A king who was anointed by the authority of God also had a special relationship with God and were called "God's son." This is shown in Psalm 2 where God's anointed king is called his "son." King Saul, King David and King Solomon were all anointed by God. They were anointed by the Spirit of God to be kings over God's people. This anointing changed King Saul's character. (Anbia, 1 Samuel 10:1, 9-11) King David received the Spirit of God in power. (Anbia, 1 Samuel 16:13) God called Solomon his son and Solomon was promised the continual love and wisdom of God. (Anbia, 2 Samuel 7:12-16, Anbia, 1Kings 3:5-14)
So who really is Jesus the Messiah (al-Mesih)? The Holy Scriptures tell us he is a King. You may have heard that some people call Jesus Christ a "son." Is he really a "son?" If so, what kind of "son" is he? If anointed kings (mesih) were called "sons," is it proper to call the anointed Messiah, (al-Mesih) a "son"? The word "son" can be used in different ways. Sometimes the Holy Bible uses it in the physical sense, sometimes in the spiritual or figurative sense. The word "son" can be used in all of these senses in the Holy Bible, but it never means that God had a wife. This is a common misunderstanding among Muslims who are led to believe by their own leaders that this "sonship" is the result of a physical relationship between God and Mary. This, however, is not what the Holy Bible teaches. When referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, this term is used in the spiritual sense and simply refers to a special relationship through an anointing by God. It is a term of great honour and expresses a special choosing.
It is clear that al-Mesih, Jesus Christ is an anointed king, but is it really true that 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. Both terms mean an anointing by God. The reason why a king was called a son in the Zabur and Sahaif-e-Anbia, was because God chose him to rule over his people. The spiritual anointing, giving him authority and power, was demonstrated by a physical anointing. The words Messiah, Christ and Mesih, mean, "anointed one." 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." (Injil, 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." (Injil, Matthew 16:17) Are we faithful to the true meaning of Isa al-Mesih?
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, " ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God’." (Injil, Luke 1:35) 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.' " (Injil, 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." (Injil, John 3:16) The word for "one and only" in the original language of the Injil means "unique" or "best-beloved." He was the unique Son of God because he was the Spirit of God clothed in human flesh.
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. He was anointed with the breath of life. In the case of King Saul, his character changed. The Prophet David was given power by God. The Prophet Soloman was loved by God and given special wisdom.
We have also seen that the Hebrew word, Messiah, actually means "anointed one." This is important. Understanding Jesus Christ as "the Son of God," 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 with the names of God Almighty.