The Son of God and John 3:16

What does “the Son of God” mean, and how is this important in John 3:16, where we read that God gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him would have eternal life? As a first note we may begin with the fact that the phrase “Son of God” is only used in the New Testament, and it is only used as a title for Christ. Certainly there is Old Testament precedence for the term, and prophetic indications of the idea, but the term itself is a uniquely New Testament one. In addition we need to recognize that there are instances where we read of “sons of God” in the Old Testament, and the New, and that these are used of both angelic beings and humans. But, this still leaves the fact that Christ is unique in that he is called the only begotten Son of God, and he alone is used as the object of the phrase when it is put in the singular.

So, what is the significance of the phrase, or title, “Son of God”? First we need to look at the passages where it is used. The phrase Son of God is used approximately 40 times in the New Testament, with nearly half of those being recorded by or written by John (including one in Revelation). In the gospels the term appears 23 times, 6 in Matthew, 2 in Mark, 6 in Luke, and 9 in John. Among the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) the title is used in many of the same instances. Each of the writers also uses the Son of God in a way that indicates they all had the same theological idea in mind, and in every instance the person who is referred to by the title is Jesus.

The idea that seems to be expressed by the title “Son of God” is that of the Messiah. For instance, in Luke 4:41 we see that demons were trying to make public Christ's identity, while he was intending to reveal himself on his own schedule. Thus we read, “Also, demons were coming out of many, shouting and saying, “You are the Son of God!” But He rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Messiah.” (HCSB) And in John 11:27 we read, “Yes, Lord,” she told Him, “I believe You are the Messiah, the Son of God, who comes into the world.” (HCSB) So the first connotation is that the title indicates the messianic identity of Christ.

This is in line with the prophetic declarations of the Messiah, as the New Testament will point out. For instance we read in Psalm 2 that the nations plan to shake off the rule of God and his “anointed one” (the Hebrew word is the same translated as Messiah). And then we read that God has established this messiah as a king, and God says that the messiah is his son. Also we read in Isaiah that a son will be given to us and he will be called, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” These verses are part of the link to the “Son of God” showing that this term is a messianic one that has Old Testament roots.

But John seems to take the term a little further—or flesh it out more—than the other gospel writers. Luke hints at what John seems to make more explicit. In Luke 3:38 we read, “son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.” Thus Luke ties the identity of Christ back to the first Adam, showing that he is the Son of God and the beginning of a new creation. John, on the other hand, gets even more explicit showing the theological power of the title. In John 10:36 we read the the Jews were accusing Christ of blasphemy because he said he is the Son of God, and in John 19:7 we read that the Jews appealed to the Law to stone Christ, saying that he deserved death because he made claims that he was the Son of God.

The way John uses the term, “Son of God” shows that he intended it to have more weight that just a messianic title, though such a use would by no means be light. The people would not be accusing Christ of blasphemy just for claiming to be the messiah. That is, if Christ was claiming that God had sent him and that he was a prophet, or that he was the one who was sent to save Israel like the judges did in the Old Testament, they may have accused him of insurrection, of being a false prophet, or something of that nature, but blasphemy is specifically a sin against God, by claiming something about God that is not true. In this instance the title “Son of God” would have to be understood more literally. That is, John was literally saying that Christ was the Son of God, begotten by God. As the Nicean Creed puts it: true God from true God.

In this context the reason for the specific use of the singular as a title that always applies to Christ makes sense. Only Christ can specifically claim to be the Son of God in the truest sense of the word. As John says, he is the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He became flesh and dwelt among men, and he has made the Father known. This does not mean that there are two gods, for again we see that John says that the Word was God, and the Word became flesh. There is only one God, and he is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three persons and only one God. No other being or person can ever claim to be God, or to have the relationship that Jesus has with God, this is a unique relationship that is different from all else.

According to John 1:3 and Hebrews 1:3 and 10, Jesus is the one who made the earth, the heavens, and everything else. John says that all things were created through him, and nothing that was made was made without him. Hebrews says that he upholds all things by the power of his word and that he is the one who established the earth. This echoes back to Genesis 1:1 where we read “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God is the called the creator in the Old Testament, and here we see that these same descriptions are applied to Christ. This is a unique status, no other being—that is none this not God—can make the claim to have created all things.

So, why is Jesus called the Son of God? For the same reason that God is called the Father. You see, God does not change. He has always been Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Son has always, eternally, been the only begotten Son of God. His relationship to the Father has always been that he is the Son, because that relationship, in human terms, is the one that describes the relationship that exists in the Godhead.

Creation was made the show the glory of God. Yet, at the same time, God is not a creature to be put in a bottle. As the creator of all things there are some truths about God that creation simply cannot adequately and completely express, such as his trinitarian relationship and reality. Yet, the family relationship of son and father does, in a perfect world, come close to expressing the relationship that God the Father and Christ the Son have. So let's look at that relationship to try and understand what the term “Son of God” would be expressing in the relationship between the Father and the Son.

First we see that the Son comes from the Father, not the Father from the Son. Christ is eternally begotten by the Father, yet the Father is not from the Son. Yet, this is an eternal relationship. It is not appropriate to say that the Son came from the Father, but rather that the Son is eternally from the Father; hence why I used the verb “come” in a present active form in the first sentence of this paragraph.

Next we see that the Son does the will of the Father. Notice how in Genesis 1 we read the God created the heavens and the earth, yet in John and Hebrews we see that Christ is said to have made all things. This is explained by the fact that God did make all things, and that one he made all things through is the Son. That is the Son does what the Father wants, always and in every situation. Even Christ himself said, “I always do what pleases Him.” (John 9:29) Again, this is just as the perfect relationship between a father and son should be.

Finally (for this short statement) we see that the Father and the Son love one another. We read in John 3:35 that the Father loves the Son. Again we see this in John 5:20; 10:17; 15:9, 10; and 17:24. In addition we read that the Son loves the Father in John 14:31. The relationship between the Father and the Son is one of love. The Father loves the Son and delights to give him glory as his beloved, the Son loves the Father and delights to do his will. This is the perfect relationship of a father and son, if creation could ever see such a thing.

So, how does all of this impact our reading of John 3:16? Let's get into that tomorrow. This letter is already long and I still need to get some sleep tonight.

God bless you and yours!