Why is Christ called "the Son of God"? Discover an answer so simple you'll wonder why you never saw it before, and so beautiful it'll take your breath away. What does the Bible mean when it calls Jesus "the Son of God"? Oh, no! Is this gonna be one those boring, hairsplitting theological exercises? Actually, no. In fact, if you will take this little journey with me to its end, I assure you the rewards will be rich. You may even find yourself deeply moved by the beauty of God's character and awestruck by the utter genius of the biblical narrative. Even if you find the above question boring at first glance, I promise you our time together will not be boring in the least.

The doctrine of eternal Sonship declares that the second person of the triune godhead has eternally existed as the Son. There was never a time when he was not the Son of God. At the incarnation he became a man; he did not become the Son. Those who deny this foundational truth teach that Jesus became the Son of God at some point in history. Some say that he became the Son at his baptism; others at his resurrection. Most, however, say that he became the Son at the incarnation. In this timely book the authors present with clarity the scriptural basis for the doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ, deal thoroughly with alternate views that deny this essential doctrine, and conclude with an explanation of why this truth is so vital to evangelical Christianity.

In antiquity, “son of god”—meaning a ruler designated by the gods to carry out their will—was a title used by the Roman emperor Augustus and his successors as a way to reinforce their divinely appointed status. But this title was also used by early Christians to speak about Jesus, borrowing the idiom from Israelite and early Jewish discourses on monarchy. This interdisciplinary volume explores what it means to be God’s son(s) in ancient Jewish and early Christian literature. Through close readings of relevant texts from multiple ancient corpora, including the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Greco-Roman texts and inscriptions, early Christian and Islamic texts, and apocalyptic literature, the chapters in this volume engage a range of issues including messianism, deification, eschatological figures, Jesus, interreligious polemics, and the Roman and Jewish backgrounds of early Christianity and the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The essays in this collection demonstrate that divine sonship is an ideal prism through which to better understand the deep interrelationship of ancient religions and their politics of kingship and divinity. In addition to the editors, the contributors to this volume include Richard Bauckham, Max Botner, George J. Brooke, Jan Joosten, Menahem Kister, Reinhard Kratz, Mateusz Kusio, Michael A. Lyons, Matthew V. Novenson, Michael Peppard, Sarah Whittle, and N. T. Wright.

In this warm-hearted exposition, Trevor Burke shows the many dimensions of "sonship" in Scripture. It is at once the focus of creation, a metaphor for salvation, a moral imperative and the goal of human restoration. For those whom the Father adopts into his household, the family bonds that begin in this life will last for all eternity.

Biblical Foundations Book Awards Runner Up and Finalist What does the epistle to the Hebrews mean when it calls Jesus "Son"? Is "Son" a title that denotes his eternal existence as one person of the Trinity? Or is it a title Jesus receives upon his installation on heaven's throne after his resurrection and ascension? In this Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture (SCDS) volume, which promotes fresh understandings of Christian belief through creative, faithful readings of the canonical text, pastor and New Testament scholar R. B. Jamieson probes the complexity of the Christology presented in the epistle to the Hebrews. Exploring the paradox of this key term, Jamieson argues that, according to Hebrews, "Son" names both who Jesus is eternally and what he becomes at the climax of his incarnate, saving mission. Jesus is, in short, the eternal Son who became the messianic Son for us and for our salvation. This volume thereby offers a case study showing how the church's core convictions about Christ lead us not away from the text, but deeper into it. Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture, edited by Daniel J. Treier and Kevin J. Vanhoozer, promotes evangelical contributions to systematic theology, seeking fresh understanding of Christian doctrine through creatively faithful engagement with Scripture in dialogue with church.

Theologian Kevin Giles defends the historically orthodox doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son of God. He argues on biblical, historical and theological bases that, given its fundamental meaning, this doctrinal formulation is indispensable, irreplaceable and faithful to Christian revelation.

The doctrine of eternal Sonship declares that the second person of the triune godhead has eternally existed as the Son. There was never a time when he was not the Son of God. At the incarnation he became a man; he did not become the Son. Those who deny this foundational truth teach that Jesus became the Son of God at some point in history. Some say that he became the Son at his baptism; others at his resurrection. Most, however, say that he became the Son at the incarnation. In this timely book the authors present with clarity the scriptural basis for the doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ, deal thoroughly with alternate views that deny this essential doctrine, and conclude with an explanation of why this truth is so vital to evangelical Christianity.