What 'Son of God' Really Meant in the Bible
Introduction: When Titles Get Confused
If someone introduced you as "the daughter of the president" or "the son of the mayor," would anyone think that makes you identical to your parent? Would they bow down and treat you exactly as they treat the president or mayor themselves?
Of course not. Being someone's son or daughter means you're related to that person, perhaps representing them, maybe even honoring them by your role—but you're clearly not the same person.
Yet when the Bible calls Jesus the "Son of God," millions of Christians immediately assume this means Jesus IS God—the second person of a divine Trinity, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.
But here's a crucial question: Is that what "Son of God" meant to the people who first heard it? Is that what it means in the Bible itself?
The answer might surprise you. Because when we let Scripture define its own terms instead of reading later theological concepts back into the text, we discover that "Son of God" meant something very specific—and it wasn't "God the Son."
Part 1: How the Old Testament Uses "Son of God"
If we want to understand what "Son of God" meant when applied to Jesus, we need to see how the Bible itself uses this phrase. Does the Bible use "son of God" to mean "is God"?
Let's look at the evidence.
Angels Were Called "Sons of God"
"One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them." (Job 1:6)
In Hebrew, this reads "the sons of God" (bene elohim). The angels are called God's sons.
Were the angels God? Did calling them "sons of God" make them divine? Obviously not.
"When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy..." (Job 38:7)
Again, "sons of God" referring to angelic beings present at creation. They're God's creation, serving Him, representing His heavenly court—but they're not God Himself.
The Nation of Israel Was Called God's Son
"Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me."'" (Exodus 4:22-23)
God calls the entire nation of Israel His "son." Does this mean Israel IS God? Of course not. It means Israel has a special relationship with God—they're chosen, beloved, set apart for His purposes.
"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." (Hosea 11:1)
Matthew later applies this to Jesus (Matthew 2:15), showing that Jesus fulfills what Israel was called to be. But the phrase "my son" doesn't mean "is Me"—it means "belongs to Me, represents Me, is chosen by Me."
Kings of Israel Were Called God's Sons
This is especially important because Jesus is called the Messiah—the promised King from David's line.
"I will be his father, and he will be my son." (2 Samuel 7:14)
God is speaking about Solomon and the future kings in David's line. God promises to be their "father" and they will be His "sons."
Did this make Solomon God? Did this make any king of Israel divine? Absolutely not.
"I will proclaim the LORD's decree: He said to me, 'You are my son; today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.'" (Psalm 2:7-8)
This is a Messianic psalm—a prophecy about the coming King. The New Testament quotes this passage and applies it to Jesus (Acts 13:33, Hebrews 1:5, Hebrews 5:5).
Notice what "son" means here:
- Appointed by God ("You are my son")
- Given authority by God ("Ask me, and I will give you...")
- Ruling on God's behalf (over the nations)
The "son" is not God—he's God's appointed representative and King.
Even Human Judges Were Called "gods" and "Sons of the Most High"
This one is shocking to many people:
"I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.' But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler." (Psalm 82:6-7)
God is speaking to human judges who represented His authority. He calls them "gods" (elohim) and "sons of the Most High."
Were these judges actually divine? No—the psalm makes clear they're mortals who will die. The titles meant they represented God's authority, not that they were God.
This is crucial: Jesus Himself quoted this passage when accused of blasphemy:
"Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your Law, "I have said you are gods"? If he called them "gods," to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, "I am God's Son"?'" (John 10:34-36)
Jesus's argument is powerful: "If Scripture called mere human judges 'gods' for representing God's authority, why are you upset that I—whom God specially chose and sent—call myself God's Son?"
Jesus is saying: "I'm using the same kind of representative language Scripture has always used. This doesn't make me God—it makes me God's appointed representative."
Part 2: What Did Jewish People in Jesus's Time Understand?
This is absolutely critical. When Jesus's original audience—Jewish people in the first century—heard someone called "Son of God," what did they think it meant?
Did they think "Oh, that's the second person of the eternal Trinity, God incarnate"?
No. They had no concept of a Trinity. That doctrine was developed centuries later.
The Jewish Understanding
For a first-century Jew, "Son of God" was a Messianic title. It meant:
- The promised King from David's line
- The anointed one chosen by God
- Someone with a special relationship with God
- God's human representative on earth
But it never meant "is God Himself."
The Jewish Encyclopedia states: "The title 'son of God' is used in the Old Testament for angels, for Israel, and for each Israelite... Its application to the Messiah is traced to the promise made to David in II Sam. vii. 14: 'I will be his father, and he shall be my son.'"
When Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, he said:
"You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
Jesus responded:
"Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven." (Matthew 16:17)
Notice: "Son of God" = "the Messiah." It's the same confession. And Jesus confirms this is the right understanding, revealed by God the Father.
Why This Matters
Many Christians read the Gospels and unconsciously import a 4th-century Trinitarian understanding into a 1st-century Jewish context.
When they see "Son of God," they think "God the Son."
But that's not what anyone in the story was thinking. The disciples, the crowds, the religious leaders—no one heard "Son of God" and thought "the second person of the Trinity."
They heard "Messiah—the promised human King chosen by God."
Part 3: How Jesus Used the Title
So what did Jesus Himself think "Son of God" meant? How did He explain His relationship with the Father?
Jesus Distinguished Himself from God
This is where we need to pay very close attention to Jesus's own words.
"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)
Read that carefully. Jesus is praying. He calls the Father "the only true God." He distinguishes himself ("Jesus Christ, whom you have sent") from that "only true God."
If Jesus is God, why does He call someone else "the only true God"? Why does He separate Himself from God in this prayer?
"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone." (Mark 10:18)
Jesus redirects praise away from Himself and toward God alone. If He is God, this makes no sense.
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me." (John 5:30)
"By myself I can do nothing." Can God say that? Is God completely dependent on another for His power and authority?
No—but God's human agent would be.
"The Father is greater than I." (John 14:28)
Jesus explicitly states that the Father is greater than He is. Not just "has a different role" but is actually greater.
Many try to explain this away by saying Jesus is speaking from His human nature, but that's not what Jesus said. He simply said "the Father is greater than I"—present tense, no qualifications.
Jesus Acted as God's Appointed Agent
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus consistently presents Himself as someone sent by God, empowered by God, speaking for God—but not being God.
"For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken." (John 12:49)
"My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me." (John 7:16)
"I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." (John 6:38)
"The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing." (John 5:19)
These are not the words of someone who IS God. These are the words of someone who perfectly represents God, who acts on God's authority, who does God's will—but who is distinct from and subordinate to God.
That's exactly what "Son of God" means.
Part 4: What the Apostles Understood
How did those closest to Jesus—those who walked with Him, heard Him teach, and were filled with the Holy Spirit—understand "Son of God"?
Peter's Understanding
We already saw Peter's confession: "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).
But look at how Peter preached after Pentecost:
"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know." (Acts 2:22)
Peter calls Jesus "a man" whom God worked through. He doesn't say "God came to earth" or "God in human flesh." He says God accredited this man Jesus.
"God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." (Acts 2:36)
God made Jesus Lord and Messiah. If Jesus is God, how can God make Him anything? God doesn't need to be "made" into anything—He already IS.
But God can appoint, exalt, and crown His chosen human representative.
Paul's Understanding
"For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:5)
Paul is crystal clear:
- One God (singular)
- One mediator between God and humans
- That mediator is "the man Christ Jesus"
Paul calls Jesus "the man"—not "God incarnate" or "God the Son." And he mediates between God and humanity, meaning he stands in the middle, distinct from both.
"Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." (1 Corinthians 8:6)
Who is the "one God"? The Father.
Not "the Trinity." Not "Father, Son, and Spirit." Just "the Father."
Jesus is "one Lord"—the Messiah, the appointed King through whom God works. But the Father alone is identified as "the one God."
"The head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." (1 Corinthians 11:3)
There's a hierarchy here. God is the head of Christ. Christ is subordinate to God.
If Jesus IS God, how can God be His head? How can He be subordinate to Himself?
John's Understanding
John wrote his Gospel to prove something specific:
"But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31)
John's purpose: Prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
Not "prove that Jesus is God." Not "prove that Jesus is the second person of the Trinity."
To believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God—that's what brings eternal life.
And throughout his Gospel, John records Jesus making this exact distinction:
"My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working." (John 5:17)
"My Father" and "I"—two distinct persons, both working, but the Father is God and Jesus is the Son doing the Father's work.
Part 5: Why This Matters for Your Faith
Understanding what "Son of God" really means isn't just an academic exercise. It has profound implications for your faith and worship.
It Preserves Biblical Monotheism
The very first of the Ten Commandments:
"You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)
If Jesus is a second divine person equal to the Father, aren't we having two Gods? How do we avoid violating the first commandment?
But if "Son of God" means what the Bible always meant it to mean—God's appointed human representative—then we're not dividing our worship between two Gods. We worship one God, the Father, and we honor His Son as the Messiah through whom we come to God.
"No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)
Jesus is the way to the Father. Not a second God to worship alongside the Father, but the appointed mediator who brings us to the one true God.
It Makes Jesus's Life and Death Meaningful
If Jesus is fully God, how did He really face temptation? God cannot be tempted (James 1:13).
If Jesus is fully God, how did He really die? God cannot die.
If Jesus is fully God, how did His obedience really matter? God doesn't need to learn obedience.
But if Jesus is the human Son of God—truly human, born of woman, tempted in every way as we are—then His perfect life means something. His victory over temptation counts. His obedient death really did something God required.
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin." (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus can empathize with us because He was truly human, not God pretending to be human. He faced real temptation with the same kind of dependence on God that we must have.
It Honors Both God and Jesus Properly
When we understand "Son of God" correctly:
We honor the Father as the only true God:
- As Jesus Himself did
- As the apostles did
- As Scripture commands
We honor the Son as God's appointed Messiah:
- As the promised King
- As our High Priest and mediator
- As the one through whom God saves us
This isn't diminishing Jesus. This is honoring Him exactly as God wants Him honored—as the exalted human Lord, seated at God's right hand, reigning until all His enemies are under His feet.
"For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet... When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:25, 28)
Notice: The Son will ultimately be made subject to God "so that God may be all in all."
There's a beautiful order here: The Son reigns now, accomplishing God's purposes, and then submits everything—including Himself—to God the Father.
That's what being "Son of God" means. Not equality with God, but perfect representation of God as His chosen and exalted agent.
Conclusion: Let Scripture Define Its Own Terms
"Son of God" is a glorious title. It's the title that identifies Jesus as:
✓ The promised Messiah from David's line ✓ The one specially chosen and sent by God ✓ The perfect human representative of God's authority ✓ The King whom God has exalted to His right hand ✓ The one through whom God offers salvation to the world
But it does not mean "God the Son."
That's a later theological invention, not a biblical concept.
When we read the Bible with fresh eyes, letting Scripture interpret Scripture, the meaning is consistent from Genesis to Revelation:
- Angels are "sons of God"—not because they're divine, but because they serve God
- Israel is God's "son"—not because they're divine, but because God chose them
- Kings are God's "sons"—not because they're divine, but because God appointed them
- Jesus is the Son of God—not because He is God, but because He is God's ultimate chosen representative, the Messiah promised from ancient times
Jesus Himself affirmed this. He called the Father "the only true God." He said "the Father is greater than I." He did nothing on His own, spoke only what the Father commanded, and submitted His will perfectly to the Father's will.
The apostles understood this. They worshiped one God—the Father. They honored Jesus as Lord and Messiah. They never confused the two.
And you can understand it too.
Don't let centuries of tradition cloud what the Bible plainly teaches. Read Jesus's own words. Listen to His prayers. Watch how He relates to the Father.
Then ask yourself: Does this sound like God? Or does this sound like God's perfect human servant—the Messiah?
The answer is in the text. It's been there all along.
Jesus is the Son of God. He doesn't need to BE God to save you. As God's appointed High Priest, Prophet, and King, He perfectly accomplished everything God sent Him to do.
Honor Him. Follow Him. Thank God for sending Him.
But worship the one Jesus worshiped—the Father, the only true God.
For Further Study
Read these key passages carefully:
Old Testament "Son" Language:
- 2 Samuel 7:12-14 (God's promise about David's son)
- Psalm 2:7-12 (The Messiah as God's Son)
- Psalm 82:6 (Human judges called "gods" and "sons of the Most High")
- Hosea 11:1 (Israel as God's son)
Jesus's Own Explanations:
- John 5:17-30 (Jesus explains His relationship to the Father)
- John 10:34-38 (Jesus defends calling Himself God's Son)
- John 14:28 ("The Father is greater than I")
- John 17:1-5 (Jesus calls the Father "the only true God")
Apostolic Teaching:
- Acts 2:22-36 (Peter's sermon about Jesus the man)
- 1 Corinthians 8:6 (One God—the Father)
- 1 Timothy 2:5 (One mediator—the man Christ Jesus)
- Hebrews 1:1-5 (God speaks through His Son, appointed heir)
Questions to Consider:
- If "Son of God" meant "is God," why did the Bible use the same term for angels, Israel, and kings who clearly weren't God?
- Why did Jesus consistently distinguish Himself from "the only true God"?
- Why did the apostles identify "the Father" alone as "the one God"?
- When did Christians start interpreting "Son of God" to mean "God the Son"? (Hint: centuries after the Bible was written)
Your Challenge:
Read through the Gospel of John and make two lists:
- Every time Jesus says He is sent by God, speaks God's words, does God's will, or receives from God
- Every time Jesus claims to BE God
Which list is longer? What does that tell you about how Jesus understood His identity?