JESUS CHRIST: GOD-MAN - Vital Christianity

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● It is "by faith in the Son of God" that Paul lives (Gal 2:20).
● To come "to the knowledge of the Son of God" is the very essence of a mature
Christian faith (Eph 4:13).
● The very essence of the distinction between Jesus and the prophets (who are former
bearers of revelation from God) is that Jesus is a "Son" (Heb 4:14).
● Apostasy (a falling away) is a recrucifixion of "the Son of God" (6:6).
● Deliberately sinning after having received the knowledge of the truth is "trampling the
Son of God under foot." Such action will result in God's judgment (10:26-31).
Our concept of Jesus as "the Son of God," then, is vital to our salvation and
sanctification—our life in God.
John gives us the assurance that it is this very "Son of God" who has come to give us
understanding of Him who is real and true:
"We know also that the Son of God has come and has given understanding, so
that we may know Him who is true" (1 Jn 5:20).
In the Old Testament the term "Son of God" is used in a broad sense and thus often
translated "belonging to God.” It was applied across a wide spectrum of categories, including
angels and people. In Genesis 6 angels are called "sons of God." It is here that we have the
account of "the sons of God" seeing the daughters of men who were fair and therefore came
down and took them to be their wives (Gn 6:2). In the prologue of the drama of the book of Job
we read that there was a time when "the sons of God" came to present themselves before the
Lord with Satan coming among them as well (Job 1:6). We also read in Job of the day of creation
when the morning stars sang together and "all the sons of God" shouted for joy (38:7). Let it
must be remembered that although angels are called "the sons of God" in the Hebrew Scriptures,
no individual angel is ever called "the Son of God" (Heb 1:5).
The people of Israel are also called "the sons of God." God warned 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.'
But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son" (Ex 4:22-23).
Hosea heard God say:
"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son" (Hos 11:1).