The Names of Jesus - Elmer Towns

CHAPTER EIGHT
THE SONSHIP NAMES OF JESUS
“1 will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have
I begotten thee “ (Psalm 2:7). The Father's favorite name for Jesus Christ is “Son.” It is an Old
Testament name (Psalm 2:7), and it has eternal implications. Christians around the world call
Christ “the only begotten Son.” On all but one occasion Jesus referred to God as “Father. “ The
exception to this rule occurred when on the cross Jesus asked, “My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46).
In John 5:19-27 Jesus referred to Himself as “the Son” ten times in His comments to the
Jews. He affirmed that the Son did only what He had seen the Father do (5:19), that the Son was
the constant object of the Father's love (5:20), that the Father had and would continue to reveal
all things and greater works to the Son (5:20), that the Son had power to give life (5:21), that the
Father had delegated His authority to judge to the Son (5:22), that men should honor the Son as
they honor the Father (5:23), that those who do not honor the Son offend the Father (5:23), that
the Father sent the Son (5:23), that the dead will rise to life when they hear the Son's voice
(5:25), that the Son has life in Himself (5:26), and that the Father has given to the Son authority
to execute judgment (5:27). Obviously, “Son” is an important title of Jesus.
Of all the many names and titles of Jesus, perhaps more belong to this family or category
of names than to all the others. At least nineteen names in Scripture relate to the Son. These
include: the Son of the Highest (Luke 1:32), the carpenter's son (Matthew 13:55), the son of
Mary (Mark 6:3), the son of David (Mark 10:47), the son of Joseph (John 1:45), Son (Matthew
11:27), his Son from Heaven (I Thessalonians 1:10), My beloved Son (Matthew 3:17), the Son of
God (John 1:49), the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1), the Son of man (John 1:51), the Son of the
Blessed (Mark 14:61), the Son of the Father (II John 3), the Son of the freewoman (Galatians
4:30), the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), the Son of the most high (Mark 5:7), a son
over his own house (Hebrews 3:6), the Son who is consecrated for evermore (Hebrews 7:28),
and the only begotten Son (John 3:16).
Although each of these nineteen “sonship names” of Jesus possesses a special and
important significance, this chapter will examine only three of the more prominent names
closely. Each of these three names is used in John 3 in connection with Jesus' meeting with
Nicodemus. Note the phrases “Son of man” (John 3:14), referring to His Messianic office and
humanity; “only begotten Son” (3:16), referring to His unique relation to God; and “Son of God”
(3:18), having special reference to the divine nature and character of Jesus.
SON OF MAN
“Son of man” is particularly noteworthy because in the Gospels it appears to be the
favorite title of Christ for Himself. He never identified Himself as “Jesus” until He appeared to
Paul on the Damascus Road and then only one other time to the Apostle John fifty years later
(Revelation 22:16). Only once did He call Himself Lord, and that was in quoting from the Old