What is the Son’s Relationship to the Father: Literal or Metaphorical?

1. Is the Son’s Relationship to the Father Literal or Metaphorical? Jesus Christ spoke of God the Father as the Father of all and taught His disciples to address Him in prayer as “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). He also referred to God as “your Father” (Matthew 6:5), “your Father” (Matthew 10:29), “your Father” (Matthew 26:39), “your Father” (Matthew 6:6), and “My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17). One argument states that in the Gospel of Matthew alone, Jesus used these phrases thirteen times before saying “My Father” for the first time. This argument implies that the phrases were used more often in reference to everyone than to Himself. However, Jesus actually referred to God as “My Father” in His own relationship with the Father 15 times in the Gospel of Matthew alone. Additionally, He used the term “the Father” five times. Thus, Jesus used the terms “My Father” and “the Father” to describe His relationship with God a total of 20 times in Matthew alone, not just once as some claim. In the other three Gospels, the phrases “My Father” and “the Father” also appear frequently, and in the Gospel of John, “My Father” is used thirty times. Overall, the terms referring to the Father as related to Jesus Christ as the Son are mentioned 95 times across the four Gospels. For instance, consider the following passage: “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”** (John 14:7-11) Furthermore, the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments speaks of angels and humans being called sons of God. What is the reality of this? Is Christ’s sonship to God a real and substantial one or merely metaphorical? Is it similar to the sonship of humans and other creatures, or is it a fundamental and true sonship? References to “My Father” in the Gospel of Matthew: 1. **”Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”** (Matthew 7:21) 2. **”Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.”** (Matthew 10:32) 3. **”But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”** (Matthew 10:33) 4. **”All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”** (Matthew 11:27) 5. **”For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”** (Matthew 12:50) 6. **”But He answered and said, ‘Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted.'”** (Matthew 15:13) 7. **”Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.'”** (Matthew 16:17) 8. **”Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”** (Matthew 18:10) 9. **”Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.”** (Matthew 18:19) 10. **”So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”** (Matthew 18:35) 11. **”So He said to them, ‘You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.'”** (Matthew 20:23) 12. **”But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”** (Matthew 24:36) 13. **”Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'”** (Matthew 25:34) 14. **”But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”** (Matthew 26:29) 15. **”Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?”** (Matthew 26:53) References to “My Father” in the Gospel of John: 1. **”But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.'”** (John 5:17) 2. **”I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”** (John 5:43) 3. **”Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.'”** (John 6:32) 4. **”And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.'”** (John 6:65) 5. **”Then they said to Him, ‘Where is Your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.'”** (John 8:19) 6. **”Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.'”** (John 8:28) 7. **”I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”** (John 8:38) 8. **”Jesus answered, ‘I do not have a demon; but I honor My Father, and you dishonor Me.'”** (John 8:49) 9. **”Jesus answered, ‘If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.'”** (John 8:54) 10. **”No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”** (John 10:18) 11. **”Jesus answered them, ‘I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.'”** (John 10:25) 12. **”My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”** (John 10:29) 13. **”Jesus answered them, ‘Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?'”** (John 10:32) 14. **”If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;”** (John 10:37) 15. **”In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”** (John 14:2) 16. **”If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”** (John 14:7) 17. **”Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.”