Bible Dictionary
Son of God
Son of God is the distinctive title of Jesus Christ, declaring his unique and eternal relationship with the Father and his true deity. In plural forms, “sons of God” can refer to angels or people related to God by grace.
Definition
“Son of God” is the distinctive title of Jesus Christ. It expresses his eternal relationship with the Father and his equality and true deity. In the plural, “sons of God” can refer to pious people, angels, or those brought into gracious relationship with God by adoption.
Biblical Usage
The title is used uniquely of Christ in the singular, apart from Adam in Luke 3:38. It denotes the second Person of the Trinity and his divine nature, while “Son of David” refers to his human descent. Believers are called sons of God through adoption, and angels are also called sons of God.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
The plural, “sons of God,” is used (Gen. 6:2, 4) to denote the pious descendants of Seth. In Job 1:6; 38:7 this name is applied to the angels. Hosea uses the phrase (1:10) to designate the gracious relation in which men stand to God. In the New Testament this phrase frequently denotes the relation into which we are brought to God by adoption (Rom. 8:14, 19; 2 Cor. 6:18; Gal. 4:5, 6; Phil. 2:15; 1 John 3:1, 2). It occurs thirty-seven times in the New Testament as the distinctive title of our Saviour. He does not bear this title in consequence of his miraculous birth, nor of his incarnation, his resurrection, and exaltation to the Father’s right hand. This is a title of nature and not of office. The sonship of Christ denotes his equality with the Father. To call Christ the Son of God is to assert his true and proper divinity. The second Person of the Trinity, because of his eternal relation to the first Person, is the Son of God. He is the Son of God as to his divine nature, while as to his human nature he is the Son of David (Rom. 1:3, 4. Comp. Gal. 4:4; John 1:1-14; 5:18-25; 10:30-38, which prove that Christ was the Son of God before his incarnation, and that his claim to this title is a claim of equality with God). When used with reference to creatures, whether men or angels, this word is always in the plural. In the singular it is always used of the second Person of the Trinity, with the single exception of Luke 3:38, where it is used of Adam.