The phrase "son of" can be used in different ways. Sometimes the Holy Bible uses it in the physical sense, sometimes in the spiritual sense and sometimes in the figurative or metaphorical sense. The term "son of " can be used in all of these senses in the Holy Bible, but it never means that God had a wife. When referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, this term is used in the spiritual and metaphorical sense and simply refers to a special relationship and belonging. There were a number of people in the Bible who had a special relationship with God, giving them the title "son of God."

One of these was Adam. God made Adam and breathed into him the breath of life. Adam was made in the image of God.(Genesis 1:27) This does not refer to physical characteristics. One aspect of this "image" or "likeness" was that Adam was sinless. Another aspect was that Adam could communicate with God. Later, God chose to live in a man. Adam was made in God's likeness, not God in Adam's likeness.

A king, Cyrus, was referred to as God's anointed, which can also be translated as "God's son." This is shown in Psalm 1 where God's anointed King is called his son. God had a special relationship with Cyrus. God anointed him with power to help the people of God.(Isaiah 44:24-45:7)

King Saul and Prophet David and his son Solomon were also anointed by God. But this anointing was different from that of Cyrus. They were anointed by the Spirit of God to be kings over God's people. This anointing changed King Saul's character.(1 Samuel 10:1, 9-11) Prophet David received power from God.(1 Samuel 16:13) Solomon was promised the continual love and wisdom of God.(2 Samuel 7:15, 1Kings 3:5-14)

Then when Jesus came, he was called "the Son of God." Notice that he wasn't simply called "a son of God." The angel Gabriel said to Miriam, (Mary) the mother of Jesus, "So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."(Luke 1:26-35) In the presence of many people, a voice came from heaven saying, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."(Luke 3:21-22) Many times this phrase is used of Jesus. What does it mean? It refers to a special relationship with God. He is not just "a son of God;" he is "the Son of God." He is referred to in the Bible as God's "one and only Son." (John 3:16) The word for "one and only" in the original language of the Injil means "unique" or "best-beloved."

We have seen that in order to be a "son," one needs to have a special anointing. In the case of Adam God breathed into him the breath of life. The breath of life was transmitted from God to Adam. In the case of Saul, his character changed. The character of God was given to Saul. In the case of Cyrus, God anointed him with power and authority to do a certain job. The Prophet David was given power by God. The Prophet Soloman was loved by God and given special wisdom.

The Hebrew word, Messiah, actually means "anointed one." This is important because understanding the "sonship" of Jesus Christ begins with acknowledging the fact that he is the Messiah (Al-mesih). According to the prophets who lived hundreds of years before Jesus Christ, the Messiah would be a man who would speak and act with the power and authority of God and would also be called the same names that God Almighty is called.

This greatness is acknowledged in the Qur'an. In Arabic a person who is anointed can be called a memsuah. This means "one who is anointed." It is used to refer to the physical ceremony of anointing. However, Jesus Christ is referred to in the Qur'an as Al-mesih. Mesih means the "most anointed" and "one who has the ability to anoint others." Mesih is used to show that the person was actually anointed by God and therefore carries the authority of God as he is obedient to God. Al is the equivalent of "the" in English and refers to "that which is like no other." So "the Messiah" or "the Christ" (the Greek word meaning "anointed one") is the same as Al-mesih, meaning, "the most anointed one who has the power and authority to anoint others."

What was Jesus Christ anointed with? His anointing was the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This is why he is sometimes called the Ruh-hu-allah, the Spirit of God.

We know that even the Qur'an refers to Jesus as "the Word from God," "the Spirit of God," and "the Pure One." Nowhere in the Qur'an or the Hadiths or the Jewish Scriptures or the Christian Bible is the Messiah ever claimed to have sinned or even made a mistake. If we study the facts about all men who were prophets or who claimed to be prophets, and consider their own testimonies as well, we see that this cannot be said about any other prophet.

So who really was Jesus the Messiah. Was the Messiah a man first who received the anointing of God's Spirit, or was he the Spirit of God who took on human flesh, yet fully remaining the Spirit of God? The Holy Bible teaches us that he was the Spirit of God who took on human flesh, yet fully remaining the Spirit of God. Being clothed with a human body he was called the Son of God to show that he was the Spirit of God clothed in human flesh. The Spirit within him actually anointed his body to live a perfect life and act with the power and authority of God.

Isa Al-mesih is "Jesus, the one and only Son of God." If we look carefully we will see that the meaning is the same. They both demonstrate an anointing by God. In the Injil, one of Jesus' disciples, the Apostle Peter, connected these two terms together. He said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) Jesus' reply was, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven." (Matthew 16:17) Are we faithful to the true meaning of Isa Al-mesih.

You may be thinking, "This is all too confusing. God would never use a term so confusing as "the Son of God" to describe Isa Al-mesih!" Please consider this. In Pakistan and even in the Arab world, if a man's only child is a daughter and he loves his daughter dearly, he may say, "This is my son." Physically, she is not his son at all! She's his daughter! But everyone knows exactly what he means. She came from him and submits to him. He loves her dearly like no other child, and all that he has may someday be given to her.

The same is true with the Lord Jesus Christ. God's love for him was very unique. Never before had he loved anyone like he loved the Lord Jesus Christ. God himself spoke from heaven saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Matthew 17:5) All that God had was shared with the Lord Jesus Christ--his character, his power, his eternal love. The Lord Jesus Christ submitted to God and proved this by healing people of their illnesses, forgiving sin, and finally rising from the dead as he said he would. He has also promised to raise you and me from death to eternal life if we trust in him alone to bring us to God. He will change our character, and will call us his "sons," not because we deserve it, but because of his love for us. He will adopt us as his "sons" and give us the inheritance of his spirit and eternal life. In the Injil it says, "Yet all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. (John 1:12-13)

When reading the Holy Bible, many people only want to allow one meaning for "son." But "son" has more than one meaning both in daily life and also in the Holy Bible. This term is clearly understood in daily life. It is also clear to those who faithfully read and obey the Holy Bible. God has communicated to us in a way we can understand. He desires to anoint us with his eternal love.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NIV®
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