Though He Were a Son by Don Fortner addresses the profound doctrine of Christ's unique sonship and obedience in the context of His suffering. The article emphasizes that while Jesus Christ is the uniquely begotten Son of God, His earthly experience required Him to learn obedience through suffering, as noted in Hebrews 5:8. Fortner supports this argument with a range of Scripture, including Galatians 4:4-5 and Philippians 2:5-8, illustrating how Christ's obedience was essential for His role as high priest and for the redemption of believers. The significance of this doctrine lies in the understanding that Christ identifies with the sufferings of His people, thereby affirming the depth of His incarnation and the grace extended to believers who are adopted as sons in Him.
Key Quotes
“Our Lord Jesus Christ is uniquely and pre-eminently the Son of God… he is the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.”
“Obedience is voluntary subjection to the will of another… When the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, he came here as Jehovah's servant to do his will as a man.”
“He learned obedience by the things he suffered… the very things his people suffer in this world.”
“He suffered death, the painful shameful ignominious death of the cross as our Substitute.”
What does the Bible say about the sonship of Jesus Christ?
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is uniquely the only begotten Son of God, fully divine and fully human.
John 1:14, Galatians 4:4-5, 1 John 5:7
How do we know Jesus learned obedience?
The Bible states that Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered during His earthly ministry.
Hebrews 5:8, Philippians 2:5-8
Why is the obedience of Jesus important for Christians?
Jesus' obedience is fundamental for our salvation and serves as a model for Christian living.
Romans 15:3
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; - Hebrews 5:8"Though He Were A Son…"
The Lord Jesus Christ is uniquely and pre-eminently the Son of God. All who are chosen, redeemed, and born of God, all true believers, are the sons of God by adoption and grace. What a great, high honor and privilege that is (Gal. 4:6-7; Rom. 8:17; 1 John 3:1). But our Lord Jesus Christ is uniquely and pre-eminently the Son of God in that he is the “only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Distinctive Sonship
Christ is the eternally begotten Son of the Father, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the Holy Trinity (1 John 5:7). Our Lord Jesus Christ, as a man, is the only begotten Son of God in this sense also: – He is the virgin born Son (Gal. 4:4-5). And our great Savior is uniquely and pre-eminently the Son of God, the only begotten Son, in his resurrection glory and exaltation as the firstborn among many brethren (Acts 13:27-33; Ps. 2:7; Heb. 1:5-6; 5:5).
Learned Obedience
Though he lived in this world as the Son of God, uniquely and pre-eminently the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ learned obedience as a man by the things he suffered. Obedience is voluntary subjection to the will of another. If it is not voluntary, it is only outward compliance, not obedience (Heb. 10:5; John 10:16-18). Obedience is owning the authority of another, performing the pleasure of another.
When the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, he came here, as Jehovah’s servant to do his will as a man. He was made under the law that he might obey, establish, fulfill and satisfy the law as a man. This obedience was essential to his priesthood and to our salvation. While he volunteered to become obedient, he actually entered into the experience of obedience by the things he suffered as a man. He learned obedience by the things he suffered. As Jehovah's voluntary Servant, our Savior denied himself, pleased not himself (Rom. 15:3), and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. 2:5-8). Though he was and is the Son of God, uniquely and pre-eminently the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ learned obedience by the things which he suffered.
What were those things which he suffered? They are the very things his people suffer in this world. He suffered poverty (Luke 2:12), endured the temptations of the devil (Matt. 4:3), and the unjustified slander of men (John 10:36). He suffered bereavement, misunderstanding and misrepresentation by both his own disciples and the world. He suffered the betrayal by one who claimed to be and should have been his friend, desertion by men who were loved by him, and sorrow like no man ever suffered sorrow (The Garden). He suffered being abandoned by his Father. The Lord Jesus Christ suffered death, the painful, shameful, ignominious death of the cross, as our Substitute!
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