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SON OF GOD

A person or people having a close relationship with God; in the NT a designation of Jesus. The Lord promised through Nathan that David’s ancestor would be “a son to me” (2 Sam. 7:14; 1 Chr. 17:13; 22:10; 28:6), and other texts call the king the Lord’s son (Ps. 2:7; cf. Isa. 9:6-7[MT 5-6]) and firstborn (Ps. 89:27-29[28-30]). Several passages call the Lord the “father” of Israel (Deut. 32:6; Isa. 64:8[7]; Jer. 31:9), and others refer to Israel or Ephraim as the Lord’s “son” (Exod. 4:22-23; Jer. 31:9; Hos. 11:1). The people can be called the Lord’s sons and daughters (Deut. 32:19; Isa. 43:6; Hos. 1:10[2:1]).

Intertestamental Jewish sources call the angels sons of God (Wis. 5:5) and identify the suffering righteous man as God’s son (Wis. 2:16-18; Sir. 4:10), and several texts from Qumran, especially the hotly debated Aramaic text 4Q246, provide enigmatic evidence concerning the term “son of God” (cf. also 4QFlor 1:11-13; 1QSa 2:11). The Greco-Roman world bestowed the title Son of God on Caesar.

Although Paul speaks of the Son 15 times, he uses the full title Son of God only three times (Rom. 1:4; 2 Cor. 1:19; Gal. 2:20). One of these three is in the early Christian confession that Jesus was “declared to be Son of God with power” at his resurrection (Rom. 1:3-4). Other Pauline references to the Son are in assertions that God did not spare his own Son (Rom. 8:32), sent him to condemn sin (v. 3) and to redeem those under the law (Gal. 4:4), predestined believers to be conformed to the image of his Son (Rom. 8:29), revealed his Son to Paul (Gal. 1:16), and sent the Spirit of his Son (4:6). Other references to the Son are in statements with divine passives (Rom. 1:4; 5:10; 1 Cor. 15:28; cf. 1:9), though Paul once says that the Son of God gave himself for him (Gal. 2:20). Most of these references to the Son are in two locations, Rom. 1–8 and Galatians. The Deutero-Pauline letters seldom refer to the Son (Eph. 4:13; Col. 1:13).

The Q material claims that the devil tempted Jesus as the Son of God (Luke 4:3, 9) and that Jesus once spoke absolutely of both “the Father” and “the Son” (10:22). Mark repeatedly proclaims that Jesus is God’s Son. A heavenly voice calls Jesus “my Son, the Beloved” at his baptism (Mark 1:11; cf. v. 1) and transfiguration (9:7); the unclean spirits recognize him (3:11; 5:7); Jesus refers to a beloved son in a parable (12:6) and speaks of the Son in a saying (13:32); and the high priest asks if Jesus is the Christ the son of the Blessed One (14:61). But a gentile centurion is the only human who confesses Jesus as Son of God in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 15:39).

Matthew claims that the disciples confessed Jesus as Son of God (Matt. 14:33) and that Peter confessed him as the Christ the Son of the living God (16:16); however, Matthew also notes that opponents twice use this title when mocking the dying Jesus (27:40, 43). Although the Lukan Infancy narrative promises that Jesus will be called the Son of the Most High (Luke 1:32) and Son of God (v. 35), the disciples do not voice either confession in this Gospel. Paul twice stresses Jesus’ identity as God’s Son in Acts (9:20; 13:33).

The Gospel of John frequently refers to the Son and the Son of God. The Father sent the Son into the world he had created (John 3:17; 5:23; 10:36) and gave him all things (3:35; 5:22, 26); whoever believes in the Son is not judged (3:17-18) but will have eternal life (3:16, 36; 5:21; 6:40). The Son does what he sees the Father doing (John 5:19-21); indeed, the Father and the Son are one (10:30). Several of the Son of God references are in confessions (John 1:34, 49; 11:27), including the author’s statement of purpose (20:31). Many references to the Son and the Son of God also occur in 1-2 John, especially 1 John 4:9–5:20.

Hebrews announces that God recently spoke to us by a Son (Heb. 1:2), who ranks above the angels (vv. 4-13). Designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 4:14; 5:6, 10), the Son secured eternal redemption through his own blood for believers (1:3; 9:12), whom God is treating as sons (12:5-8). Having learned obedience through suffering and having been made perfect, the Son became the source of salvation (Heb. 5:8-9; 7:28); however, punishment awaits those who spurn the Son after once believing (6:6; 10:29). Other references to the Son occur in 2 Pet. 1:17; Rev. 2:18.

Bibliography. J. A. Fitzmyer, “4Q246: The ‘Son of God’ Document from Qumran,” Bibl 74 (1993): 153-74; R. H. Fuller, The Foundations of New Testament Christology (New York, 1965); F. Hahn, The Titles of Jesus in Christology (New York, 1969); M. Hengel, The Son of God (Philadelphia, 1976); J. D. Kingsbury, Matthew: Structure, Christology, Kingdom, rev. ed. (Minneapolis, 1989), 40-83; W. Kramer, Christ, Lord, Son of God. SBT 50 (Naperville, 1966).

Robert L. Mowery






Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)

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