Is Jesus literally God’s son or is it a title?
Question:
Since Jesus is the Son of God, the Father, is he literally His son or is it more of a title? I was thinking how Mormons say Jesus and Satan were sons of God as if He bore them. I understand the Godhead. They are three separate but all three together make the one God. But I always wondered why the Son of God.
"I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You'" (Psalms 2:7).
"God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You'" (Acts 13:33).
"For to which of the angels did He ever say: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again: "I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son"?" (Hebrews 1:5).
"So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"" (Hebrews 5:5).
Answer:
Both the Father and Son are eternal. They both always were and always will be. Notice that the description of the Father in "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood" (Revelation 1:4-5) is the same as the Son in "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8). To be born implies a beginning, but Jesus has no beginning. Therefore, the names are describing their relationship with each other. What these verses indicate is that Jesus was "born" after existing -- something you can't use to describe people.
See also: Did Jesus become the only begotten of God at his baptism?
