By Dr. Maxwell Shimba, Shimba Theological Institute

Introduction

One of the most frequently asked questions by Islamic scholars and adherents is:

How can Jesus be the Son of God?
How can God have a Son without a wife?

These questions arise from misunderstandings about the Christian doctrine of the Sonship of Jesus. In this exposition, we shall clarify the true theological meaning of "Son of God" as applied to Jesus Christ, referencing the Christian Scriptures and contrasting the misunderstandings often presented in Islamic polemics.

1. How is Jesus the Son of God?

To begin, it must be categorically stated that Jesus Christ is not the "Son of God" in the ordinary, biological sense, as would be understood in human parenthood. This does not mean that God married and had a male child. Christians categorically reject any suggestion that God had sexual relations with Mary, resulting in the birth of Jesus—a notion sometimes implied in Islamic critiques. Rather, the title "Son of God" expresses a unique, spiritual, and eternal relationship between Jesus and God the Father, rooted in divine revelation and not in physical generation.

John 1:1, 14 states:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."
Here, "the Word" (Logos) refers to Jesus, who existed eternally with God and became incarnate.

2. How Can God Have a Son Without a Wife?

This question misunderstands the Christian teaching. The New Testament affirms that Jesus is the Son of God not by physical procreation, but by divine action through the Holy Spirit. The angelic announcement to Mary in Luke 1:35 is explicit:

"The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.'" (NIV)

Mary did not conceive Jesus through any natural human process but by the supernatural intervention of the Holy Spirit, who is fully God. Thus, Jesus is called "holy" and "the Son of God" by the angel, a unique title denoting both his divine origin and his unique relationship to God the Father.

3. Jesus Affirms His Identity as the Son of God

During his trial before the Jewish religious leaders, the high priest directly challenged Jesus:

"The high priest said to him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"
(Matthew 26:63-64, NIV)

Jesus did not deny being the Son of God. On the contrary, he affirmed it, even invoking Daniel 7:13-14 regarding the Son of Man's divine authority—provoking a charge of blasphemy from the Jewish leaders.

4. The Jewish Understanding of "Son of God"

Later, before the Roman governor Pilate, the Jewish leaders insisted:

"The Jews insisted, 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.'"
(John 19:7, NIV)

For the Jews, Jesus’ claim to be the "Son of God" was not understood as a metaphor or a mere honorific title. It signified equality with God—an assertion of divinity. This is further emphasized in John 5:18:

"For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God."

Thus, to claim to be the Son of God, in this context, meant to claim a unique, divine status—hence the charge of blasphemy and the demand for Jesus’ execution.

5. The Theological Meaning of "Son of God"

The New Testament further clarifies the meaning of "Son of God." Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as:

"The radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."

This passage highlights both the divinity and the preexistence of Jesus as the Son of God, affirming his unique relationship and essential unity with the Father.

To understand the term "Son of God" in the biblical sense is to recognize that Jesus is the perfect, visible manifestation of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15; John 14:9). The title does not imply literal offspring, but rather a relationship of shared essence, authority, and mission.

6. Analogy: "Son of Perdition" and Biblical Idioms

A further clarification can be found in biblical idioms. In John 17:12, Judas Iscariot is referred to as "the son of perdition" (or "son of destruction"). This does not mean Judas was literally born from "destruction" as a parent, but rather that his life and actions embodied destruction. Similarly, to be "the Son of God" is to embody the character and essence of God.

7. Jesus as God Revealed in Flesh

Ultimately, the doctrine of the Sonship of Jesus is inseparable from the doctrine of the Incarnation: God revealed in human flesh. John 1:1, 14 again affirms: "The Word was God... and the Word became flesh." This mystery is foundational to Christian faith.

Conclusion

The question "How can Jesus be the Son of God?" is resolved by understanding that the Christian claim is not of biological paternity, but of an eternal, spiritual relationship—God manifesting Himself in the person of Jesus Christ, uniquely begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father (Nicene Creed). This truth is attested by Scripture, proclaimed by Jesus Himself, and understood by his followers as the foundation of Christian faith.

References

The Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV)
John 1:1, 14; John 5:18; John 17:12; John 19:7
Luke 1:35
Matthew 26:63-66
Daniel 7:13-14
Hebrews 1:3
Colossians 1:15
The Nicene Creed

Bibliography

Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994.
Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.
McGrath, Alister. Christian Theology: An Introduction. 6th Edition. Wiley-Blackwell, 2016.
O’Collins, Gerald. Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute

This exposition provides a comprehensive, biblical, and theological answer to the oft-repeated questions regarding the meaning of Jesus as the Son of God. It demonstrates that Christian doctrine, far from being based on biological assumptions, is rooted in deep spiritual and scriptural realities.

Monday, July 7, 2025

JESUS AS THE SON OF GOD: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?