the Flesh. So our first encounter is praying to Jesus, or hearing preaching about Jesus ('or hear him preaching about Jesus', as the letters stand). So we start: he's God. And we have to be convinced, that he was really a man. The disciples started: he was really a man. They had to be convinced, he was God. So the way they do that is: he's the son of God. A true man. Perfect man. Exactly like God. Conceived by God. When you put all that together, what that means is: yes — he is God. And that's what we say today.

Scriptures: Titus 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; John 14:9-11; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23

Scripture index: 1 Timothy 3:16; Luke 1:35; Isaiah 44-46; Isaiah 45:5; Isaiah 45:9; Deuteronomy 6:4; John 1:1-14; Galatians 4:4; Romans 5:10; Mark 2; Hebrews 1; John 20:28; John 20:30-31; 1 John 5:20; Titus 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 4:4; Colossians 1:15; John 14:9-11; Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23.