John 1:34 “And I have seen and I testify that [Jesus] is God’s Chosen One.”
One of the great joys and blessings of my life is being a dad to our five kids: three boys and two girls. We are blessed with wonderful kids who love and serve the Lord. As a family, we do life and ministry together.
Trying to explain what the relationship of the Trinitarian God of the Bible is like is admittedly difficult – one God in three persons without beginning or end or limitations. The legendary theologian John Calvin liked to say that God spoke baby talk to us. Like a parent trying to explain something to a small child, God in the Bible uses language that we can relate to. So, we learn about God as Father and Jesus as the Son of God.
The New Testament refers to Jesus as the Son of God roughly 124 times, depending upon which scholar’s count you prefer. Jesus refers to God as Father frequently, as well. In fact, Jesus refers to God as Father roughly 165 times, making it His favorite title for God.
In speaking of Himself as the Son of God, Jesus was claiming to be God very clearly. Those who heard Him make that statement knew that He was claiming deity. We read in John 5:17–18, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
We’ve all heard the adage, “like father, like son.” It refers to the fact that a parent and child have an uncanny likeness. So it is with God the Father and God the Son. They share the same divine attributes and emotions. That’s why Jesus can say in John 14:9, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Everything that need be known and can be known about God is found in Jesus Christ. If you want to know God, the key is to spend the rest of your life learning about Jesus!
What can you do to increase your understanding of Jesus Christ as the Son of God (e.g., Bible reading, devoted Bible study, join a small group, regularly attend church to hear the Bible preached, etc.)?