“1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God — 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures — 3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh 4 and was appointed to be the powerful Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead.”
Today we’ll focus on verse 4, which is a continuation of Paul’s statement about Jesus Christ, who is essential to understanding the gospel of God. Right after Paul tells us in verse 3 that Jesus the Messiah was foretold of by the prophets and is a descendant of David, in verse 4 he tells us that Jesus is also the Son of God. Paul speaks of Jesus’ sonship as having been “appointed”, which has also been translated the following ways: declared, understood, recognized, or made apparent. Aside from the fact that Jesus’ life made it apparent that He was the Son of God, here are a few more ways that we can be confident in this truth:
- God the Father declares it. One immediately recognizable occurrence of this happens at Jesus’ baptism:
“When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”” — Matthew 3:16-17 (See also Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22)
- Jesus says it. Here is an example from Jesus while in conversation with the Pharisees:
““If I glorify myself,” Jesus answered, “my glory is nothing. My Father — about whom you say, ‘He is our God’ — he is the one who glorifies me. You do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say I don’t know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” The Jews replied, “You aren’t fifty years old yet, and you’ve seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.”” — John 8:54-58
Jesus is telling the Pharisees that He and God the Father are one. Jesus is referring to the Old Testament when the prophet Moses, when speaking to God, asks God what He is to be called. God responds with the words, “I am who I am.” (See Exodus 3) To call oneself “I am” would have been an obvious comparison, and was outrageous blasphemy for any mere human being.
- The Old Testament predicts it. We’ve already spoken about how the Old Testament prophets prophesied about Jesus as the coming Messiah. (See devotional from Jan 8)
- The resurrection confirms it. As Paul addresses a group of Israelites in Antioch, he declares to them the importance of Christ’s resurrection as the cornerstone for our salvation. First, he points out that those whom God has called faithful, such as King David, all died at the end of their lives on Earth. Jesus, being the most righteous of these (for He was sinless) was raised by God from the dead, never to see decay as David and others have.
“As to his raising him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has spoken in this way, I will give you the holy and sure promises of David. For David, after serving God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and decayed, but the one God raised up did not decay. Therefore, let it be known to you, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you.” — Acts 13:34, 36-38
Jesus is the spotless lamb, the sacrifice that is required to make lasting atonement for our sin. We have salvation in Jesus because He is sinless. God would not have raised up Jesus to sit at His right hand, never to see decay, if Jesus was a sinner. Paul will make clear in the following chapters that all humans have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (See Romans 3:23), so this perfect sacrifice must not only be the Son of Man, but also the Son of God. For there is no other that could bring lasting atonement for sin, being raised by God the Father never to die again. (See Romans 6:9-10)
Ultimately then, it is in the resurrection of Jesus that we find confirmation that He is the Son of God. It is because of this doctrine that we affirm and understand Jesus to be God’s Son. The resurrection not only stands pivotal to Jesus’ sonship but also to our salvation in Jesus. Without the resurrection, we are still under condemnation. If Jesus didn’t rise, that only removes the good news. The bad news persists. If Jesus didn’t rise, that means He is not perfect. That means He remains dead because He sinned, just as we have. If Jesus sinned, then He is not the Son of God, He is not the perfect sacrificial lamb, and we are still dead in our trespasses and sins without hope of redemption. Praise God that we have confidence in Jesus as both Savior and Son of God!
There are many others throughout the New Testament that attest to Jesus as the Son of God. We see John the Baptist, Peter, Mark, John the Disciple, Nathaniel, Martha, the Centurion, the Angel Gabriel, and even the demons all acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. It is from the testimony of God, Jesus, the Old Testament Scriptures, the resurrection of Jesus, and the confession of many others that we can be confident that Jesus is the Son of God, and it is to our benefit that this is so.