What do you take Jesus meaning 'Son of God' to mean?
Why?
Personally, I believe 'son of God' means 'prophet', because I believe 'son' is used in a metaphorical sense, as though 'sons of the household' means servants of the house, so why not servant of God to mean prophet (or holy man, religious man, etc)?
Anyway, that's enough about what I think on the matter. Can you explain how you believe Jesus was the 'Son' of God? Literally, metaphorically? How?
Thanks all!
Odion
To me a son is simply the offspring of a parent. In the case of Jesus, he is the 'offspring' of his Father (in a metaphoric sense,) his life being generated by his Creator.
In time other spirit beings were brought into existence. These too were called "sons of God".
Adam is also called a "son" of God, he too was a direct creation. He was not generated from a woman's pregnancy like all his own sons and daughters were. (Luke 4:38) Eve's body was constructed using Adam's DNA.
The Father is the source of all life. He transmitted life to other beings, through his son, both of spirit and of flesh. (Prov 8:22, 30)
In Jesus' case he was 'generated' in both senses. He has existed as both a spirit being and a human of flesh.
As a spirit being he has the distinction of being called "only begotten". How does he come to have such a unique designation?
He is the first of God's creative ventures. The very first and only being that his Father brought into existence personally. This was before the creation of all else....just Father and son alone in whatever space spirit beings inhabit. For unknown times, this son became the loyal student and only companion of his Father, who was also his God.
At some point God brought all the raw materials of creation into existence and assigned his son to fabricate or fashion these, firstly into a family of spirit sons in the heavenly realm, (each individually created.) These were observers when the material creation was brought into existence. (Col 1:15, 16; Job 38:4-7)
With the creation of the material universe came the famous line in Gen 1:26,
Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness".
The "US" in this sentence was Father and son.
All things were created by the Father through the agency of his 'first-born' son.
So Jesus is the son of God in a very unique way. There is no one like him and never will be.