‘There are four other points that Christians also believe they believe the Son of God will return to judge humans at the end of time and that he is seated at the right hand of the father’ (Mark a Gospel for Today). That he suffered died and rose again (incarnation), they believe that the Son of God is a part of the trinity- he is God, the son. We can find all this from ‘the creed,’ from the line ‘by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and was made man.’ The title Son of God was applied to Jesus ‘only eight times in Mark’s gospel, yet this title, is used at crucial times’ (Mark a Gospel for Today).
The Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-8) is an illustration of the beliefs of Christians about Jesus as the Son of God. There are significant features which gives a message that we can understand ourselves. This passage takes place with just three of the disciples and Jesus on the lower slopes of Mount Hermon a mountain 2,800 feet high on Israel’s northern border.
‘Whilst on the mountain with Jesus, the three disciples saw that his appearance changed (was transfigured) in front of them. For a brief moment they saw Jesus as he really was the Son of God talking with two most important prophets, Moses and Elijah. The disciples were so frightened by their experience that they did not know what to say. Peter broke the silence by offering to build shelters (tabernacles) for Jesus, Moses and Elijah on the mountain.’ A cloud then approached overhead just like in Jesus’ baptism and voice then came down and said ‘this is my son, the beloved. Listen to him’ (Mark 9:7). This was almost exactly the same words from Jesus’ baptism. For Christians this gives strong evidence that Jesus was the Son of God and that Jesus had power and authority because of the conversation with the two most important prophets.
‘Christians also teach that the Word, that is, the Son of God, did assume the human nature in the womb of the blessed Mary, so there are two natures, the divine and the human, inseparably enjoined in one Person, one Christ, true God and true man, who was born of the Virgin Mary’ (The Confession of Faith). This gives relevance and reference to the Christian belief of the title ‘Son of God.’
There are many other passages which relates to what Christians believe as the Son of God like the Baptism of Jesus (Mark 1: 9-11) where the dove descends from the sky which signifies the Holy Spirit. ‘The title Son of God is frequently applied to Jesus Christ in the Gospels and Epistles. In this latter it is everywhere employed as a short formula for expressing His divinity’ (Catholic Encyclopaedia).
So Christians have many answers to the question what do Christians mean when they refer to the title Son of God and also many passages from Mark’s Gospel to give as evidence to their beliefs. They believe Jesus as the Son of God because of the authority and power Jesus has in common with God.
