Is Jesus the Son of God or the Son of Mary?

Of all the titles attached to Christ, perhaps the most poignant is “Son.” The prophet Isaiah wrote, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given” (Isaiah 9:6). The Gospel of Matthew opens with the words, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). And at the Lord’s baptism, a voice burst from heaven like thunder saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). “Beloved Son” is a wonderful phrase, for it reminds us that Jesus was the beloved Son of both Mary and of God.

How did Jesus see Himself? Jesus frequently referred to Himself as the “Son of Man” (Matthew 8:20), and ten times in John’s Gospel, Jesus is called the “Son of God” (John 1:34). Paul called Him “the Son of His love (Colossians 1:13) and the “Son from heaven” (1 Thessalonians 1:10). The writer of the book of Revelation said, “The I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle” (Revelation 14:14).

We can’t grasp the genuine identity of Christ without understanding the nature of the word son as the Jewish writers of Scripture used it, for it had a dual significance. In our Lord’s day, people sometimes used the word son in a literal way to describe a male child born to a father and mother. On other occasions, they used the same word in a figurative sense to describe someone possessing the unique qualities or characteristics of something or someone else. For example, in Mark 3:17, we learn that the hotheaded brothers, James and John, were the literal sons of a man named Zebedee. But Jesus called them “Sons of Thunder” because of their tempestuous personalities.

So when we see the word Son as a description of Jesus Christ in the Bible, we should pause and ponder it. I will not take the time to describe all of the passages relating to the Sonship of Jesus, but two of the most significant titles are “Son of Mary” and “Son of God.” These phrases mirror each other. The title “Son of Mary” indicates He was fully human—being born of a woman and being fully endowed with human characteristics. In a similar way, the title “Son of God” speaks of His deity—He is equal with God and possesses the attributes and qualities of God Himself. In other words, He is God.

With that understanding, let’s continue our study of the Jesus you may not know by looking in depth at His dual nature.

The Mystery of Jesus’ Birth—The Son of Mary

If you hear Christmas carols playing in the back of your mind as you read this, it’s all right. We can’t discuss the Jesus of the Bible without thinking of that never-to-be-forgotten night when the angelic choirs amassed over the fields near Bethlehem and proclaimed the birth of Mary’s Son—the moment God entered the world and became one of us.

The greatest biological mystery of the ages is the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus. It was a mystery foretold by Genesis 3:15, which spoke of a day when the woman’s “Seed” would crush the serpent’s head; and by Isaiah 7:14, which declares, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”

When we speak of the virgin birth of Christ, we’re talking about the process through which Almighty God became a literal human being. The doctrine of the virgin birth teaches that Jesus was divinely conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary by a supernatural action of the Holy Spirit, thus merging two natures: deity and humanity.

Luke 1:34-38 tells us how the virgin birth was explained to Mary. When the angel Gabriel announced that she would bear a son, she said to the angel:

“How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God…. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.”

The key word in the miraculous pregnancy of Mary is overshadow. The idea in the original language is that of a great cloud engulfing someone. The people of Israel used that metaphor to describe God’s mysterious and undeniable presence. In a deeply mysterious moment in time, Mary was overshadowed by the power of God, and she miraculously became pregnant. Jesus did not emanate from the seed of man. Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. He entered the world from the realm of eternity. He was (and is and always will be) God; but with His miraculous conception and birth, He also became a man—the Son of Mary.

The Proof of the Virgin Birth—Mary’s Silence

Throughout the history of Christianity, the virgin birth of Jesus has been one of the most misunderstood and reviled doctrines of the Christian faith. But there’s something in the account of Jesus’ death that forever defeats the attempt of skeptics to deny the virgin birth. Mary, Jesus’ mother, loved her Son and faithfully followed Him throughout His life. She was there at Golgotha as Jesus was about to be crucified. She no doubt cried as she saw Him being beaten and abused. To prevent His death, all she had to do was step forward and say, “No, He is not the Son of God; He is the son of Joseph. Don’t kill Him! I remember the night Joseph and I came together. This Jesus is not the Son of God!”¹

But Mary stood there watching her Son die because she knew in her heart that the charge against Him was true: He was the Son of God.

There is no other explanation for His birth. Mary heard the announcement from the angel (Luke 1:26-38). She carried Him in her womb and bore Him on that glorious night when He came into the world. She watched Him grow up. She saw Him after He rose from the tomb. And she was redeemed, as we are, by His suffering. It’s the most beautiful mystery of the ages!  

The humanity of Jesus begins with His miraculous birth, and it extends to every area of His life. Jesus was human in every way, yet He was perfect, sinless, and utterly holy.

Jesus always was and always will be God—His deity is undeniable. But here’s what a lot of people don’t understand. With His miraculous virgin conception and birth, Jesus also became human—permanently human. He will forever possess dual natures—both human and divine. At this very moment, He rules and reigns from the throne of heaven, and if we had a telescope to penetrate the distance, you would see Him—still fully human and totally divine—seated on the throne.

The Most Important Title—The Son of God

So, just as Jesus is the Son of Mary, He is the Son of God. That is, He is fully God from eternity past to eternity future.

The phrase “Son of God” is used several ways in the Bible. Angels were sometimes called “sons of God” (Genesis 6:2 and Job 1:6); and, of course, Christian believers are sons and daughters of God (Romans 8:19). Our Lord Jesus, however, bears that title in a unique way. He is called the “only begotten Son” (John 3:16). Many translations use the phrase “one and only Son.” “One and only” denotes that Jesus is the unique Son of Promise, descended from the seed of Abraham as the Messiah, the Anointed One, who alone can redeem the world. He is also the only Person in history whose birth was precipitated by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.

“Son of God” is arguably the most important title of Christ in the New Testament, appearing more than forty times. In the simples of terms, “Son of God” is how the New Testament describes Jesus’ relationship to God the Father, and it also shows us His divine identity—that He is fully God.²

Here are just a few examples of when that title was accorded to Jesus:

• When Jesus stilled the storm, the disciples were overcome with amazement and worshiped Him. Convinced that only God could have performed such a miracle, they said, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matthew 14:33).
• At His trial before the Jewish Council, His opponents charged Him with claiming to be the Son of God—they recognized this as a claim of deity. Anyone claiming to be God Himself could be charged with blasphemy (Matthew 26:63). Think of it! The only charge our Lord’s opponents could make against Him is that He claimed to be God.
• Even the devil recognized Jesus was God. He addressed Jesus as the “Son of God” in Matthew 4:3, and the demons recognized Him as the same. When they saw Him, they cried out, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?” (Matthew 8:29)

The evidence from the New Testament that Jesus is God is undeniable.

To have a healthy relationship with Jesus and know Him as He really is, we can’t be acquainted only with His humanity. We must also know and recognize His deity. That means that while Jesus is like us in every way, He is also our Sovereign Lord. Never forget that He is not just a man; He is also God. He is the God-Man who deserves all our worship and praise.

We are called to remember: “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

Who Is Jesus to You?

It all comes down to this. Who is Jesus to you? The Bible says, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

This isn’t just a theory; it’s reality. It is truth with a spiritual current of electricity that can change your life in an instant. When we discover God’s “only begotten Son,” we discover how to truly live. Jesus is the Son of God—God Himself—for only He is pure and powerful enough to save us. Isaiah 43:11 says, “I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.”

Jesus is the Son of Mary—a human being—so He could die for us. The Bible says, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

No heroic human could have saved us. No angelic being could have redeemed us. Only the Jesus you may not know.

If you don’t know Him, I urge you to meet the One whom the shepherds guarded and the angels sang to—the Son, the Babe of Mary. He made history’s greatest sacrifice to provide His blood as an offering of atonement. Through Him, you can have a relationship with God and receive His gift of everlasting life.

If you do know Him, then live with the expectancy of His coming. Jesus said, “I will come again and receive you to Myself” (John 14:3). According to the Bible, He will come “as a thief in the night,” when the times have reached their fulfillment (1 Thessalonians 5:2). We’ve never been so close to His return, and what a blessing it will be for those who love and long for His appearing.

Sources:

¹Adapted from Harry Rimmer, The Magnificence of Jesus, accessed December 1, 2021, http://www.wvi.com/~moses/THE%20MAGNIFICENCE%20OF%20JESUS.htm.
²Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, I. Howard Marshall, editors, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), entry for “Son of God.”