As the Christmas season approaches, it is helpful for us as Christians to pause and reflect deeply on the sonship of Jesus Christ. Understanding more of who He is as the eternal Son of God and what that means for us can profoundly enrich our holiday celebrations. We can prepare our hearts to worship Christ by meditating on His relationship with and enjoyment of God the Father. No matter what situation we find ourselves in at the end of this year, we can take great comfort in these divine realities.
The Son’s Unity with the Father
From before time began, Jesus Christ has shared perfect intimacy, fellowship, and oneness with God the Father and the Holy Spirit (John 1:1-2). This inter-Trinitarian relationship surpasses any human tie, even exceeding the special bond between God and the holy angels (Hebrews 1:4-5 NKJV). Christ alone is the “brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His person.”
Though equal in divine essence, the Son lovingly subjects Himself to the headship of the Father, while the Father completely shares all He has with the Son (John 5:19-26; 16:15). The Son also fully represents the Father and makes Him known, coming in His name and with His endorsement (John 5:43; 10:25). To know Christ is to know the Father, to honor Christ is to honor the Father, and to deny Christ is to deny the Father (Luke 10:16; John 5:23; 15:23). They are inseparable.
This relationship of mutual glorification, intimacy, interdependence, and authority between the Father and the Son has forever existed in the godhead. But at Christmas, it entered human history in a remarkable way when Christ left heaven’s glory and took on flesh to reveal the Father to us (John 1:14, 18).
The Joy of the Son
Flowing out of their perfect relationship is the perfect joy and satisfaction the Father and Son have always found in one another. Jesus said, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). Everything Christ did was focused on glorifying and pleasing His Father.
And the Father responded by heaping joyful acclaim and honor upon His beloved Son. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father thundered from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). And on the Mount of Transfiguration, the same words were spoken as divine radiance shone from Jesus (Matthew 17:5).
Paul confirms this mutual pleasure between the Father and Son:
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
This divine enjoyment and delight between the Father and Son stretches into the eternal future as well. After completing His earthly mission in crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus ascended victoriously to receive His rightful glory (John 17:5; Ephesians 1:20-21). He now sits enthroned at the Father’s right hand in the heavenly realm. And astonishingly, Jesus even shares His triumph with believers so we “may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17). The joy that flows between the Trinity extends to us through faith.
The Son’s Authority
Jesus enjoys special privileges and authority as God’s unique Son. Along with granting Him supreme glory and honor, the Father has given all things into Christ’s hands (John 3:35). The government of all creation rests upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6). The Father has appointed the Son as the heir, mediator, and ruler over everything (Hebrews 1:2).
The book of Revelation gives us glimpses of this. Only Jesus—the Lamb who was slain but now lives—is worthy to open the divine scroll containing God’s will (Revelation 5:1-10). And when the seals of judgment are broken, who is strong enough to execute them but the glorified Son of God (Revelation 6:16-17)?
One day, “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). All enemies will be subdued under His feet before He hands the kingdom over to His Father for eternity (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).
Truly Christ embodies the very power and authority of God Himself. As the perfect representation of God’s being, all the divine attributes shine brilliantly in Him. The Son governs all things well because in Him dwells all the fullness of deity in bodily form (Colossians 1:19; 2:9).
The Son and His People
Meditating on the profound glories of Christ’s sonship is no mere theological exercise. These divine realities hold life-altering meaning because of our spiritual union with Jesus Christ through faith. “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us,” exults John, “that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).
Christ’s eternal sonship confers a royal identity upon us. We become heirs alongside Him over all God’s kingdom: “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17). His inheritance becomes ours. We are now sons of God in Christ with all the legal rights and privileges afforded Him. No identity on earth compares to this high honor.
We also may now relate freely to our Father without reservations, coming before His throne of pure grace whenever we need to (Hebrews 4:16). There is no more estrangement between God and those He adopts, only smiling welcomes.
And wonder of wonders, as God’s children we get to partake of Christ’s supreme glory one day. Paul says believers will actually “share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 2:14 NIV). John confirms, “it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” (1 John 3:2).
During this holiday season, meditating on Christ’s divine sonship will fill our hearts with wonder, joy, and thankfulness over this high privilege conferred on us through His incarnation. We now bear the Son’s own holy image as new creations. Our Father looks upon us with divine affection as those who belong to Him in His beloved Son (Ephesians 1:5-6).
Let these truths sink deeply into us and transform everything about how we approach Christmas this year – our worship, celebrations, relationships, and outreach to others. We have the joyful calling to represent our Father well before a lost and hurting world during the holidays, as we eagerly await the day we will see our older Brother face to face and share fully in His glory.
