Jesus……God, or (only) Son of God?
by
Robert Schmid
In order to understand the Son of God, we must first understand God.
What is the first and most important fact established by God, about Himself, in His Word , the Bible? “In the beginning God” (Gen 1:1). Notice carefully the single word “God”! It does not say: In the beginning "Gods." Nor does it say: In the beginning "God and His Spokesman." Nor does it say: In the beginning the "God Family." Nor does it say: In the beginning the "Trinity," or the "Twinity." The fact that in the beginning was ONE God and not two, three or many, is necessary foundational knowledge that will put the reader on the right road to understand correctly all that comes after this opening statement.
The second most important fact established by God, about Himself, in His Word the Bible is that: “In the beginning was the Word (of God), and the Word (of God) was with God, and the Word (of God) was God”. This statement in John 1:1 confirms what it says in Gen 1:1 that there was (only) ONE God in the beginning.
It is also a known fact that the ONE Bible is divided into TWO parts: The Old Testament/Covenant and the New Testament/Covenant, divided into “BC” Before Christ and “AD” After Christ. Therefore, the words “Jesus”, “God the Father”, “Son of God”, or “Family of God” are not to be found in the Old Testament, BC.
In the Old Testament there are many prophecies of a coming Messiah, a coming Son of God, but not until the New Testament, in the fullness of time, did God engender (beget, bring into being) a son through the virgin Mary, His (surrogate) wife, whom He named Jesus.
So, the question is: When Jesus was begotten of God and born of Mary, was He God or was He (only) the Son of God?
On the one hand the answer is self-evident: Jesus was not born as God, Jesus was born as the Son of God. On the other hand, since Jesus was begotten by God from conception, he was a begotten God Being from the beginning. So, the question remains: Was Jesus God or the Son of God? Well, as long as we see this as an “either or”, “right or wrong” question we will never come to a correct understanding and conclusion.
Lets consider the fact that Jesus, throughout the New Testament referred to Himself primarily as the “Son of man” (over 80 times). Why? Well, because He was a born human being. Jesus was a man, a human being, just like you and I subject to temptation and death. However, at the same time He was a begotten God Being, from the point of conception, since His Father was God. Throughout His life, Jesus the (begotten) Son of God, kept all of His Fathers commandments and never sinned and thereby became the Savior of mankind.
Jesus, as a born human being and begotten God Being, lived, suffered and died. After three days and three nights in the grave, God, His Father resurrected Him from the dead as a born again God Being, composed of spirit, no longer able to sin or die.
As the born son of man, Jesus experienced all of the physical and emotional aspects of life just as you and I. As the begotten Son of God, Jesus turned water into wine, healed the sick, raised the dead to life and forgave sin. Who but God can do these things!
Was Jesus God before His birth through God and Mary? No.
Jesus was the Word (of God), from the beginning and throughout the Old Testament.
Was the Word (of God) a separate, second God Being besides God? No.
Was Jesus (fully) God after His birth through God and Mary? No.
Jesus was the (begotten) Son of God from His conception until His death.
Was the (begotten) Son of God a separate, second God Being besides God? Yes.
Was Jesus (fully) God after His resurrection by His Father God? Yes.
Jesus was the (first) born again Son of God.
Was the (first) born again Son of God, a separate second God Being besides God? Yes.
So, it becomes clear that God became God the Father, a God Being, and the Word of God became Jesus, the Son of God, another God Being, i.e., the ONE God Family.
What then did Thomas mean when he proclaimed: Jesus, my Lord and my God!
At the risk of stating the obvious, he did not mean that Jesus is God the Father, or God Almighty, the God of the Old Testament. He did not mean that the Son is co-equal with the Father, for the Father is always greater than the Son. However, he did mean that Jesus was God, a God Being, because Jesus was the (only so) begotten, and the (first) born Son of God who came in the full authority and power of God, and was speaking and acting fully on behalf of God. Jesus made it clear: If you hear me, you hear God! If you see me, you see God! If you are with me, you are with God! If you confess me, you confess God! But also: If you deny me, you deny God!
To deny that Jesus is God is to deny God! When Jesus told the Jews: "Is it not written in your law, I said, you are gods?", He reminded them (and us) that the whole purpose of human life is to become what God is – God!
"God is love" and godly love desires to share itself completely.
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