By Mark W. Christy, PhD
This doctrine is supported by many passages throughout Scripture. The Bible specifically declares that ‘the Son’ created all things (Col 1:13-16; Heb 1:2). In Colossians 1:15, Paul says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.”[i] This suggests that Christ’s Sonship existed at least before creation.
While Scripture speaks of Christ’s physical birth through Mary, it also teaches that Christ was sent into the world as the Son, and this implies that His Sonship preexisted His incarnation (John 3:16; 20:21; 1 John 4:10, 14). In Galatians 4:4, Paul writes, “when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son.” Christ as the Son being “sent forth” implies yet again that Christ existed as the Son of God before taking on His humanity.
Speaking of the incarnation, John proclaims, “The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). The term “appeared” suggests that Christ the Son had been hidden from view until His incarnation. Obviously, this strongly implies His having been God the Son before His descension to earth in the form of a man.
While Christ was certainly incarnated, His eternal identity as a Triune member of the Godhead must be immutable. Therefore, His divine identity can never change. As the writer of Hebrews puts it, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb 13:8).
Despite the many passages that allude to the eternal nature of Christ as the Son of God, some hold to what is known as the doctrine of the incarnational Sonship of Christ where Christ is said to have become the Son when conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. They point to Hebrews 1:5, which seems to suggest that Christ’s Sonship was determined at a particular time, and conclude that His Sonship must be a matter of voluntary submission (Phil 2:5-8; John 5:19).
This understanding of Christ’s sonship, however, is simply not congruent with the revealed relationship between God the Father and God the Son. Jesus said, “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father” (John 16:28). Here, Jesus clearly demonstrates that His relationship to God is a father and son relationship. The eternal identity of God as the Father is bound to the declaration that Jesus is the Eternal Son. With this in view, stripping Christ of His eternal Sonship ends up affecting the revealed identities and relationships within the Trinity.
Another problem arises when one considers Old Testament (OT) prophecy about Christ. To put this simply, Christ is either revealed in the prophecies as He truly is, or He is revealed as He ultimately will be. This would essentially make it impossible for OT saints to relate to God because the means of that relationship (Christ being revealed through prophecy) has failed to materialize in the form of His Sonship. In other words, these saints could not relate to God the Father through God the Son because God the Son had not yet taken on His Sonship.
The eternal nature of Christ’s Sonship, therefore, directly impacts the salvific plans of God. This is made clear when Paul declares, “[God] chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4). This verse demonstrates the identity of God’s elect was determined by God in Christ. Christ’s role in the Trinity as the Son who would ultimately bear the sins of the chosen was established before creation.
[i]All Scripture references are taken from NASB1995.