Sons of God in the Bible.
Although the phrase
"sons of God" refers at times to heavenly beings (
Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Psalm 89:6), it usually denotes those people who acknowledge God as the source and goal of their life and who enter into a relationship of trust and love with God. All people are the creation of God, and as such all people bear the image of God and should therefore be treated with the greatest respect and dignity; but not all people can be called the
sons or children of God in the sense in which the phrase is used in the Bible. All people are, however, potential sons/children of God.
Sons of God in the New Testament
In the New Testament angels are never called
“sons of God.” The concept of sonship rather falls into three categories. The first and most common is of Jesus as the unique
“Son of God.” The second is of humans as
“sons of God” because of creation and, especially, redemption. We have been created as sons and daughters of God; we lost this status because of sin; but through the redemptive work of Christ we are restored into the family of God.
The third category has received little attention, and consists of texts that refer to glorified believers as
“sons of God.” When Jesus is confronted by Sadducees on the question of marriage in heaven, He replies that those who will have a part in the resurrection will be
“like angels” (
Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25) or
“equal to” angels (
Luke 20:36). Jesus then continues with a peculiar statement: believers will be
“sons of God, being sons of the resurrection” (
Luke 20:36). What Jesus is saying is that the resurrection propels the righteous into a higher heavenly existence that He calls
“sons of God.” This existence is not unlike that of the angels, neither is it inferior in substance, but nonetheless, it is distinct. Whatever sonship we possess in this life is transitional and anticipates the ultimate restoration to true sonship that will take place only at the resurrection.
A similar use appears in the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:9 declares:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” The future tense
“shall be called” points to the resurrection. Likewise, in
Matthew 5:44-45 those who love their enemies will be
“sons of God.”
Paul develops the theme of the glorified
“sons” in
Romans 8:14-25. In
verses 1-11 he describes how the Holy Spirit empowers a believer to live a life in the Spirit. He assures believers that they are already
“sons of God” (
verse 14), having been adopted into the family of God (
verse 15). He then switches to heavenly realities. In
verse 19 he declares:
“Creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” While he has affirmed that believers are already sons, a greater and more profound sonship awaits to be revealed. This will take place with
“the redemption of our body” (
verse 23), i.e., at the resurrection of the dead. It is at that point that believers will experience
“the glorious liberty of the children of God” (
verse 21).
While
Romans 8:14-25 is the clearest exposition of glorified believers as
“sons of God,” there are further hints scattered elsewhere. In
1 Corinthians 15:40 Paul contrasts the mortal earthly body with the immortal heavenly body to be received at the resurrection, and then states that believers will
“bear the image of the heavenly man” (
verse 49). Who is this
“heavenly man”? Is it a reference to Jesus? Or is Paul comparing mortal existence to the archetypal creation body, the one we will receive anew when we become glorified
“sons of God” as in
Luke 20:36?
Summarizing the New Testament evidence, we noted that the concept of sonship is applied (
a) to Jesus in a unique way; (
b) to humans by virtue of creation and redemption; (
c) to believers after the resurrection, when they will receive the heavenly, glorified body and will become sons and daughters in the full sense of the term.
Sons of God in the Old Testament
The Old Testament also contains three categories of texts. First, as in the New Testament, the word
“sons” is applied to God’s people because of creation and redemption. Second, the king, as the representative of the people and a type of the coming Messiah, was a
“son of God” in a special way (
1 Chronicles22:9-10; Psalms 2:7; 89:20, 26-27) The third category entails texts that speak of heavenly
“sons of God” (as mentioned in the previous post).
In Job, the earliest Greek translation translated
"sons of God" as
"angels of God" (
Job 1:6; 2:1) and
"my angels" (
Job 38:7). The phrase
"sons of the living God" in
Hosea 1:10, however, refers to Israel. Here is more scripture as Israel as the son of God:
Exodus 4:22, "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn."
Deuteronomy 14:1-2, "You are the children of the Lord your God; you shall not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth."