Son of God

Son of God is the title that identifies Jesus's unique relationship to God the Father — his eternal, divine sonship within the Trinity. While Israel as a whole and individual believers are sometimes called "sons of God" in Scripture, the title applied to Jesus designates a relationship of a wholly different order: he is the eternal Son, of the same divine nature as the Father (CCC 441–445).

The Title in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, "son of God" is applied to angels (Job 38:7), to Israel as a people (Exodus 4:22), and to the king of Israel (Psalm 2:7). These uses are analogical — expressing a special relationship of closeness or representation before God, not divine nature (CCC 441).

The Title Applied to Jesus

When Jesus is called Son of God, something different is meant. At his Baptism and Transfiguration, the Father declares: "This is my beloved Son" (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). Jesus himself speaks of the Father-Son relationship in terms of mutual knowledge and love that exceed any creature's relationship with God (Matthew 11:27). Peter's confession — "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" — is declared by Jesus himself to be revealed by the Father (Matthew 16:16–17; CCC 442–443).

The Meaning: Same Divine Nature

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) defined what the Church had always believed: Jesus is the Son of God in the full sense — not a lesser divine being, not a creature, but consubstantial with the Father: homoousion, of the same substance. He is the eternal Son who became human in the Incarnation (CCC 242).

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Christians also sons and daughters of God? Yes — through Baptism and adoption by grace, believers become children of God. But this adoptive sonship is entirely different from Jesus's eternal, natural sonship. We become sons by grace; he is Son by nature (CCC 654, 1996).