Jesus Christ-Son of the Living God
1. Who did Jesus say that He was?
John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
– Jesus said that God was His Father. His claims to equality of God were based on His Sonship. This was the highest claim of Jesus.
2. What did the Father testify regarding Jesus?
Matthew 3:16, 17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
3. Who did the disciples think Jesus was?
What was the understanding of the disciples about who Jesus was?
Matthew 16:15, 16 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
– Peter expressed the faith of the 12 disciples. They knew that Jesus was the Son of the Living God.
John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
4. Did Satan and his demons know who Jesus was?
Luke 4:3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
– Satan, before his fall from heaven, knew that Jesus was the Son of God. In the wilderness of temptation the devil challenged this fact.
Luke 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
Mark 5:7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
– Even the demons, or fallen angels, knew the identity of Christ.
5. Is there anyone else referred to as the ‘son(s) of God’?
Luke 3:38 Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
– Adam was the son of God by creation (Genesis 5:1). Also the angels (Job 38:7)
1 John 3: 1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
– We are sons of God by adoption (Romans 8:15)
6. With what special term does the Bible describe Christ?
1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
– Jesus is the ‘Only begotten Son’. He is not a son by creation, as was Adam; nor is He a son by adoption, like us; but He is a Begotten Son.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
– God gave His only begotten Son. It is clear that God must have had a Son before He could send Him.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)full of grace and truth.
– The Word that was made flesh is Christ. The only begotten of the Father became a man. The Son of God became the Son of man.
7. When did Jesus become the Son of man?
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.
Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
8. Did Jesus become the Son of God at Bethlehem?
Or was it before?
Proverbs 8:22-30 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.
– Christ is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30; Colossians 2:3). Here we see Christ speaking of His birth before anything was ever created. It was at the very beginning of all things, way beyond our grasp.
John 1:1, 2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
– Jesus is the Word, who was with God in the beginning of all things, for He made all things.
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
– ‘Goings forth’ also means ‘origin’. Jesus was brought forth in the days of antiquity, or from everlasting (margin: the days of eternity).
Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
– Only the Father and the Son were involved in the act of creation. Clearly the Son was born/begotten before the creation of anything too place.
Note: Jesus is not here acting or pretending to be a Son. He is a real and literal son, by birth. Else he would be lying.
9. How much does the Father love the Son?
The Father loved us so much that He gave His Son. How much does the Father love the Son?
John 3:35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
– God’s love to His Son is beyond measure.
10. What did the Son of God inherit?
By virtue of His divine birth, what did the Son of God inherit?
Hebrews 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
– The Son of God inherited the name of His Father.
Exodus 23:20, 21 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
– The Son of God had His Father’s name long before Bethlehem, thus teaching that He was begotten of His Father long before the incarnation.
John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself.
– The very same life that the Father has was given to His Son by inheritance. This is immortal, original life that the Son can give to those who believe (John 17:2). This was done at creation as well, when the Son gave life to all creatures. The Father’s life flows out to all through the beloved Son.
11. What name did Christ have in heaven?
What name did Christ have in heaven before He came to earth?
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.
– ‘Michael’ means ‘one who is like God’. The only one who is like God is His Son.
Isaiah 40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
Hebrews 1:1-3 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high
– The Son of God is the express image and likeness of His Father. He is so for He was brought forth (begotten) from the Father.
Note: it is falsely understood that attributing the name Michael to Christ makes Him a mere angel, or a created being. This is not so, because Christ is the Son of God, and thus is the Prince of heaven. Consequently, He is the commander and chief of all the angels (He is the archangel). It was He who commanded the angels in the war in heaven. He is the prince of the angels, as well as the prince of His people on earth. (See Daniel 12:1, Jude 9, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, it is Christ in every case)
12. Does that make Jesus a divine being?
Does that make Jesus a divine being, worthy of our praise and worship?
Hebrews 1: 8, 6 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
– Jesus inherited the name of His Father. He is God by nature. Just like a human being who has a son, that son would also be a human being. So the Father who is divine (God) has a divine Son. He calls the Son God and commands all to worship Him.
Colossians 2:9; 1:19 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.
– The fullness of the Godhead, or divinity, dwells in the Son. He is fully divine because His Father is God.
John 5:23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
– We honour and worship the Son as much as the Father. They are both of the same divine nature. We pay supreme honour to God when we honour and reverence His Son.
13. The importance of Jesus being the literal Son of God.
How important is it for us to understand that Jesus is the real and literal Son of God?
1 John 2:22, 23 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
– If we deny that Jesus is the Son, we have the spirit of Satan (antichrist). In so doing we also deny the Father.
1 John 5:10, 11 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
14. What is the difference between Christ and Lucifer?
Some are confused regarding the word ‘begotten’ thinking it means the same thing as ‘created’. The difference between ‘begotten’ and ‘created’ is clearly seen when we compare Christ with Lucifer (before his fall).
What is the difference between Christ and Lucifer?
Proverbs 8:24, 25 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth.
– Twice we are told that Christ was “brought forth” or “begotten.”
Ezekiel 28:13, 15 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
– Twice we are told that Lucifer was “created.” Christ was “brought forth” while Lucifer was “created.” There is a world of difference between these two words.
To say that “begotten” means the same thing as “created” is to equate Christ with Lucifer!
People should be careful before they dishonour Christ in such a way.
15. What important question did Jesus ask the blind man?
John 9:35-38 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
– Believing on the Son of God is our life-line.
16. Why did the Jews kill Christ?
Matthew 26:63-65 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.
– Jesus’ answer “thou hast said” means ‘you have said right/correctly’
John 19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
– They refused to accept Jesus was indeed the Son of God. They knew that such a claim made Him equal with God. (John 10:33)
17. What great promise is given to those who believe?
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.
Conclusion
Jesus Christ is the only-begotten Son of God. He was begotten of the Father in the ages of eternity past. He was not created out of nothing, as Lucifer was, but was brought forth from the substance of His Father. This is the evidence and proof of His divinity and deity. This was His consistent teaching while here on earth, and this is the testimony of the Scriptures.
If there is only one true God, the Father, who has a begotten Son, Christ, then what of the Holy Spirit?
The next lesson will examine this question.
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