Bible Question:

Why is Jesus called the Son of God?

Bible Answer:

The term Son of God was given to Jesus by the angel who told Mary that she would give birth to Jesus.

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. (NASB) Luke 1:35

Does this mean the Holy Spirit was like a father to Jesus and Mary was the mother and therefore, Jesus is called the Son of God? No! He is called the Son of God because the phrase describes who He is!

The Bible actually defines the phrase “Son of God” in John 10:31-36. The passage tells us that some Jews wanted to kill Jesus by stoning Him to death.

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” Jesus answered them, . . . Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, `I am God’s Son’? (NASB) John 10:31-36

The Jews wanted to stone Jesus because He had claimed to be God. They understood what Jesus was saying – He claimed to be God. This was blasphemy. It deserved death. Notice how Jesus responded, ” . . . because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” Jesus said that they were going to stone Him for blasphemy. In that culture the term “Son of God” was equal to saying He was God.

Conclusion

You may also be interested in the expression “only begotten son.” An understanding of the culture in which Jesus lived and walked is important to understanding Him. It is important to know the ways of God – to know and understand God!

Suggested Links:

Searching For God
What does begotten mean in Psalms 2:7?
What does the Bible mean when it says Jesus is the only begotten Son?
What does Son of God and Son of Man mean?