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Who are the “Sons of God”?

 

 

One Begotten Son or Many Sons?

 

The Bible first mentioned about the sons of God in the following verse: 

 

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. ~ Genesis 6:4

 

When I first read this verse, one of my immediate questions was: Who were the sons of God? Wasn’t Jesus the Only Son of God (John 3:16)?

 

 

“Sons of God” in the Old Testament

 

I searched for other verses about the sons of God, and found that they were already there before the Creation of the Earth!

 

Sons of God before Creation

 

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said … “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? … When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? ~ Job 38:1-7

 

From the above verse, we learnt that before the Lord laid the foundation of the earth, sons of God were already there, and they rejoiced over the Creation of the Earth.

 

Where did these sons of God Go?

 

However, it appears that these “sons of God” were not mentioned anymore after the above verse until we came to Psalm 82. So where did they go?

 

God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods. “How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” … I said, “You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.”  Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit all nations. ~ Psalms 82:1-8

 

The above psalm seems to be a record of a meeting in the Heavenly Court, where judgement was made on the sons of God (“gods”) who had been assigned to judge different nations on the Earth. However, it appears that apart from mixing with the daughters of men, the sons of God also judged poorly. God therefore declared that “they shall die like men” even though they were "gods and children of the Most High". 

 

Was this Judgement too Severe?

 

Was this a judgement too severe on One's own children? Probably not, because “die like men” also means that they will be "resurrected like men"! In view of what they had been doing, I believe it may be wise to put these "gods" to rest from the surface of the Earth until Jesus has come to put everything back to order ??

 

Of course some people believe that “sons of God” means angels, but I think there are too few available Bible verses to make a definite conclusion. In any case, we know that God has assigned heavenly beings to assist Mankind in their development, and they could be judged if they do not do their jobs properly.

 

 

Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God

 

It was probably after all these “gods” have "died like men" that Jesus, the Word of God, became the only begotten Son of the Father (??) There are many verses to verify this, and the most well known verse is probably the following:

 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ~ John 3:16

 

 

“Sons of God” in the New Testament

 

Even though Jesus was the Only Son of God, He is very generous with His Sonship. Not only did He freely offer this Sonship to His followers, He even teaches us how to be received as a beloved son like Himself in Our Father’s Kingdom. 

 

But as many as received Him (Jesus), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. ~ John 1:12

 

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ~ Romans 8:14

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. ~ Luke 6:35

 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. ~ Matthew 5:9

 

 

Do Not Take This Sonship Lightly!

 

YES! We, the disciples of Jesus, are now the sons of God! However, we must remember that this Sonship came with a high price. Jesus died on the cross for us so we can live freely and eternally as sons in the Kingdom of our Father.  Let us therefore receive this precious gift with gratitude and live righteously as our Father's beloved children.

 

So that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky. ~ Philippians 2:15

 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, 

that we should be called children of God! ...

When Christ appears, we shall be like Him, 

for we shall see Him as He is. 

~ John 3:1-2

 

 

Recommended Reading:

Who are the True Disciples of Jesus?