“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’” – Matthew 3:17

In the contemporary Church, many men of God feel good, indeed some actually insist, that their disciples describe them as ‘my father.’

However, they’re always reluctant to declare publicly that “so and so is my son.”

And for a good reason; what if he lets you down by getting involved in a dreadful scandal?

However, our meditation today states that God publicly declared Jesus as; “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

I checked out this verse in other Bible versions.

One version says; “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my one dear Son; in Him I take great delight.’”

Another says; “And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My dearly loved Son, who brings Me great joy.’”

Another says; “This is My Son, the dearly loved, in whom is My delight.”

Mark the present tense – it’s not future tense as in ‘This will be my beloved Son after He has given His life for the sins of the world’; rather, it’s present tense – “This is my Son now”!

In Christianity, Jesus being the ‘Son of God’ is a fundamental doctrine in the sense that it describes His unique relationship with God the Father.

It holds profound significance and is so central to Christianity that anyone who denies it is called the “antichrist.”

1 John 2:22-23 says; “Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

John 3:36 adds: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

The name ‘Son of God’ is a messianic title, signifying Jesus’ authority and divine appointment as the Savior of the world.

The reference to Christ as ‘Son’ signifies His divine nature – His deity – God in the flesh, fully divine yet fully human.

This is critical as it is what makes Christianity different from all the other religions.

Indeed, Christians understand God to exist as three persons – God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit – in one divine being.

The name thus indicates His unique relationship with Abba Father.

That’s why the Jews got offended at Jesus’ calling Himself the ‘Son of God.’

John 5:18 says; “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because…He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”

As the Son of God, Jesus shares the same divine nature as God the Father.

That’s why Hebrews 1:3 describes Jesus as “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his Person.”

He is not a mere ‘prophet’ or messenger as some religions claim; He is the Son who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

As the divine Son of God – the Lamb of God – only Jesus could take away the sins of the world.

Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus the only Way to the Father.

The Name ‘Son of God’ is thus a messianic title, signifying Jesus’ authority and divine appointment as the Savior of humanity.

As someone has said; “The Son of God came that He might make us sons of God.”

That’s why Romans 8:29 says; “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”

Will you receive Him as your savior so you can become His brother too?