New Christian Bible Study

From Swedenborg's Works

 

The Lord #19

Study this Passage

  
/ 65  
  

19. The Lord as the Divine-Human One Is Called “The Son of God” and as the Word Is Called “The Son of Humanity”

The church knows only that the Son of God is the second person of the Godhead, distinct from the person of the Father, which results in a belief in a Son of God born from eternity. Since this is everywhere accepted and is about God, there is neither ability nor permission to think about this matter at all intelligently, not even about what it means to be “born from eternity.” This is because people who think about it intelligently inevitably find themselves saying, “This is completely beyond me. Still, I say it because everybody else says it, and I believe it because everybody else believes it.” They should realize, though, that there is no Son from eternity; rather, the Lord is from eternity. Only when they realize what “the Lord” means and what “the Son” means can they think intelligently about a triune God.

[2] As for the fact that the Lord’s human side-conceived by Jehovah the Father and born of the Virgin Mary-was the Son of God, this is obvious from the following in Luke:

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, from the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Having come in, the angel said to her, “Greetings, you who have attained grace. The Lord is with you; you are blessed among women.” When she saw him, she was troubled by what he said and considered what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary: you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and bear a Son, and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest.” But Mary said to the angel, “How will this take place, since I have not had intercourse?” The angel replied and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will descend upon you, and the power of the Highest will cover you; therefore the Holy One that is born from you will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:26-35)

This passage says “you will conceive and bear a Son. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, ” and again, “The Holy One that is born from you will be called the Son of God.” We can see from this that it is the human nature conceived by God and born of the Virgin Mary that is called “the Son of God.”

[3] In Isaiah,

The Lord himself is giving you a sign. Behold, a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and she will call his name “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14)

We can see that the Son born of the Virgin and conceived by God is the one who will be called “God with us” and is therefore the one who is the Son of God. There is further support for this in Matthew 1:22-23.

[4] In Isaiah:

A Child has been born to us; a Son has been given to us. Leadership is upon his shoulder; and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, God, Hero, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

It is the same here, since it says “A Child has been born to us; a Son has been given to us, ” who is not a Son from eternity but a Son born into the world. We can see this also from what the prophet says in 6 there and from the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary (Luke 1:32-33), which are similar.

[5] In David:

“I will proclaim concerning the statute, ‘Jehovah has said, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you.”’” Kiss the Son or he will become angry and you will perish on the way. (Psalms 2:7, 12)

It does not mean a Son from eternity here either, but a Son born in the world, because this is a prophecy about the Lord who is going to come. So it is called a statute about which Jehovah was making a proclamation to David. “Today” is not “from eternity” but is in time.

[6] In David:

I will place his hand on the sea. He will cry out to me, “You are my Father.” I will make him the firstborn. (Psalms 89:25-27)

This whole psalm is about the Lord who is going to come, which is why it means the one who will call Jehovah his Father and who will be the firstborn-therefore the one who is the Son of God.

[7] The same holds true elsewhere, when he is called “a shoot from the trunk of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1), “the branch of David” (Jeremiah 23:5), “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15), “the only-begotten” (John 1:18), “a priest forever” and “the Lord” (Psalms 110:4-5).

[8] The Jewish church understood “the Son of God” to mean the Messiah whom they were awaiting, knowing that he would be born in Bethlehem. We can see from the following passages that they understood “the Son of God” to be the Messiah. In John:

Peter said, “We believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:69)

In the same:

You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is going to come into the world. (John 11:27)

In Matthew:

The high priest asked Jesus whether he was the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus said, “I am.” (Matthew 26:63-64; Mark 14:62)

In John:

These things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (John 20:31; also Mark 1:1)

“Christ” is a Greek word and means “anointed, ” which is what “messiah” means in Hebrew. This is why it says in John, “We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ)” (John 1:41). And in another passage, “The woman said, ‘I know that the Messiah is coming, who is called the Christ’” (John 4:25).

[9] I pointed out in the first chapter that the Law and the Prophets (or the whole Word of the Old Testament) are about the Lord, so the Son of God who is going to come cannot mean anything but the human nature that the Lord took upon himself in the world.

[10] It follows, then, that this is the meaning of the Son mentioned by Jehovah from heaven when Jesus was being baptized: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22), since his human nature was being baptized. Likewise when he was transfigured: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him” (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).

Then there are other passages as well, such as Matthew 8:29; 14:33; 27:43, 54; Mark 3:11; 15:39; John 1:18, 34, 49; 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4.

  
/ 65  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.

The Bible

 

John 1

Study

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

43 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, come and see.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

©2024 New Christian Bible Study Corporation. All rights reserved. Printed from newchristianbiblestudy.org