The Three Ways Jesus Is Called Son

Start with a question Many Christians would say Jesus is "the Son of God" because Mary gave birth to Him. Others would say it's because He rose from the dead. Both are in the Bible. Could they be parts of a larger picture?

One principle, three settings The Bible uses the language of begetting and birth for the Son in three places:

1. Before creation, in heaven.
2. Through Mary, at His birth on earth.
3. From the dead, at His resurrection.

Let's look at each one.

1. In heaven We saw this in Lesson 20: "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old... When there were no depths, I was brought forth." (Proverbs 8:22–24) "Possessed" is the word used when Eve said, "I have gotten a man from the LORD" (Genesis 4:1). "Brought forth" is birth language. It describes the Son’s begetting.

What we don't know is much. We know He was begotten. We aren't told when or how.

2. Through Mary "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35) "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." (Galatians 4:4)

Notice the order in Galatians 4:4: God sent His Son, who was made of a woman. The Son existed first and then was made of a woman. In Luke 1:35, the Father is the source: His power overshadows Mary.

Why was this necessary? "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." (Hebrews 2:17) "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5)

To represent God to us, He had to be divine. To represent us to God, He had to be human. In Christ both are joined.

3. From the dead "God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." (Acts 13:33) "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead." (Romans 1:4) "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead." (Revelation 1:5) "Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18)

Here the language of begetting is applied to the resurrection. And Psalm 2:7, "this day have I begotten thee," is quoted for it.

The common thread In all three, the Father is the source of life. And each is different in how it happened:

1. In heaven there was no mother: the Father does not have a wife.
2. In Bethlehem, Jesus had a human mother and a divine Father.
3. At the resurrection, the begetting is of a new life, from death.

The ways differ. The principle doesn't: the Son receives life from the Father.

This is a consistency question, and it follows our rule in Lesson 7: the same standard for every passage. If "begotten" means "received life from the Father" in the second and third settings, what reason do we have to read it differently in the first?

Someone may say that in the first setting Scripture says “brought forth” and not “begotten.” They are two words for the same event: a birth. The case for the first setting rests on Proverbs 8, John 3:16 and 1 John 4:9.

The life that can be laid down One more link. The Son's life was given to Him by the Father (John 5:26). And Jesus said: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father." (John 10:17–18)

Jesus had power over His own life, and He received that command from the Father. (We take this up in Lesson 25.)