The doctrine of eternal Sonship declares that the second person of the triune godhead has eternally existed as the Son. There was never a time when he was not the Son of God. At the incarnation he became a man; he did not become the Son. Those who deny this foundational truth teach that Jesus became the Son of God at some point in history. Some say that he became the Son at his baptism; others at his resurrection. Most, however, say that he became the Son at the incarnation. In this timely book the authors present with clarity the scriptural basis for the doctrine of the eternal Sonship of Christ, deal thoroughly with alternate views that deny this essential doctrine, and conclude with an explanation of why this truth is so vital to evangelical Christianity.

Why is Christ called "the Son of God"? Discover an answer so simple you'll wonder why you never saw it before, and so beautiful it'll take your breath away. What does the Bible mean when it calls Jesus "the Son of God"? Oh, no! Is this gonna be one those boring, hairsplitting theological exercises? Actually, no. In fact, if you will take this little journey with me to its end, I assure you the rewards will be rich. You may even find yourself deeply moved by the beauty of God's character and awestruck by the utter genius of the biblical narrative. Even if you find the above question boring at first glance, I promise you our time together will not be boring in the least.

Theologian Kevin Giles defends the historically orthodox doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son of God. He argues on biblical, historical and theological bases that, given its fundamental meaning, this doctrinal formulation is indispensable, irreplaceable and faithful to Christian revelation.

Nothing is more important than what a person believes about Jesus Christ. To understand Christ correctly is to understand the very heart of God, Scripture, and the gospel. To get to the core of this belief, this latest volume in the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series lays out a systematic summary of Christology from philosophical, biblical, and historical perspectives—concluding that Jesus Christ is God the Son incarnate, both fully divine and fully human. Readers will learn to better know, love, trust, and obey Christ—unashamed to proclaim him as the only Lord and Savior. Part of the Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.

Twelve evangelical scholars offer a comprehensive defense of the eternal submission of the Son and the Spirit to the Father, exploring the issue from exegetical, theological, historical, and pastoral perspectives.

This book attempts to reconceive the Trinity. Its thesis is that the Father beget the Son in or by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit proceeds from the Father as the one in whom the Son is begotten. While some contemporary authors have proposed a similar view, no-one has done so in such a complete and systematic fashion. Reconceiving the Trinity in this way has a number of advantages. Firstly, it is more in keeping with the New Testament proclamation, and thus it more closely aligns the economic and immanent Trinity. Secondly, it overcomes the inadequacies of traditional trinitarian formulations, in both Eastern and Western Churches, which incorporates erroneous philosophical presuppositions. Thirdly, it offers a resolution to the filioque controversy, which may be acceptable to both the Latin and the Orthodox Churches. This book is, therefore, highly ecumenical in importance. Fourthly, it gives a more active and essential role to the Holy Spirit within the immanent Trinity, something that has been lacking throughout the trinitarian tradition. The true subjectivity or personality of the Holy Spirit is more clearly defined. This book brings out the spiritual and practical importance of the Trinity for the everyday lives of Christians. It defines more clearly how Christians are grafted into the very life of the Trinity: how they come to relate to the persons of the Trinity in a manner analogous to the way they relate to one another.

Chapter 1. — Introductory Remarks: coming forth from the Father; with Appendix A. Chapter 2. — The Father's Love Chapter 3. — The Beloved of the Father Chapter 4. — Loved and in the Glory of Sonship before the World's Foundation Chapter 5. — The only-begotten Son of God Chapter 6. — The Word with God: the Only-begotten with the Father; with Appendix B. Chapter 7. — Jehovah saluting his Son Chapter 8. — New Testament use of the Second Psalm Chapter 9. — Image and Firstborn One; with Appendix C. Chapter 10. — The Firstborn Chapter 11. — The Fullness of the Godhead Chapter 12. — The Father's Audible Witness to the Son Chapter 13. — The Son, Himself God and Jehovah, as God's Spokesman; with Appendix D. Chapter 14. — Before the Foundation of the World and before the Ages of Time Chapter 15. — The Manifestation in the Son Chapter 16. — Concluding Remarks: Sonship and Service

"Who do you say that I am?" This question that Jesus asked of his disciples, so central to his mission, became equally central to the fledgling church. How would it respond to the Gnostics who answered by saying Jesus was less than fully human? How would it respond to the Arians who contended he was less than fully God? It was these challenges that ultimately provoked the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. In this volume covering the first half of the article in the Nicene Creed on God the Son, John Anthony McGuckin shows how it countered these two errant poles by equally stressing Jesus' authentic humanity (that is, his fleshliness and real embodiment in space and time) and his spiritual glory or full divinity. One cottage industry among some historical theologians, he notes, has been to live in a fever of conspiracy theory where orthodox oppressors dealt heavy-handedly with poor heretics. Or the picture is painted of ancient grassroots inclusivists being suppressed by establishment elites. The reality was far from such romantic notions. It was in fact the reverse. The church who denounced these errors did so in the name of a greater inclusivity based on common sense and common education. The debate was conducted generations before Christian bishops could ever call on the assistance of secular power to enforce their views. Establishing the creeds was not a reactionary movement of censorship but rather one concerned with the deepest aspects of quality control. Ultimately, what was and is at stake is not fussy dogmatism but the central gospel message of God's stooping "down in mercy to enter the life of his creatures and share their sorrows with them. He has lifted up the weak and the broken to himself, and he healed their pain by abolishing their alienation."

In this warm-hearted exposition, Trevor Burke shows the many dimensions of "sonship" in Scripture. It is at once the focus of creation, a metaphor for salvation, a moral imperative and the goal of human restoration. For those whom the Father adopts into his household, the family bonds that begin in this life will last for all eternity.

Christians currently agree that Jesus was submissive to God the Father during his incarnation and time on earth leading to the cross. The issue at hand is whether or not Jesus the Son is eternally submissive or subordinate to the Father in terms of their relations. On one side of the debate are those who say that the Son is only subordinate in authority during his earthly ministry but is coequal both ontologically and relationally with the Father eternally. On the other side are those who claim that the Son's obedience and submission during his earthly ministry demonstrate an eternal, voluntary submission to the Father so that the Son is always subordinate relationally while remaining fully equal with the Father ontologically. This book examines the eternal submission of the Son from both biblical and theological perspectives. The author surveys some of the recent trinitarian debate and engages with critics of eternal submission before setting out to provide biblical and theological support for the doctrine. The implications of this debate for theology proper and gender relationships in the church and home are also addressed. Whether you are new to the topic or a seasoned reader of the theological debate, this book will be a helpful resource.