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one in the book of the Revelation. The way in which "The Son of God" is employed in
these references is as follows: acknowledged by Satan and those possessed of Devils;
taunted with the title at the crucifixion; acknowledged by the disciples and by the
centurion; adjured by the High Priest to answer whether he were the Son of God. In
John's Gospel He was acknowledged by the Father at His baptism, by Nathanael, by the
man born blind, by Martha, and charged with blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of
God. He affirmed that the dead will hear His voice and live, and that He would be
glorified in the case of Lazarus and He is the object of faith unto everlasting life.
Romans has but one reference to the Son of God and six to The Son:
"Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the
spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (1: 3, 4).
Ephesians has but one reference, where the `knowledge' or the `acknowledgment' of
the Son of God lies at the heart of the Unity of the Faith (Eph. 4: 13). The first epistle
of John has a number of references to the Son of God, which reach their climax in
I John 5: 20:
"We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we
may know Him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ.
This (`The same' as in John 1: 2) is the true God, and eternal life" (see also I John 1: 1, 2).
To Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, the promise was made:
"Thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John" (Luke 1: 13).
To Mary, the mother of the Saviour, the promise was made:
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shall bring forth a Son, and shalt
call His name Jesus" (Luke 1: 31).
Concerning John, the angel said:
"He shall be great in the sight of the Lord",
and Zacharias prophesied and said:
"And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest" (Luke 1: 15, 76).
Concerning the Saviour, the angel said:
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall
give unto Him the throne of His father David" (Luke 1: 32).
Apart from the miraculous conception of the virgin mother, and the high glory of the
Son to whom she gave birth, there is no warrant for taking the `begetting' of the Son of
God back into eternity. His sonship belongs to time, and is related to His coming in the
flesh. The title "The Only Begotten" is the translation of the Greek word monogenes,