Jesus Christ: The Son of God

Introduction

1. One of the basic precepts of the faith we hold dear is believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. (Acts 8:37; John 8:24)

2. That Jesus is the Son of God is the theme of New Testament teaching and preaching. 3. Yet, there has always been controversy concerning Jesus’ identity. (John 7:12)

4. An abundance of evidence can be presented to show that Jesus Christ, as stated in Scripture, is the Son of God.

5. As the apostle John stated his purpose in penning his gospel, he, in reality, was stating the very reasons that all Scripture was revealed—to redeem man and to show that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the one through whom redemption is possible. (John 20:30-31)

6. This lesson will examine some of the evidence to see if Jesus is truly the Son of God.

I. An Erroneous Contemporary View

A. An erroneous view that some have about Jesus today is that He was not really the Son of God but He was a good man.

1. This was a view held by some during Jesus’ life on earth. (John 7:12) 2. If He was not the Son of God, He was not a good man.

B. If Jesus was not the Son of God: 1. He was nothing but a liar.

a. Consider John 12:44-50. He said the Father had revealed that He was the Son and the one sent to save the world.

b. If He was not that one, He lied and a good man does not lie.

2. He could not and will not give what He promised to give—eternal life. a. If He is not the Son of God, He cannot provide forgiveness of sins,

fellowship with the Father and, ultimately, eternal life.

b. That would mean that all He has enjoined upon those who serve Him would be meaningless and fruitless.

1) All of the sacrifice, anguish, heartache, suffering and persecution would be for nothing.

2) Would a good man do that to anyone? C. But I believe that Jesus was more than just a good man.

1. I believe He is the Son of God. 2. I believe His promise is true.

3. The testimony supporting His claims and my belief in Him is overwhelming.

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II. The Testimony for Jesus Christ as the Son of God A. The testimony of men: His contemporaries.

1. John the Baptist.

a. He was to fulfill the role of forerunner of the Messiah. (Luke 1:17) b. He was fully convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. (John 1:29-34)

2. The apostle Peter.

a. He was closely associated with Jesus during His ministry.

b. He gave testimony as to the identity of Jesus. (Matt. 16:15-16) 1) Jesus blessed him for this confession.

2) “Flesh and blood” had not revealed this fact to him but the “Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17)

3. Nathanael.

a. He did not believe any good thing could come out of Nazareth. (John 1:43-46)

1) Philip identified Christ as “Jesus of Nazareth.”

2) It could be that Nathanael knew of Micah’s prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2; cf. John 7:40-42, 52)

b. Yet, he was overwhelmed by the evidence and convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. (John 1:47-50)

4. Martha.

a. When Jesus came to raise her brother Lazarus from the dead, she expressed her faith in Jesus on what she had heard and seen before.

b. She believed Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of God, who is come into the world.” (John 11:27)

5. The centurion who helped crucify Jesus.

a. The testimony of those previously cited may be considered biased by some people because all of these witnesses were sympathetic to Jesus and His cause—this man was not.

b. This man witnessed those things surrounding the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

1) He watched Him on the cross and heard the things He said. 2) He saw the earthquake and other unusual physical

phenomena that took place at His death.

c. He simply said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matt. 27:54) B. The testimony of the spirit world.

1. Angels knew who he was.

a. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of the Son of God. (Luke 1:26-35)

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b. Before Jesus was born, an angel told Joseph who He was. (Matt. 1:20-25)

2. Even demons acknowledged Jesus to be the Son of God. (Mark 1:21-24) C. The testimony of Jesus’ works—His miracles.

1. The miracles of Jesus served a two-fold purpose.

a. They helped those who were their beneficiaries.

b. They gave strong reason for believing in Christ and His claims. 2. His miracles were performed openly for all to see so that even His

enemies could not deny His power. (John 11:47-48) 3. His works proved He was from the Father.

a. The testimony of Nicodemus. (John 3:2)

b. The testimony of Jesus Himself. (John 5:36) D. The testimony of the Scriptures—prophecy.

1. The Scriptures provide one of the most powerful proofs of the deity of Jesus. 2. Jesus used the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah to prove that He

was the Christ. (Luke 24:25-27; John 5:39-40)

3. Jesus fulfilled all of the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the Christ, made long before He ever came to earth, down to the smallest detail.

a. There is no possibility they could have been fulfilled by mere accident.

b. It would have been impossible for Him to have fulfilled all of the over 300 prophecies if He had not been the Messiah, the Son of God.

E. The testimony of the Father.

1. At Jesus’ baptism. (Matt. 3:17)

2. At the transfiguration. (Matt. 17:5)

Conclusion

1. With all the evidence that God has given, no one should doubt that Jesus is the Son of God.

2. “Now there was, about this time, Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he performed many wonderful works. He was a teacher of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him many of the Jews and also of the Gentiles. This was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the instigation of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those who had loved him from the first did not cease to adhere to him. For he appeared to them alive the third day, the

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divine prophets having foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him. And the tribe of Christians so name for him subsists to this time.” (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, Book 28, chapter 3, section 3)

3. Is Jesus Christ the Son of God? To answer, we make application of the words of Gamaliel found in Acts 5:30-39.

a. If there had been nothing to Jesus, He would have come to naught.

b. But He did not come to naught because He was, and is, the Son of God.

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