According to the New Testament, the key identity of Jesus Christ is that He is the Son of God. This is seen in the importance of the need to understand, confess, and believe this about Jesus in the following verses:
Matt 16:13-17
13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He began asking His disciples, saying, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
John 20:30-31
30 Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
1 John 2:22-23
22 Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.
1 John 5:9-13
9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for the witness of God is this, that He has borne witness concerning His Son. 10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His Son. 11 And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Scriptural witness to the Son of God, however, did not begin with the New Testament – it first appears in the Old Testament in the abbreviated form of “Son” (with one exception). While the number of Old Testament references to Son [of God] are nowhere near as numerous as that in the New Testament, they are extremely significant and have helped Christians recognize that Jesus Christ is indeed this Son of God and what the Bible means by this phrase. The following chart is a list of nine passages from the Old Testament with brief commentary.
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| 2 Samuel 7:14I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, | The first sentence is quoted in Hebrews 1:5 as a reference to Jesus with regard to His superiority over angels.This verse is alluded to Psalm 89:26 as an explicit reference to David and by implication, his sons. By comparing the wider context of Psalm 89:20-51; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; and Isaiah 55:3-4 with Luke 1:31-35 and Acts 13:34, it is obvious that the only one who fulfills the description of an everlasting kingdom is Jesus, the Son of God, and therefore never subject to the consequences of violating covenant with God. In other words, Jesus is the prophetic anti-type (i.e. He is the obedient Son who maintains his “inheritance”) to David and his sons (i.e. the disobedient sons who have lost their inheritance). |
| Psalm 2:7“I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:He said to Me, ‘Thou art My Son,Today I have begotten Thee. | This is quoted in Acts 13:33 as a reference to Jesus and His resurrection from the dead.The final part of this verse is quoted in Hebrews 1:5 as a reference to Jesus with regard to His superiority over angels.The final part of this verse is quoted in Hebrews 5:5 as a reference to Jesus being called by God to be the High Priest for those who believe in Him.
Much has been written about Psalm 2 being a “coronation” hymn for those who were heirs to David’s throne. Neither Psalm 2:7, 12 is ever used in the Bible to refer to any son of David other than Jesus who is more than a human descendant of David (see Matthew 22:41-45). |
| Psalm 2:11-12Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. | People are commanded to worship the “Son” just as they are commanded to worship “the Lord” (YHWH). This agrees with Jesus’ statement in John 5:23: “that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father”. See Hebrews 1:8-9 and Psalm 45:6-7. |
| Proverbs 30:4Who has ascended into heaven and descended?Who has gathered the wind in His fists?Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is His name or His son’s name?
Surely you know! |
In this verse, the “Son” is not only identified with the Creator but as also being involved in Creation, thus making Him equal with the Creator. See also John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:13-17; Hebrews 1:3. |
| Isaiah 7:14“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. | In this well-known prophesy of the Messiah, given about 700 years before Jesus was born to Mary, the “Son” will not only be born of a virgin, but is “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.”It is quoted in Matthew 1:23. See Matthew 1:18-25 for context. |
| Isaiah 9:6-7For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. 7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this. | In this well-known prophecy of the Messiah, also given about 700 years before Jesus was born to Mary, the “child to be born” who is also the “son to be given” is called “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” and the one who rules over all, in other words, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (see Revelation 19:16). |
| Daniel 3:25He answered and said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” | When Nebuchadnezzar made this statement, he described the fourth “man” as a “son of the gods.” While “gods” is consistent with the pagan context of the Babylonians, the miraculous deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and the fact that “son” is rendered in the singular (as opposed to “sons of God” elsewhere in the Old Testament), the king’s statement is rightly understood as a recognition of an Old Testament theophany or appearance of God to man prior to the Incarnation of the Son of God as the Son of Man. |
| Hosea 11:1When Israel was a youth I loved him,And out of Egypt I called My son. | The last part of this verse is quoted in Matthew 2:15 as a reference to Jesus and His return to Israel from Egypt. |
| Micah 5:1-3“Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; they have laid siege against us; with a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek. 2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.” 3 Therefore, He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. | In this well-known prophecy of the Messiah, given about 700 years before Jesus was born to Mary, although “Son” is not mentioned it is implied in verse 3 which talks about a female giving birth to a child. This “child” is described as having existed from eternity a characteristic exclusive to God. See Matthew 2:6 where Micah 5:2 is quoted from the Septuagint (i.e. the Greek translation of the Old Testament).The language of the magi in Matthew 2:2, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?,” is an implicit claim to deity – no human can be born a king but rather a prince. The statement that this child was born King of the Jews agrees with the Scriptural witness that the Son is Eternal (see also Isaiah 9:6; John 17:24; Hebrews 7:3). Jesus is in need of no coronation because as God He has always been King of Kings! The act of the magi worshipping Jesus (Matthew 2:11) also points to the deity of this child/Son. The worship of Jesus by the magi is significant for at least two reasons: 1) magi were known for worshipping the stars but here they follow a supernatural star in order to worship Jesus; and, 2) in the New Testament, Jesus accepts worship of Himself whereas Peter and angel(s) refuse to do so because they are not God (see Acts 10:25-26; Revelation 19:10). |
Colossians 2:8-9
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form
Matthew 17:4-5
And Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
Richard, thank you for your comment. You are correct that Muslims reject God’s triune nature as they believe that it is incompatible with their understanding of monotheism (i.e. “tawhid”). Your example of how we each of us have both body and spirit yet are one being is an excellent witness that unity has plurality. Since, as Genesis 1:26-27 state that we are created in God’s image, we understand that this principle of plurality within unity exists in God in an infinite manner. I wrote a two-part series on the Trinity that you can read on this site if interested. You also bring up a very important point at the end of your post – Muslims do not believe in the Bible as God’s inspired Word and most of them have never read or heard any part of it. May we recognize that God wants us to joyfully and boldly tell them what is written in the Bible that they may put their faith in Jesua to be saved from their sin, even as others have done the same for us.
Hi, I only skimmed some of your audiences queries and what I write pertains to muslim persons. I noticed your studies had them in mind.
Forgive me if this has been brought up unbeknowns to me. If I understand correctly the triune nature of God is not tolerated in Islamic faith. Yet their afterlife supposes virgins as a reward. When they die is their spirit said to be reborn? If so, are they not on earth body and spirit therefore two in one yet God can not be three in one? Just something I think on sometimes. I realize if they do not believe the scriptures. Thank you, God Bless You.
Happy you took time to point out the importance of Christ’s death. Some people think they can get to God WITHOUT Christ, not realizing that they are sinners in need of CLEANSING OF THEIR HEARTS. They want to go into God’s presence just as they are. Christ, the son of God, died on the cross for sinners. It is ONLY after being cleansed from sin that we have access into God’s presence. Without being made holy by Christ, we are on the road to eternal hell fire. None of our great ideas about who we are will get us into right relationship with God. If we dishonor the son, we dishonor the one sent by God, and dishonor God at the same time. It is interesting to know that God has made Jesus the Judge of all the earth. John 5:22 says that God has passed judgement to the Son. The gentle Jesus meek and mild that we know now, the lamb of God that we disrespect now will be one from whom men will be running. Revelation 6 says
men will be running, hiding, and praying to rocks and mountains to hide them from the WRATH of the lamb. I beg all of you people with your lofty and not so lofty ideas to heed the word of God instead of some foolish opinion of new gods that have arrived doubting the eternal word of the bible.
Richard, the Old Testament does not contain the kind of wording found in such passages as John 3:16; Acts 3:13-15, 26; Romans 1:1-4; 5:8-10; Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 John 4:10; however, it provides multiple details about who the Messiah would be and what He would do that correspond to these New Testament passages. This includes the foundational truth that atonement for sin (lit. “covering” in Hebrew) requires the shedding of the blood of something innocent (e.g. clothing Adam and Eve with animal skin; the sacrifices for sins and transgressions described in Leviticus; the Day of Atonement; cf. Abraham offering up Isaac; the Passover) only God has the ability and authority to forgive sin (thus implying the Incarnation); that God’s nature consists of a plurality which does not contradict His unity which plurality includes the divine Son as mentioned in this article). Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 are rather explicit prophecies of the Messiah’s sufferings and subsequent exaltation. I encourage you to read the book of Acts and look up the various OT quotes as well as in the letter to the Hebrews. A great “window’ into God’s trinitarian nature is found in Isaiah 48:16 in which YHWH is speaking and states that He was sent by YHWH and His Spirit. Though this verse does not use “Son,” when considered with other OT passages that indicate plurality within God’s nature that do use the word, “Son,” we can recognize that the divinely-inspired writers of the NT were not following “cleverly devised tales” (2 Pet 1:16) but were used by God to make this mystery explicit (e.g. see Rom 16:25-26; 1 Cor 2:6-14; Eph 3:4-11; Col 1;25-27; 1 Pet 1:9-12),
Where does God say I will send my son to die for your sins, I have searched the old testament and I can’t find it.
Jesus as the Son ofGod is extensively stated by Jesus himself, Apostolic writers, and God himself. Hebrews mentions the relationship repeatedly. My thinking has been that though the Jewish writers give us a myriad of prophetic forecasts of the Messiah the rabbinical teachings at best didn’t emphasize such a relationship. If that is so then it becomes a heretetical proclamation to the ordinary citizen and blasphemy to the leadership fueling their plans to annihilate Jesus. So my question is Was the teaching of Jesus’s day that the Messiah would have the Father/Son relationship?
Comment *Thanks alot brother, this is very very important more so in these last days the gosple has been tempered with leaving many p’ple confused. be strong and speak the truth without compremise.
thank a lot may the good lord bless you the more
Thank you, wish you had more, such as from Isaiah, Genesis, too!
Bjorn,
Two clarifications to my response:
1. When I wrote, “the seed of the woman would conquer Satan, or in other words, overcome all of his temptations,” I should have written this in a way that overcoming all of Satan’s temptations was a component of conquering Satan, not the only aspect to conquering him (e.g. John 12:31; Col 2:14-15; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8).
2. I should have completed the following: Whether the “type” is Joseph (Jacob’s son), Moses, Aaron (as high priest), Joshua, David, Solomon, Joshua the high priest mentioned in Zechariah 3, etc. or the child spoken of in Isaiah 7:14, each one of these only gives us partial aspects of who the Messiah would be and what He would do.
Bjorn,
Thank you for taking the time to leave your comment. I apologize for such a delayed response. With regard to vv. 15-16, you are correct – the descriptions in these verses cannot be referring to the Messiah but rather to a child that would be born and still be very young when the Assyrians and the northern kingdom of Israel would become forsaken. This, however, is in keeping with one of the ways in which the Old Testament reveals the Messiah to us, namely by using real individuals as “types” of the Messiah. Clearly, none of these human “types” were without sin, yet it is clear that the Messiah had to be so which is implicit in Genesis 3:15 (the seed of the woman would conquer Satan, or in other words, overcome all of his temptations; cf. Isa 53:9; Jer 23:6; 33:16). Whether the “type” is Joseph (Jacob’s son), Moses, Aaron (as high priest), Joshua, David, Solomon, Joshua the high priest mentioned in Zechariah 3, etc. or the child spoken of in Isaiah 7:14. When analogies are made, at some point they break down, that is, not every aspect of the thing being used as the comparison is applicable; but there is a certain aspect that is (or are certain aspects that are) properly analogous. Verses 15-16, therefore, do not undermine the Messianic prophecy of verse 14 (see Matt 1:21-23).
Regarding the matter of the identity of the virgin/young woman, there are various opinions. Biblehub.com has a number of commentaries that you can read for this passage. The Bible is clear that the only virgin birth (to be more precise, a child miraculously conceived by a virgin) was that of Jesus Christ/Messiah (Matt 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-56). The virgin birth of the Messiah was in keeping, yet fittingly surpasses all of the barren women in the Bible who miraculously conceived through God’s intervention.
Thank you for this article. I pray that the ‘eyes of the blind’ (unbelievers, especially those who reject the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God) will be opened by this truth and the hardened hearts will experience God’s love and accept the greatest gift which is God’s Son, Jesus Christ. The Word of God is truth. Salvation is nigh!
Thank you very much. I saved it those texts. Appreciated that. Glory to Lord Jesus. Amen.
Mr.Simnowitz
I have a question concerning Isaiah 7:14. My New Oxford Annotated Bible has the following verses: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”
When I read verse 15 and 16 it seems to me that this child is not the Messiah ? Do you know who this other virgin/young woman was that Isaiah is talking about ?
Can we say that it is actually two virgin births in the bible ?
Sincerely Bjorn Arseth
God Bless you Sir!!!
Thanks for this website.
Jeaus is the true SON OF GOD indeed.
@ Kamran Ali
The Quran, wich came 660 years later claims more things. The Torah and the Prophets tell other wise, that God is a Father, and the He has a Son (before He came as a Human being)
So is the Christ identified in many other ways in other Titles who show who He is. May the Lord most High open your eyes to see the Truth in Christ the Lord, who was Crussified for our sins, but is Alive forever more!
According to Islam, Jesus is not the son of the Allah (God) but a beloved prophet. Reference from the Quran is Surah e Ikhlaas. Thanks!!!!
What l would like to know is what does the old testament say about the brith of Christ
Messianic Prophesy 700 years before Jesus’ birth
Isaiah 52:14, 53:3, 7-8 (Actually all of Isaiah 53 is known as a forbidden chapter in traditional Judaism as more Jews accept Jesus as Savior due to it. )
Just as many were astonished and appalled at you, My people (The Jews), so His appearance was disfigured more than any man and His form [marred] more than the sons of men… He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces He was despised… He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth [to complain or defend Himself]; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before her shearers, so He did not open His mouth. After oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who [among them] concerned himself with the fact that He was cut off from the land of the living [by His death] for the transgression of My people, to whom the stroke [of death] was due?
Messiah Foreshadowed 1000 years before Jesus’ birth
Psalm 22:1, 16-18
My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?…
They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.
Karyn, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Did you mean to write “allusions” instead of “illusions”? (because there is a great difference in meaning.) For the sake of the rest of my response, I will assume that you meant to write “allusions.” First, the main point of this article is that the Old Testament prepares the reader/hearer to recognize that there is an eternally divine Son who is one with the Creator and thus worthy of worship. Second, the belief in the coming Messiah among the Jews is well known and precedes Jesus coming to earth by many, many years. Third, Jesus stated that the Scriptures (what is commonly known as the “Old Testament”) DO indeed point to Himself: John 5:39-47; Luke 24:25-27, 32, 44-47. See also: Acts 17:2-3, 10-12; 18:24-28; Rom 1:1-4; 16:25-26; 1 Cor 15:1-4; 2 Tim 3:14-15. As for “Jesus” (which is the same name as “Joshua” in Hebrew) never being mentioned in the Old Testament by name, this is not exactly correct. The announced name of “Jesus” (i.e. “Joshua) in Luke 1:31 and Matthew 1:21 should bring to remembrance the renaming of Hoshea to Joshua (Num 13:16) who is alluded to in John 1:17. Even as Moses, the law-giver could not bring the Israelites into the Promised Land, Joshua (YH saves) did, how much more is the Law impotent to save anyone yet the grace of Joshua Messiah (or, Jesus Christ) does indeed provide salvation for those who believe in Him. The naming of Jesus should also bring to remembrance one of the last prophecies of the Messiah given in the Old Testament – Zechariah 3. This most amazing chapter of how Jesus would bear our sins and provide cleansing for them is illustrated by the then high priest whose name just happened to be Joshua, of whom God explicitly stated that he and those with him were a “sign” for the coming “Branch” which is one of the key words in the prophets for the Messiah. See also Zech 6:11-15 in which Joshua the high priest is crowned pointing to the fact that the coming “Branch” would not only be high priest but king (something impossible under the Old Covenant) but realized in Jesus Christ. The letter to the Hebrews has multiple references to Jesus Christ being our high priest and sets forth in greater detail what these prophecies of Zechariah mean.
Jesus was never mentioned in the old testament. Only vague illusions to a possible Mesiah.
it is complete understanding that makes Jesus known to everyone as the only choice to be followed and praised.
Thanks for your comment. Both 2 Sam 7:14 and 1 Chr 17:13 contain the quote found in Heb 1:5. I appreciate you mentioning this cross-reference as it provides another related passage.
1 Chronicles 17:11-14 is a better reference for Hebrews 1:5 than 2 Samuel 7:14 used here.