Christ’s Eternal Sonship John 8:51-59

Text:  “Jesus said unto them, Verily (truly), verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 8:58

          “And God said unto Moses, I AM that I AM; and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me.”

Exodus 3:14.

Good morning, rejoicing Christian!  You rejoice deep within your soul, even during days of dark oppressions, grave illnesses; fighting without and fears within - throughout all the vicissitudes of daily life you are still rejoicing. 

What is the source of your continued rejoicing and of mine?  Simple: we KNOW whom we have believed, and trust in the Eternal Son of God for our Salvation.   Glory to the Eternal Father!  Glory to the Eternal Son!  Glory to the Eternal Spirit!  All three Persons One Lord God Whom we love.  Amen.

“For there are THREE that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word (Christ Jesus), and the Holy Ghost; and these Three are One…If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son…And this is the record, that God hath given to us Eternal life, and this life is in His Son.”  (1 John 5:7-13)

It is most surprising to learn the number of professing Christians who believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living Lord God, only began in the stable at Bethlehem.  They seem to believe that Christ originated there as a human babe!  Clearly such Christians have not studied their Bibles enough for, as Christ plainly  teaches us in today’s text, “…Before Abraham was, I AM.”  (V.58)  (2 Timothy 2:15)

The Christian doctrine involved in our passage today is what we, Bible-believing Christian theologians, call - The Eternal Sonship of Christ.

Alan Cairns puts it well in his Dictionary of Theological Terms, page 137:

“Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?  The Shorter Catechism answers, ’The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, being the Eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one Person forever’”

Cairns goes on to say:  “This statement is a theological masterpiece, wonderfully brief, but full of Scriptural truth.  It lays down the following Biblical doctrines about Christ’s Person:

1.  His Eternal Sonship.

2.  His incarnation.

3.  His philanthropic Person - He is ‘God and man in two distinct natures’.

4.  His uni-personality - though God and man, He is One Person.

5. His sole position as the Redeemer of God’s elect, a position He holds forever, both in His state of humiliation and exaltation.

Eternal Sonship is VITAL to a Scriptural view of all these aspects of Christ’s Person.”  (A Dictionary of Theological Terms, by Alan Cairns, page 137)

The Lord Jesus Christ did not BECOME the Son of God by human birth!

Cairns again:  “Christ did not become God by His virgin birth.  He could be called God at His birth because He already was God.  Similarly, in Luke 1:35, He could be called the Son of God because He already was the Son of God.”  (A Dictionary of Theological Terms, by Alan Cairns, page 137)

Amen, and all praise to Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of the Living Lord God!

“In the beginning was the Word (Christ Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him (Christ Jesus); and without Him was not anything made that was made…And the Word of God was made flesh (at Bethlehem), and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”  Hallelujah!  What a Saviour!  (John 1:1-14)

In our selected passage for today, the Lord Jesus seeks to proclaim the truth of His Eternal Sonship, but the unbelieving crowd could not bear this truth.

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day; and he saw it, and was glad…Then took they up stones to cast at Him; but Jesus hid Himself…” (V.56)

Thought:  Rejoice anew, dear believing Christian, our Redeemer is Eternally with us, and will never leave us, nor forsake us.