Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God,
God abides in him, and he in God.
1 John 4:15*
The title is a statement of faith, the distinguishing creed of all true believers. Peter admitted to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Martha, Nathaniel, the Roman centurion, and the Ethiopian eunuch also acknowledged the same. In fact, no one can have true faith in Christ without reaching this conclusion.
Phony Christians might employ the phrase in one way or another, but they don’t understand it, or at least they refuse to accept its true meaning. That is because the title is a declaration of the deity of Christ, and that is something counterfeit converts don’t wish to accept.
In Bible times, the phrase “son of…” clearly meant “being one with”, as in the “sons of the prophets” or “sons of the singers.” When Jesus declared, “I am the Son of God,” the Jewish leaders were immediately offended and ready to stone Him for blasphemy. To them, by saying God was His father, He was making Himself equal to God (John 5:18).
To call Jesus the Son of God is the same as acknowledging Him as God, the Son. It concedes that He has power and authority to judge and punish sinful man. Calling on the Lord by this title implies submission and obedience to His will. It concludes that no surrogate savior could ever redeem God’s lost creation. Only God Himself in human form could be capable of bringing complete salvation.
*Matthew 27:54; John 1:49, 11:27, 10:36; Acts 8:37; Daniel 3:25; plus 38 other references.
August 17
