What About Jesus?
Part 1: Does The Bible Say Jesus Is God’s Son?
In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, God promised that He would send Someone special to Earth to deal with the serpent that got man kicked out of the Garden of Eden. God said to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15) Who is this Seed?
At various times God would reveal a little more information about this person, known as the “Seed” of the woman. In Genesis we find out what family (nation) He would come from when God talked with Abraham (Gen 22:18). In I Chronicles we learn that He would be a ruler when God spoke to King David (I Chronicles 17:11-15). In Isaiah we are told quite a bit about Him. He will come into the human race through childbirth and will be called God. This was a tremendous revelation, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) He would also suffer and become an offering for sin. This was a perplexing mystery, “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.” (Isaiah 53:10)
We learn three very important things about the Seed when His arrival is announced:
- 1) He would go by the name Jesus. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.” (Luke 1:32)
- 2) He would be called the Son of God and would fulfill the promise given to King David. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1:32)
- 3) He would take away the sin of the world. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)
The people of Jesus day recognized Him as the Son of God. “Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’” (Matthew 16:16-17) John the Baptist said, “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:34) Additionally, “Nathanael answered and said to Him, ‘Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’” (John 1:49)
Jesus told us that God was His Father. Speaking to the Jews, He told them their God was His Father, “Jesus answered, ‘... It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.’” (John 8:54b) He also specifically told a man who had been healed that He was the Son of God. “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.’” (John 9:35-37)
And just in case there was any doubt, God told us that Jesus was His Son. “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:16-17)
There are many other references to Jesus being the Son of God, but to quote John, “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.” (John 20:31)
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