Reference: Children (Sons) Of God
Hastings
There are a few passages in the OT in which the term 'sons of God' is applied to angelic beings (Ge 6:1-4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; cf. Da 3:25 RV). Once the judges of Israel are referred to as 'gods,' perhaps as appointed by God and vested with His authority (but the passage is very obscure; may the words be ironical?), and, in parallel phrase, as 'sons of the Most High' (Ps 82:6, cf. Joh 10:34; also, Ps 29:1; 89:6 Revised Version margin).
With these exceptions, the term, with the correlative one of 'Father,' designates the relation of men to God and of God to men, with varying fulness of meaning. It is obvious that the use of such a figure has wide possibilities. To call God 'Father' may imply little more than that He is creator and ruler of men (cf. 'Zeus, father of gods and men'); or it may connote some phase of His providence towards a favoured individual or nation; or, again, it may assert that a father's love at its highest is the truest symbol we can frame of God's essential nature and God's disposition towards all men. Similarly, men may conceivably be styled 'children of God' from mere dependence, from special privilege, from moral likeness, or finally from a full and willing response to the Divine Fatherhood in filial love, trust, and obedience. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Scripture facts present a varying and progressive conception of God as Father and of men as His children.
I. In the OT.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called sons of God.
You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies: bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who insult you and persecute you: read more. that you may be the sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and causes it to rain on the just and on the unjust.
that you may be the sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and causes it to rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? read more. And if you salute your brethren only, in what do you excel? Do not even the publicans so? Be you therefore perfect, as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
Beware of doing your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
But if you forgive not men their offenses, neither will your Father forgive your offenses.
Observe the birds of the air, that they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into granaries. Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?
At that time Jesus answered and said: I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes.
At that time Jesus answered and said: I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father. He that has ears to hear,- let him hear.
And he went forward a little, and fell on his face in prayer, saying: My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will, but as thou willest.
And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have any thing against any one, that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your offenses.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind to the unthankful and the evil. Be you, therefore, merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
And he said to them: "When you pray, say, Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
If, then, you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and said: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit. And when he had said this, he gave up his spirit.
But as many as received him, to them he gave the privilege of be coming the children of God, even to those who believe on his name; who were begotten, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. read more. And the "WORD became flesh, and tabernacled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and of truth.
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed him.
Jesus answered and said to him: Verily, verily I say to you, unless a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him: How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter his mother's womb the second time, and be born? read more. Jesus answered: Verily, verily I say to you, unless a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he can not enter into the kingdom of God. That which is begotten of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is begotten of the Spirit, is spirit.
That which is begotten of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is begotten of the Spirit, is spirit. Wonder not that I said to you, you must all be born again, read more. The Spirit breathes where he pleases, and you hear his voice, but you know not whence he comes, and whither he goes; so is every one that is begotten of the Spirit.
no man can come to me, unless the Father, who sent me, draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
And he said: For this reason I said to you: No one can come to me unless it be given him from my Father.
They answered and said to him: Abra ham is our father. Jesus said to them: If you were the children of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man that has spoken to you the truth, which I have heard from God; this Abraham did not. read more. You do the works of your father. They said to him: We were not born of lewdness; we have one father, God. Jesus said to them: If God were your father, you would love me; for I came forth from God and have come hither; nor, indeed, did I come of myself, but he sent me.
and not for the nation only, but that he should gather into one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
Jesus said to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.
In that clay you shall know that I am in my Father, arid you in me, and I in you.
Jesus said to her: Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.
but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life through his name.
For in him we live, and move, and have our being: as also some of your own poets have said: For we his offspring are.
but declared to be the Son of God with power, according to his holy spiritual nature, by his resurrection from the dead,
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For you have not again received the spirit of bondage, that you may fear; but you have received the spirit of adoption, by which we cry, Abba, Father. read more. The Spirit itself testifies with our spirit, that we are the children of God; and, if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider the sufferings of the present time not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed for us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creature was subject to frailty, (not by its own will, but for his sake who subjected it,) in hope, that even the creature itself shall be made free from the bondage of corruption, and introduced into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that every creature groans, and is in pain together, till now: and not only they, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
and not only they, but ourselves also, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by this hope; but hope that is seen is not hope; for, what any one sees, why does he also hope for it? read more. But if we hope for that which we see not we wait for it with patience.
For those whom he foreknew, he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren:
For those whom he foreknew, he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren:
who are Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service, and the promises;
That is, the children of the flesh are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the posterity.
As he says also in Hosea: I will call that my people which is not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that, in the place where it was said to them: You are not my people, there shall they be called the sons of the living God.
And it shall come to pass, that, in the place where it was said to them: You are not my people, there shall they be called the sons of the living God.
For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord of all is rich to all that call on him: For every one that calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
But I say: Did not Israel know? First, Moses says: I will excite you to jealousy by that which is no nation; and by a foolish nation I will provoke you to wrath.
But before the faith came, we were kept under law, being shut up to the faith which was to be revealed.
for you are all the sons of God, by faith in Christ Jesus:
But I say, that the heir, as long as he is a minor, differs in no respect from a servant, though he is owner of all; but is under guardians and managers till the time appointed by the father. read more. So, also, we, when we were minors, were in bondage under the rudiments of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that he might buy off those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. So, then, you are no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, an heir also of God, through Christ.
So, then, you are no longer a servant, but a son; and if a son, an heir also of God, through Christ.
We, indeed, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.
having predestinated us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he has shown us favor in the Beloved, read more. in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the remission of sins, according to the riches of his grace, which he has made to abound to us in all wisdom and understanding, by making known to us the mystery of his will according to his good purpose which he had before established in himself, for a dispensation at the fullness of the times, in order that he might bring together for himself all things in the Christ, both those which are in the heavens, and those which are on earth; in him in whom we have obtained our portion, having been predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, that we should be for the praise of his glory; even we, who before had hope in the Christ: in whom you also hoped after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom, after you also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, given for the redemption of his possession to the praise of his glory.
which is the earnest of our inheritance, given for the redemption of his possession to the praise of his glory. For this reason I also, since I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love to all the saints, read more. do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the acknowledgment of him, that, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the glorious riches of his inheritance in the saints,
that you may be without reproach and Harmless, the children of God, without blame, in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as luminaries in the world,
For to which of the angels did he at any time say: Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again: I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, that he might, by the grace of God, taste death for every man- we see him, on account of his having suffered death, crowned with glory and honor. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. read more. For both he that sanctifies, and those who are sanctified, are all of one Father: for which reason, he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: I will declare thy name among my brethren; in the midst of the assembly, will I sing hymns to thee. And again: I will put my trust in him. And again: Behold, I, and the children that God has given me. Since, then, the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also, in like manner, partook of the same, that, through his death, he might deprive of power him that has the power of death, that is, the devil; and might set free those who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For, verily, he does not take hold of angels, but he takes hold of the posterity of Abraham. "Wherefore, it behooved him to be made like his brethren in all things, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, in order to make expiation for the sins of the people. For, inasmuch as he himself has suffered in being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
You have not yet resisted to blood, in your contest with sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as to sons: My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by him. read more. For, whom the Lord loves, he chastens, and scourges every son that he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons: for what son is there whose father chastens him not? But if you are without chastisement, of which all are par takers, then are you bastards, and not sons. So, then, we have had fathers of our flesh who corrected us, and we reverenced them; shall we not much rather be in subjection to the Father of our spirits, and live? For they, indeed, for a few days, chastened us as they thought it good; but he chastens us for our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness. But no chastisement seems, at the time, to be a matter of joy, but of grief: yet afterward, it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who are exercised by it. Wherefore, lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned aside; but rather let it be restored to health.
every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor slightest trace of turning. Of his own will, he begot us with the word of truth, in order that we might be, as it were, the first-fruits of his creatures.
Religion, pure and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
With it we bless God, even the Father: and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, has, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, regenerated us for a living hope
And since you call on the Father, who, without respect of persons, judges according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:
having been begotten again, not with corruptible seed, but with incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides forever.
Therefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes, earnestly desire the pure spiritual milk, that you may grow by it, read more. if; indeed, you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by man, but in the sight of God, chosen and precious, you, also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, that you may offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in the scripture: Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, chosen, precious; and he that believes on him shall not be ashamed. To you, then, who believe, is this preciousness: but the stone which the builders rejected, has become the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense to the disobedient, who stumble at the word because they are disobedient, to which stumbling they were also appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people, that you should show forth the virtues of him who has called you out of darkness into his wonderful light: who formerly were not a people, but now are the people of God; who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy.
who formerly were not a people, but now are the people of God; who had not received mercy, but now have received mercy.
For all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh, and the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
"Whoever denies the Son, has not the Father: he that con fesses the Son, has the Father also.
If you know that he is righteous, you know that every one that works righteousness has been begotten by him.
Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
Whoever has been begotten of God does not work sin; because his seed remains in him: and he can not sin, because he has been begotten of God.
Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God: and every one that loves, has been begotten of God, and knows God.
Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, has been be gotten of God: and every one that loves him that begot, loves him also that is begotten of him.
For whatever is begotten of God, overcomes the world; and this is the victorious principle that overcomes the world, even our faith.
He that overcomes, shall inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the detestable, and murderers and lewd persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.