A belief that’s existed throughout almost all of Christianity’s history is taught as the doctrine of eternal Sonship. Its premise – affirmed in the Nicene Creed, 325 A.D. – is that Jesus, fully God and fully man, has always been the Son of God.

I’ve a different take on that. I believe that Jesus became the Son of God at His incarnation. Before that, He was equal in substance and form to all that is God, and indeed was God (John 1: 1; Philippians 2: 6). However, within the Godhead, there does appear to be a hierarchy of function.

The person we’ve come to know as Jesus, I doubt even had that name before the incarnation. But whatever the Second Person of the Godhead was called, His function or role – not His personhood – does appear to be subordinate to the one He later called Father. To me, that indicates that even a deified relationship works better when there is one head providing direction.

Though His role was and remains subordinate, it was not that of a child’s role. The Second Person, our Messiah, was one with the First and Third Persons as God Himself. In fact, the Second Person, in the mystery of godly oneness, is even Himself called Eternal Father (Isaiah 9: 6). I believe He now and will continue to be called the Son of God because that in fact is what He became when He left heaven.

He was incarnated by being begotten through a union of divinity (the Holy Spirit) and humanity (Mary). He exited the birth canal as a baby. It is only then, in my opinion, that He truly became the Son of the Godhead and the Son of mankind.

Moreover, scripture seems to refute the idea that the Messiah was always an eternal Son. Hebrews 1: 5 says this of the First Person talking to the Second Person– “Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee. I will be a Father to Him. And He shall be a Son to Me.”

To me, God isn’t saying, “You always have been My Son.”  This passage indicates an origin; a point in time that the Second Person became Jesus the Son. It’s also an indication of when the First person became the Father; so-called, not only because of the birthing, but because in human terms of understanding, it is the best and proper way to relate to Him.