Can God Have a Son? The Truth Behind the Title “Son of God.”

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November 21, 2025•5 min read

" When Christians say Jesus is the Son of God, we’re not describing biology - we’re declaring divinity."

Can God Have a Son? The Truth Behind the Title “Son of God.”

Few titles in Scripture cause as much confusion—or controversy—as “Son of God.”
For Christians, it’s central to who Jesus is. For Muslims, it’s impossible. The Qur’an declares that God “neither begets nor is begotten,” making the very idea of divine sonship sound blasphemous.

But the problem isn’t that Christianity contradicts monotheism; it’s that the Islamic understanding of sonship misses what the Bible actually means.
When Christians say “Jesus is the Son of God,” we’re not describing biology—we’re declaring divinity.

What “Son of God” Really Means

In Scripture, “Son of God” never implies a physical relationship. It speaks of position, identity, and divine mission. It describes Jesus’ eternal relationship with the Father—not a created one, but a co-equal one.

In the Old Testament, Israel was called God’s “firstborn son” (Exodus 4:22). Kings and prophets were sometimes described as sons of God—representatives of His authority on earth. These uses were relational and symbolic, not literal.

So when the New Testament calls Jesus “the Son of God,” it builds on that language, but with one enormous difference: Jesus isn’t a son among many. He’s the Son—God in flesh, eternally begotten, never created.

At Jesus’ baptism, heaven opened and the Father declared:

“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

That wasn’t a metaphor. It was revelation. God Himself affirming the divine nature of His Son before the watching world.

Sonship Within the Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity explains what this relationship means.
God is one in essence but exists eternally in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each Person is fully God, co-equal, co-eternal, and inseparable in power and purpose.

John 1:1–3 captures this beautifully:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

That Word—Jesus—was not created at Bethlehem. He has always existed, eternally with the Father. His title “Son of God” expresses this divine relationship, not a beginning in time.

The Nicene Creed, forged in the fires of theological conflict, declared Jesus as:

“Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.”

That’s the heartbeat of Christian faith. The Son is not a lesser deity or divine assistant. He is God Himself, revealed in human form.

To say “God cannot have a Son” misunderstands both God’s power and His nature. If God is truly all-powerful, then His eternal existence as Father, Son, and Spirit isn’t limitation—it’s perfection.

Common Islamic Misconceptions

For Muslims, the idea of God having a “son” often sounds polytheistic. They hear it as if Christians believe in multiple gods or in a physical relationship between God and Mary. That misconception couldn’t be further from the truth.

Christians reject that idea entirely. Jesus’ conception was a miracle of the Holy Spirit, not a biological act. The angel told Mary:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke 1:35)

There was no physical interaction, no divine-human union. Just the supernatural work of God’s Spirit creating life in her womb.

Even the Qur’an acknowledges this miracle: that Mary conceived by God’s command. Ironically, that shared belief—God creating life in Mary’s womb without human involvement—should help bridge understanding, not build walls.

Christians and Muslims agree: Mary was pure. Jesus’ birth was miraculous. The difference lies in what that miracle means.
To Christians, it wasn’t just a sign of God’s power—it was God Himself stepping into His creation to redeem it.

Jesus’ Sonship in Scripture

Every major moment of Jesus’ life confirms His divine Sonship:

At His baptism, the Father’s voice thundered from heaven (Matthew 3:17).
At His transfiguration, God repeated the declaration: “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5).
In His teachings, Jesus called God “My Father,” not merely our Father—revealing intimacy and equality, not distance.
In His mission, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). His Jewish audience knew what that meant; they picked up stones because He was “making Himself God.”

Paul affirmed the same truth:

“For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1:19)
“He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature.” (Hebrews 1:3)

No prophet could claim that. No angel could bear that title.
Only the eternal Son could reveal the Father perfectly.

Why This Matters

If Jesus were not the Son of God, He could not save us.
No mere prophet can bear the sins of the world. No created being can bridge the gap between Creator and creation.

But as the eternal Son—fully God and fully man—Jesus could do what no one else could: live perfectly, die sacrificially, and rise victoriously.

Galatians 4:4–5 says it plainly:

“When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman... to redeem those under the law.”

That’s the mission of divine sonship.
The Son wasn’t sent to reveal information—He was sent to bring transformation.

Your Next Step

When someone says, “God cannot have a son,” remember—they’re responding to a misconception, not the message of the Gospel. This is your chance to clarify truth with both courage and compassion.

📘 Get the book: Engaging Islam: Biblical Answers to 10 Common Islamic Objections.
This chapter dives deeper into the meaning of Jesus’ Sonship, the Trinity, and how to communicate these truths clearly in conversations with Muslims.

▶️ Watch the full message: Can God Have a Son? on YouTube.
In this episode, we unpack the biblical foundation of Jesus’ divine relationship with the Father and address the most common misconceptions head-on.