A gem in Professor John Murray’s Collected Writings 4: Studies in Theology, is his treatment of the sonship of Jesus. In an article entitled “Jesus the Son of God” (Chapter Four), Murray helps the reader understand the centrality of the title ‘Son of God’ for our confession of faith and preaching of Jesus, as well as the meaning of the eternal Fatherhood and eternal Sonship of Christ.
The contemplation of the eternal Sonship has always been a challenge to our finite minds. If you have been blessed by the reading of his classic work entitled Redemption Accomplished and Applied, you will be eager to explore the four volume set of his Collected Writings.
I have found this particular article especially enjoyable and helpful, and would like to summarize it in some short articles. One of his opening statements helps us understand just how important the designation ‘Son of God’ is. “I fear that even in orthodox circles the implications of this designation are too frequently overlooked and that the faith of Jesus as ‘the Son of God’ has suffered an eclipse that dishonors the Saviour and gravely impoverishes faith itself.” (58, 59). What are the implications of this designation?
He starts with Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15, 16). The significance of Peter’s confession is far-reaching. First, it was the Father who revealed this to Peter (16:17). Second is the unparalleled announcement respecting the building of the Church connected to his confession (16:18, 19). Finally, Peter’s confession marked a new epoch in Jesus’ teaching concerning His impending death (16:21). Peter’s confession “advertises of itself the significance that must be attached to the title ‘the Son of God’ in the identity that belongs to Jesus and in the faith which his identity demands” (58).
Murray masterfully demonstrates “the extent to which the identity specified by the title enters into the witness borne to Jesus and determines the faith that is directed to him” (58). In other words, the title ‘Son of God’ dominates in the witness that is given to the Savior. People bore witness to the truth that the title embodies. And, the title determined the faith of those who came to the Savior. If faith in Christ is validated by the acknowledgement and reception of His Sonship, then what precisely is it that we believe about Jesus as the ‘Son of God?’ If faith is dependent on belief in His Sonship, we must understand the precise nature of His divine Sonship. But let’s hold off a bit and see how the Professor develops the centrality of Jesus’ Sonship in the witness and the faith of those who came to Jesus.
No witness is more significant than that of the Father Himself. Jesus said “There is another who testifies of Me, and I know that the testimony which He gives about Me is true” (Jn. 5:31). “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Murray notes that “the story unfolded in the New Testament is to the effect that this witness, given to Jesus’ divine Sonship on the occasion of His baptism at Jordan, conditioned and captivated the faith of His disciples from the outset” (59). Indeed, John Himself stated: “And I have seen and bore witness that this is the Son of God” (Jn. 1:33, 34). So there is a direct connection between the Father’s witness to the Sonship of Christ and the faith of those who came to Christ. They believed the Father’s testimony about His Son. Professor Murray cites many other examples of those who believed the testimony of the Father. Andrew bore witness that Jesus was the Son of God (Jn. 1:33-40). Nathanael confessed “Rabbi, You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel” (Jn. 1:49). This means that from the very beginning of the revelation of Jesus’ public ministry, “the faith of Jesus as Son of God was integral to their evaluation of him as the Messiah” (60).
Going back ever further than this, the angel Gabriel used this designation in his address to Mary. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High” (Lk. 1:32). While we do not know the extent to which the revelation regarding the divine Sonship was conveyed to believers by Mary, Murray notes, it is apparent that “in the earliest announcement of Jesus’ actual advent…..the identity of the child had been defined in terms of the title ‘Son of God,’ thus certifying the jealousy with which God insured that the conception entertained of Him would not at any time be framed apart from this filial relation to God” (60).
Immediately upon his conversion Paul preached that “Jesus is the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). “The import is, plainly, that to preach Jesus is to proclaim that He is the Son of God” (61). Then there is the fascinating statement of Paul in which he says “But when it pleased God…..to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles” (Gal. 1:15, 16). What can this mean, to reveal His Son in me? It can mean nothing other than that there is a revelation by the Spirit in the heart of the sinner that Jesus is the Son of God. He becomes convinced of this, he understands the significance of the designation, and receives the Savior with a grasp of His filial relation to the Father.
So Murray concludes: “In view of the evidence establishing the centrality of his divine Sonship in the evaluation and confession of Jesus, we should expect that the identity involved would be given comparable prominence in the exercises of faith at the inception and in the continuance of the Christian life” (62). Murray puts a question in the form of an indictment: “To what extent has our faith in Jesus been constituted and governed by that which is so pervasive in the witness of the New Testament?” And, “Has the proclamation of the Gospel by the church been characterized by an emphasis that measures up to what this witness demands?” (63).
What does all of this mean for Christians today? Murray’s article has helped me to see that the foundation of our faith in Christ is the proper understanding and confession of His Sonship. But how many of us have ever really given serious thought to what this designation means? What kind of Sonship is this? We understand human sonship, but what is Divine Sonship? We might safely assume at this point (before going further in Murray’s treatment), that human fatherhood and sonship is predicated on the Divine. But upon what is the Divine Sonship predicated? What is it about the Divine Sonship of Jesus that draws us out in faith to Him?
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of the Living God? If so, what is the content of your belief? Look for Murray’s answer in our next article!
-Pastor John Reuther