Was Jesus “The Son” before the Incarnation?

Jesus eternally, the son of God, or did he become the son of God at the incarnation.

That's just one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity wider. This is Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. You can call us right now with your question. Our phone lines are open at 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673.

You can also post your question I want to bar social media accounts and you can email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com and before we start off today. We should mention there is a brand-new member in the Sanchez family. That's right, Bill.

I had a baby girl or my wife had a baby girl baby girl on Sunday.

Last Sunday, so not not just just yesterday, but last Sunday after church. My wife started to feel contractions as our fifth child, it's a work in a way to rent a ceiling. Is this the real deal and that it was so my mother-in-law came stay with the other four we drove to the hospital barely got there in time billed we were at when he looking looking for parking that have magnets called stork parking a can park right in front if you're having a baby. I could not find the stork parking so we hospital for a while and finally just parked in the parking garage and then tried to walk to the hospital but that wasn't working too well every 15 steps might my wife would stop and just sort of say I think this baby is coming and so that that the nurses came out in and we made it to the hospital room and five minutes later my daughter Monica was born.

So five minutes later yeah it was great. It was awesome 10 pounds 10 lbs. 3 oz. so be praying for my wife.

She recovers, she is now. I know that you got five kids.

I mean you basically have enough for a singing group or a circus act. I mean if you think about it. Yeah, probably not the singing group because if they have my voice. I don't know that that'll work out with the circus act for sure. I think we could we could pull something off so that's that's my backup plan.

That's my plan. If this doesn't work out well. Congratulations to you and both very exciting news. So it's great.

Thanks. Let's open up our phone lines and go to Barb in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. Barb what your question for Pastor Israel hello how are you I am doing. I thank you. I didn't mean to lock on you little exciting here because I didn't want to get on here for a long time but anyway God create evil yeah hey Barb, thank you for that question.

Now are you are you thinking of a particular passage I can I say 45 755 farm delay and create darkness, I create evil item argue all the things okay yes I'm looking at the ESV right here. Isaiah 45 seven I form like create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity.

I am the Lord who does all these things are part of it is is a translation question, but really I meet words biblical words in the Old Testament and the New Testament have what we call a semantic range mean the same word could be translated different ways, so there might be one context in which a word can be translated evil.

Another context in which it might be translated calamity and I think here in Isaiah 45 what's being emphasized is God's sovereignty over all things how God uses even even earthly rulers to accomplish his purposes, and in Isaiah 45. Yet this great prophecy about Cyrus who is referred to by the way, is the Lord's anointed. In verse one and who is is essentially to be used by God to accomplish something on behalf of this people nursing to be war and calamity in God is not.

I'm the one who's behind us. On the one who's in control is that your theme that we see throughout the book of Isaiah even earlier on in God using the Assyrians. For example, to to bring judgment against his people and so this is not saying that the Lord is the author of sin, the creator of evil in the sense I think that you might might be thinking what we say is God made all things good evil comes from from us, sin comes from us and God gave mankind.

Responsibility Adam and Eve in the Garden fell sin entered into the world, and ever since then we've we've continued to sin, but God.

God is not the one who is responsible for evil or sin he's allowed it as the sovereign ruler of all things, and he's able to use it, our sin, even for good. This is something we see throughout the Bible. You see it. Ultimately, in the cross of Jesus that the murder of the son of God being used ultimately by the Lord for the redemption of mankind, but we never want to see that God is the author of sin and that something the church has made very clear for the last 2000 years. God is not the creator of evil or of Satan.

And that's not what Isaiah 45, seven is is saying. So thank you for forgiveness in the text and glad you were able to get on the program so God bless Barb know so much of this does come down to free will doesn't when we talk about God and an evil in the world. Even with with Satan and Satan's fall. I mean it. If God is truly a loving God. He does not force people to follow his will correct so we have to make some real clear distinctions right were talking about responsibility and who's responsible for the evil in the world while while we want to affirm that God is sovereign over all things that all things happen according to his decree.

He's not be immediate because if you were the first cause of of the evil that takes place in the world were the ones were responsible for that. And when we we are to be judged justly on the basis of that reality.

And so that's what God calls all people everywhere to repent and turn to him to receive the grace the offers through his son Jesus Christ. And if we don't that's that's where responsible let me that the work to be judged on that basis, and so really important that we that we parse the Scriptures out clearly and then of course work were thinking here of of you know, one of the greatest mysteries of of of the Scriptures and of the relationship between God's sovereignty and the human will, human freedom, but it's actually clear that were responsible and at the same time, God is absolutely sovereign right! This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez.

If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life, theology, Christian doctrine or even today's culture and how your faith intersects with what's happening in our world. We would love to hear from you hurts the phone number it's 833-843-2673 or 833. The core our phone lines will be open for the next 15 minutes or so. So give us a call right now there's a voicemail we received from one of our listeners named Mark hi, my question is what is the eternal son ship and how would you explain that you know was was Christ. Always the son or did he become the sun in his incarnation that something I've been wondering.

I know historically that Christians have believed that he was eternally the son, they always has been the son and then with that also have a second part to the question, what does he mean by eternally begotten, and not made. Yeah, thank you for taking time to answer this very much looking forward to hearing back thank you. Hey, thank you for that question, Omar.

Excellent question, and I would say you know that the gospel to go to me thinking about the son ship of Christ and in the eternal son ship if you will, the eternal generation of the sun is the gospel of John. John uses that language of Jesus being eternally begotten in various places in his writings about five times.

Certainly in his gospel and then also in first John I time you see it is in John chapter 1 verse 14 the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only son from the father full of grace and truth that that that phrase rater that those words are there only son. The Greek word Monaghan AC could be translated, his only begotten in your question is did Jesus begin to be the son of God at the incarnation or was he always the son of God. What we would say on the basis of what the Bible teaches that Jesus did not begin to be the son of God when he was incarnate, but that he is always been the son of the father, the eternal son of the father. In fact, if you go ahead a little bit in John's Gospel in John chapter 3 verses 16 to 17. You see that that word again only begotten Monaghan Ace there in John 316, a very well-known Bible verse, but I think I think these two verses make it actually clear that Jesus didn't begin to be the son at the incarnation, but that he was always the son, and so listen to John chapter 3 verses 16 and 17 for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. That is, God did not send the eternal word into the world so that he might become son, if you will, in the incarnation, he was always the son God demonstrated his love for us in sending his son to us and this son was incarnate.

He assumed humanity from the womb of the Virgin Mary.

One of the ways Omar that that Christians have talked about this over the last 2000 years. In particular, that the church fathers early on as I said in one sense we could say that Jesus was born twice eternally begotten of the father that is outside of time and were talking here about that that the special relationship the mysterious relationship between the persons of the Trinity that the son is begotten that the father is unbegotten and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the father and the son but but Jesus is the eternal son of God never began to be. He wasn't created. He's always been the eternal son of God and in the eternal son of God, the second person of the holy Trinity was born in time through the womb of the Virgin Mary, assuming humanity taking a human nature to himself so that he might heal less redeem us and bring us back to God. This is that the great mystery of the incarnation.

What we celebrate what many Christians celebrate around this time of year during Christmas and and so we would say that Jesus is the eternal son of God was born in time to the womb of the Virgin Mary. Now the second part of your question you asked, you know what does. What we mean when we say that is eternally begotten, not made, and I sounds like you're referring to the language of the creed the Nicene Creed we see that Jesus is begotten, not made, being of one substance with the father so so there what's been emphasized is that this begotten.

This was outside of time.

It's not that Jesus was begotten it at a particular moment. It's this eternal be getting if you will is is great. This great mystery as we have to be really careful with with how we talk about it. Jesus is not a creature. The word is not a creature the eternal son of the father was not created, he is God himself, of the same substance equal in power and glory with the father. And so we can say that he's eternally begotten, as were as were thinking about his relationship to the father in the way in which the persons of the Trinity are distinguished and that's how we distinguish them between by the fact that Jesus is begotten but he wasn't made he wasn't created and so Jesus is is the uncreated Lord of heaven and earth, and that's what we worship him. That's we praise him and that's what the church is done for the last 2000 years and so I love talking about the mystery of the Trinity, the mystery of the incarnation, especially this time of of the year and I would just encourage you to keep digging into the gospel of John we get so many of of the answers to that question that you asked as we meditate upon those those truths with those wonderful truths. So God bless you, Omar. Thanks so much for your question.

Pure encore Christianity by the way, we have a brand-new Bible study to tell you about today. We are really excited about this when it's on one of the our favorite books, the book of Philippians. Yeah, that's right, we have a new Bible study that I was able to help out with and in writing. It's on the book of Philippians and you know if you get the gospel right you understand really think you understand the gospel. You know you're justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

To wonder what does that the Christian life look like in terms of living the Christian life. What guides our life motivates us. What is a Christian life look like in practice as you are on the show. That's what people have questions about all the time and so one of the ways that want to help you answer those questions is through this new Bible study on the book of Philippians.

As we wrote this studied to help answer some of these questions that that we know that you have in this study is yours for a donation of $20 or more to perfect gift for small groups or for those who want to go deeper into this particular book of the Bible make a great Christmas gift as well and as we said we can send that to you for donation of $20 or more. You can find out more by going to core Christianity.com/new study and look for the Philippians Bible study again its core, Christianity.com/new study was go back to the phones and Rachel is on the line from Wisconsin Rachel what your question for Israel. My question is about having when like say there's a plane crash.

Some people die company program so that people that survived.

We say all God was with you but what about the people who didn't survive. Here was God, not with them and also as a believer. My hope is in heaven, so that is my my goal so then, is not out bad thing so is it the Queen morning person who died because they're no longer with us, but we rejoice it therein heaven. It's just confusing to me and I guess would like to unwrap that a little bit over to their a few questions there men and of course you know, just getting to the beginning of your question. Sometimes we just don't speak in very helpful ways.

Do we sell the Lord is really with with you. You survived with elders of the people are we are we insinuating that God was not with them. We do believe we do know that God is there. We talk about the sovereignty of God. God is sovereign over life or death that all our days are numbered, written in his book if you will, is of the psalmist says Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 verse 29 that there is one sparrow that falls to the ground apart from the will of the father and we are of more value than many sparrows.

God is intimately aware with each of us, whether you're Christian or not. God knows every single hair that is on your head so we can say look God in that sense is with everyone he knows all things. He sovereign and and we don't understand why you don't want when certain things like lightning of the plane crash. Those kinds of tragedies take place why some die and others don't.

We don't grab the answers to those kinds of question questions, but we are reminded of our own mortality and frailty and the need to draw near to the Lord in repentance when we hear those kinds of stories are we and in effect I think is the point that Jesus himself makes in the gospel of Luke in Luke chapter 13 where he was commenting on some tragedies that had taken place in an people who had died unexpectedly. Jesus says the text is in in Luke chapter 13 verse one there were some present at that very time, who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices and Jesus. Jesus answered them, do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way, no, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish, or those 18, on whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them. Do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem. No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Here Jesus is bringing up two examples of these these tragic terrible things that took place where people died and the crowd around was a will of those people must've been extra wicked. That's why that's why they died specifically and induces no that's that's not the case as a speculate about that. Here's what this should remind us of should remind us of our mortality of our frailty in and of the fact that we all need to repent. We need to turn to God to believe in him to trust in him and so that that's how it answer the first part of your your question, Rachel met in terms of how we as believers should view death.

Death is the great enemy that Christ came to conquer. That's what he rose again from the dead. Paul in first Corinthians chapter 15 calls at the last enemy.

And so we don't we don't look at death fondly. Too many people today. I think view death as just a sort of you know this beautiful part of of life that the natural part of life. The end of life, but death according to Scripture, is anything but natural.

It came into this world because of sin. God did not create a world with death in it. Death is the result of sin and so that the restoration that God is bringing is good to be a restoration where death is no more. And so we mourn, we can mortised what the apostle Paul told the Thessalonians went went up when a loved one dies, we can mourn but if there in Christ we don't mourn as those who have no hope because we know that Jesus conquered death and in Christ.

We rest and we also have the hope that we to win when we die with our souls will immediately be in the presence of the Lord will be perfected in holiness and will worship God around his throne together with all those who have gone before us believing in Jesus as others. There is a great hope there but that doesn't mean that that we don't have that God calls us to do here on earth and in his put us here for a reason Rachel to serve him, to love him to be lights in this world through the light of Christ shines innocent to share the love of God and the truth of God's word with the people around us is over.

The Lord bless you as you do that and thank you for that question. Rachel, thanks so much for listening to core Christianity. We appreciate having you as one of our regular listeners. If you have a question about the Bible or the Christian life. You can call us right now. 833 the core that's 833-843-2673. You can also watch a drill live on YouTube every day at 11:30 AM Pacific time and we have on YouTube question from one of our viewers in India. Joshua says I sometimes doubt my own salvation and that fact makes me worry that I might not be saved. How can I know for sure. Joshua, thank you for this question and for watching the sun on YouTube and let me just say I know I know the feeling for for years especially after I first came to faith in Jesus. I struggled with assurance and and I just just plagued me think you will. How can I be certain how can I know for sure that God loves me that I belong to him. My sins have been forgiven. Yeah, I mean I go to church.

I do think that my life is been transformed by Jesus. But I still have sins indwelling sin and and I'm sure that that you feel that to we all do us as Christians, we feel the weight of that indwelling sin that still in us the conviction that comes to us from the Holy Spirit.

And sometimes that can cause us to wonder will quite really even belong to Jesus and so I would say that the way you get assurance is not by looking inside of yourself. It's by looking up to Jesus.

It's by putting your confidence in his love and his gospel in his power to save you and to keep you.

He didn't just a forgive your sins, and is okay not now you figure out the rest and hopefully I'll see you in heaven know he's the one who keeps us even I think of the wonderful words that we read from Jesus in John chapter 10 John chapter 10 beginning and in verse 27 he said this my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.

The sheep never perish. Jesus gives them eternal life. That's not something that is just have and then lose and then have it again and they lose it again of Jesus as I give them eternal life, they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who is given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand I am the father are one. So what we get assurance from we get from confidence not in ourselves but in Jesus in his power to keep us to hold us to bring us back to him.

Even when we wander we are preserved, you are preserved by faith in Jesus Christ and so I would say when you're struggling with with assurance. When your wonderment does does God love me. I feel like I still sin. Remember the fact one that God didn't love us or send his son into the world because we were sinless because we were good and deserved it. Paul says in Romans chapter 5, God demonstrates his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us while you were still sitting rebelling against God, God sent his son into the world to pay for your sin so that you might have eternal life.

And if God.

God didn't love you, on the basis of your goodness. Then he doesn't love you, on the basis of your goodness. Now Joshua and if you trust in Christ you can be assured that you belong to him. He's going to keep you topless MM this is core Christianity, just a reminder we have this wonderful new Bible study available on the book of Philippians. It be great for small group or for individual study.

You can learn more about that by going to core Christianity.com/new study, we do receive emails here at core Christianity and Jason asks this, he says, how can I find joy in the midst of trials about a question that I'm sure a lot of people are are asking how can we have joy in the midst of trials we don't we don't rejoice in the evil of the difficulty that we might experience in in itself. If you will week we rejoice because God is able to use even the trials in our lives to to refine us and isn't that precisely what James said, count it all joy, my brothers, when you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

In other words, God is at work even in the trial he's able to use those trials for your sanctification for your growth in grace and so we cling to him in the midst of the trial. Trusting in him knowing God, you're able to work in this, and I rejoice in that fact. Not in the fact that you know this is difficult. My life is consumed with this weakness with the sickness, whatever it is right we lament, we mourn, we can cry out to God and say Lord of all this is so difficult. Have mercy upon me, but in the midst of it.

We can also say I know that you're in control, God.

I know that you know every single hair that is on my head.

I know that you love me and that you're able to use this for my good. And in that I rejoice in.

That's how we rejoice in the midst of difficulty. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer.

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