Is Jesus the Only Begotten Son of God? Part 2

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Authored By  :
Bill Kochman

Published On :
May 25, 1998

Last Updated :
April 11, 2009


NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.

Taking Jesus Christ "The Accused" To Court, Jesus Is The Son Of God, God Does Not Lie, Additional Firsthand Testimonies, Even The Devils Believe And Tremble, Final Conclusions And Verdict, Strong Meat, Jesus's Unique Status, False Children Of The Kingdom, Jesus Christ: The High Priest Of Melchizedek


For our next witness, we will bring the "Accused" to the stand. Concerning His own relationship to His Father, Jesus is recorded as having said the following in the four Gospels:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
John 3:16-18, KJV


"Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
John 5:25, KJV


"Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"
John 10:36, KJV


"When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."
John 11:4, KJV


In addition to this, between the four Gospels and the Book of Revelation, Jesus uses the term "my Father" about sixty times. One of the shortest verses in the four Gospels, yet one of the most powerful examples of this, is found only in the Gospel of John:

"I and my Father are one."
John 10:30, KJV


Jesus was recognized by many people and spiritual beings as being the Son of God, beginning with the angel Gabriel who appeared to Mary to inform her of her forthcoming pregnancy:

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
Luke 1:35, KJV


John the Baptist not only recognized Jesus as the Son of God, but he also referred to Him as the Lamb of God; the very same term that the Disciple John used in the Book of Revelation:

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world . . . And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God . . . And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!"
John 1:29, 34, 36, KJV


Jesus was recognized as the Son of God by His Twelve Disciples and by other followers as well. After the Lord had walked across the choppy Sea of Galilee, following the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, they could do nothing but recognize Jesus for who He truly is and thus said:

". . . Of a truth thou art the Son of God."
Matthew 14:33b, KJV


Later, when they were in the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus again tested the faith of His Disciples by asking them who they believed Him to be. Some of them offered a few answers, but then Simon Peter boldly exclaimed:

". . . Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
Matthew 16:16b-17, KJV


The Gospel writer Mark, who some people identify as the same John Mark of the Book of Acts, and possibly the Marcus mentioned in some of the Epistles, who accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys, clearly recognized Jesus as the Son of God. The very first words of his Gospel are the following:

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;"
Mark 1:1, KJV


Luke the physician, who is also believed to have accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys, in writing in his Gospel of the genealogies of Jesus Christ, recorded the following:

"Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God."
Luke 3:38, KJV


After Jesus had called Philip to be a Disciple, Philip went to find Nathanael to inform him that they had found the Messiah. At first, Nathanael was incredulous, but he later acknowledged his error when he also exclaimed with amazement:

". . . Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel."
John 1:49b, KJV


Just prior to raising Lazarus from the dead in Bethany, Jesus questioned Martha, the sister of Lazarus and Mary, regarding His Divinity; and she replied:

". . . Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world."
John 11:27b, KJV


John the Beloved, also known as John the Revelator, author of the Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation, and also believed by some to have been the youngest of the Original Twelve, provides ample evidence of the Sonship of Jesus Christ with the following remarks:

"But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."
John 20:31, KJV


"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."
1 John 4:15, KJV


"Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? . . . He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son . . . He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God . . . And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
1 John 5:5, 10, 12-13, 20, KJV


After being chased out of the Temple, Jesus passed by a blind man whom He healed immediately. This resulted in a confrontation with the unbelieving Pharisees, who even went as far as to call in the man's parents. After the blind man had been questioned and thrown out of the Temple, he encountered the Lord a second time. Jesus used the opportunity to test the man's faith in the following conversation:

"Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him."
John 9:35-38, KJV


In yet another clear example, at the moment of Jesus' death on the Cross, we are told by two of the Gospel writers, that the Roman centurion, and those who were with him, also recognized the Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ:

"Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God."
Matthew 27:54, KJV


"And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God."
Mark 15:39, KJV


Some time later, when Philip met up with the Ethiopian eunuch in Gaza, after witnessing to him in his chariot from the book of Isaiah, the eunuch also believed in the Lord and said:

". . . I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
Acts 8:37b, KJV


In writing of the conversion of the Apostle Paul, and of how he immediately began preaching the Gospel within days of his life-changing experience, Luke tells us:

"And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God."
Acts 9:20, KJV


Throughout his Epistles, Paul testifies to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. For example, he opens his Epistle to the Roman brethren with the following words:

"Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:"
Romans 1:3-4, KJV


Paul continued to declare this very same message in other Epistles with such remarks as the following:

"For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea."
2 Corinthians 1:19, KJV


"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
Galatians 2:20, KJV


"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"
Ephesians 4:13, KJV


"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession."
Hebrews 4:14, KJV


"If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."
Hebrews 6:6, KJV


"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"
Hebrews 10:29, KJV


Not only was Jesus recognized as the Son of God by human beings, but even the very demons He cast out were forced to acknowledge His Divine Nature:

"And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"
Matthew 8:29, KJV


"And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God."
Mark 3:11, KJV


"And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ."
Luke 4:41, KJV


"When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not."
Luke 8:28, KJV


In his Epistle, James informs us that the demons are so sure of this truth, that they fear and tremble; probably because they know that their final judgment draws near:

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
James 2:19, KJV


For any open-minded jury member, it should now be clear from the preponderance of firsthand testimonies from witnesses who actually knew, met and experienced the Presence and Power of the Christ, that Jesus truly is the Son of God. To even consider that all of these witnesses are mentally unstable, deluded, mistaken, or outright liars, is clearly unthinkable. They saw Him! They heard Him! They experienced Him! They had absolutely no doubt as to who Jesus Christ is! Why then do so many people doubt today? Could it be that there is no longer faith on the Earth exactly as Jesus had predicted?:

". . . Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"
Luke 18:8b, KJV


If there was anyone who was doubtful regarding Jesus Christ being the Son of God, it was clearly Satan himself, and his evil children, the unbelieving Jewish Elders and their blind followers. In fact, Jesus said that these followers were twice the children of hell as their spiritual overlords, the Scribes and the Pharisees:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."
Matthew 23:15, KJV


"And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread . . . And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."
Matthew 4:3, 6, KJV


"And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread . . . And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:"
Luke 4:3, 9, KJV


"But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God . . . And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross . . . He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God."
Matthew 26:63, 27:40, 43, KJV


"Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am."
Luke 22:70, KJV


"The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God."
John 19:7, KJV


Despite the ridiculous and unfounded objections and accusations made by A.G. Satan and his spiritually-blind gainsayers and false witnesses, it is plain to see that the evidence is clearly in favor of the "Accused"; thus, after carefully considering and weighing all of these overwhelming testimonies, the jury finds that it can only come to the irrefutable determination that this Man, Jesus Christ, is indeed the very Son of God! Therefore, it is my motion that He is hereby acquitted by this court of all of the false charges libelously and slanderously brought against Him by the rebellious and defiant unbelievers. As King David said in his Psalm, these false witnesses truly are fools in light of the evidence brought against them. The Defendant is hereby released into the custody of His Father. Furthermore, if at any time the Defendant should choose to press charges against His accusers, I would be more than happy to hear His case. This court is now adjourned.

While we have firmly established that Jesus Christ is indeed the very Son of God, there is still very much which remains untold. In His Epistle to the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul delves even deeper into the Origin, Nature, Status and Inheritance of Jesus Christ in the Heavenly Realm. Some of these things are very difficult to understand. As I have stated in other articles such as "Biblical Cafeteria, or the Whole Course?", unlike some of the Early Disciples who learned the Christian doctrine at the feet of the Lord's Apostles, it appears that the Lord revealed a number of deep truths to Paul through direct revelation. This is confirmed by Paul himself when he says in his Epistle to the Church at Galatia:

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Galatians 1:11-12, KJV


Because of the profoundness of some of these topics, and due to the possibility of their being misunderstood by those who are young in the Faith, that is, the spiritual babes, Paul only mentioned some of these things lightly in his letters; for as he also said:

"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
Hebrews 5:14, KJV


In the very first chapter of this same Epistle, Paul clearly tells us that Jesus Christ is unique and set above all of the rest of the Spiritual Creation, save for God the Father. While it is a bit lengthy, please read the following fourteen verses so that you can see that this is indeed true:

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"
Hebrews 1:1-14, KJV


Notice the key points that Paul emphasizes in the previous dissertation. These primary elements establish the foundation for the wonderful truths which Paul reveals in the rest of this amazing letter to the Hebrews:

1. Jesus is the sole heir of the Kingdom of God
2. Jesus created all things
3. Jesus is the express image of God
4. Jesus purged sin from the world by His Sacrifice
5. Jesus sits on the Right Hand of God
6. Jesus is much higher than the angels who minister to Him
7. Jesus is the Son of God

In the following chapters, Paul describes how Jesus Christ willingly left His Heavenly Estate and became lower than the angels so that He might take the sins of the world upon Himself and become the Captain of our Salvation. Consider what he wrote in the second chapter to confirm these very things:

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted."
Hebrews 2:9-18, KJV


Jesus spoke of this very same thing in one of His parables found in the Gospel of Luke. In this particular story, He compared Himself to the beloved Son who was sent by the Owner of the vineyard to gather the fruits of the Harvest. As you will see later in this series, these fruits are known as the firstfruits, from the Greek word "aparche", which is pronounced ap-ar-khay'. Jesus then explained how the Kingdom would be taken from the unbelieving Jews who had killed the Son, and be given to others who were more worthy than themselves:

"Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
Luke 20:9-18, KJV


These very same thoughts are revealed in the Gospel of Matthew where we are also told that the Kingdom of Heaven will be taken from those false Jews who erroneously claim to be the true Children of the Kingdom:

"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
Matthew 8:11-12, KJV


We will take another look at these prophecies later on in this series. You might also want to read such articles as "Is God a Racist?" where I provide a preponderance of Scriptural evidence to further confirm this truth. Returning to the book of Hebrews, it is in the third chapter that Paul introduces us to Jesus as the eternal High Priest of God after the order of Melchizedek, not by His own doing, but rather by His Father's command:

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; . . . Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession . . . So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec . . . And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec . . . Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec . . ."
Hebrews 3:1, 4:14, 5:5-6, 9-10, 6:20, KJV


What is particularly interesting about this topic is that over a thousand years before the Apostle Paul wrote the above words, King David wrote another Psalm, similar to Psalm Two, in which he not only described the coming Battle of Armageddon, and the Millennium in which Jesus would rule with a rod of iron, but he also described the Lord as a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek:

"[A Psalm of David.] The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head."
Psalm 110:1-7, KJV


Please go to part three for the continuation of this series.

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