It may be asserted that nowhere in the scripture are men referred to as "sons of God" and this may be correct as to the order of the words. But it cannot be said that in referring to God as a Father, it does not preclude a person being the son or daughter of God. If God makes a reference to His child, then is not the child a son or daughter also? It must be said that one term does not exist without the other. If one is a father, then there must be a son or a daughter; and if one is a son or a daughter, then there must be a father. It is a technicality to say that if God said to one, "You are my son," one is not called a son of God but My son. A son called by any other term is still a son of the one who is the father.

PART I
OLD TESTAMENT REFERENCES

A. JEHOVAH'S FIRSTBORN
The term applied to the nation of Israel as a son.

EXODUS 4 (NAS)
22: "'Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ''Thus says the Lord, Israel is My son, My first-born.'
23: So I said to You, ''Let My son go that he may serve Me;'' but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.'''"

Jehovah uses His relationship to Israel as a picture of Pharaoh in order to show the seriousness of his position. Israel is a son, the first-born of God, the pre-eminent in position and power. Because Pharaoh would not yield, Jehovah would kill his son, his first-born, cf. Hosea 11:1.

B. CHILDREN OF THE FATHER, JEHOVAH, WHOM HE BOUGHT AND BEGOT

DEUTERONOMY 32 (NAS)
5: "'They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.
6: Do you thus repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is He not your Father who has bought you? He has made and established you.
18: You neglected the rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.'
19: The Lord saw this, and spurned them because of the provocation of His sons and daughters."

The children of Israel, who were at one time His children, are now not His children. They are perverse, crooked, foolish and unwise. Just as they have become "not children" they have also become "not a (His) people" (vs. 21). It is Jehovah, their Father, who bought them by bringing them out of the bondage in Egypt, reserving a land for them even from the days of Abraham and by becoming their Redeemer. They became "not children" and "not a people" because of their sins and rejection of the true God:

1. Forsook God, vs. 15.
2. Lightly esteemed the Rock of salvation, vs. 15.
3. Abominations to God, vs. 16.
4. Worshipped strange gods, vs. 16.
5. Sacrificed to devils, vs. 17.
6. Sacrificed to gods who they did not even know, vs. 17.
7. Sacrificed to every new god, vs. 17.
8. Unmindful of the rock that begat them, vs. 18.
9. Forgot the God who created them, vs. 18.

It is here that the righteousness and goodness of God is contrasted with the perversity of those who would at one time have called Him Father. It is God, the Rock, vs. 4, that had established and preserved them. He bought them and owned them. He had made them part of His family and He was their Father. Yet, they despised Him and forgot all He had done. They did not honor the fact that He had bought them or preserved them. To this end, that they did not honor Him as Father, he did not honor them as children.

Those sons exhibit the same behavior in Exodus 32 that makes them "not children" in Chapter 32 of Deuteronomy:

1. Faithless in not believing God regarding the absence of Moses, vs. 1.
2. Turned away from the true God, vs. 8.
3. Asked Aaron to make them gods, vs. 1.
4. False gods to go before them in place of the real God who had gone before, vs. 1.
5. Ascribed the protection they had coming out of Israel to the false god-image produced by Aaron, vs. 4.
6. They made hypocritical offerings to God, vs. 6.
7. They ate after the offerings, vs. 6.
8. They drank after the offerings, vs. 6.
9. They played after the offerings, vs. 6.

C. SOLOMON, A SON OF GOD

II SAMUEL 7:14 (NAS)
"'I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men.'"

Part of the covenant God made with David was bringing David's son, Solomon, under the care of God. Yet, even this son would commit gross sins, as did the people over whom he ruled:

1. Had relations with women that was prohibited by God, II Kings 11:1-2.
2. Involved in great sensuality, I Kings 11:3.
3. Women turned his heart away from the Lord, I Kings 11:3-8.
4. Worshiped false gods, I Kings 11:5.
5. Built places of worship for false gods, I Kings 11:7-8.
6. Oppressed the people, I Kings 12:4.

D. THE PEOPLE AT A PARTICULAR TIME ARE CHILDREN OF GOD

PSALM 7:15 (NAS)
"If I had said, 'I will speak thus,' behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children."

David, in writing of his own lack of faith in God regarding the prosperity of the wicked, states that if he had made known his true thoughts on the subject, he would have led the nation astray. Even God's children can be led into sin.

E. SONS OF THE MOST HIGH

PSALM 82:6 (NAS)
"'I said, ''You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.'''"

In the chapter, the Lord assigns a divine responsibility to His children as "gods" or judges, but He judges them for their conduct in office which has been less than exemplary:

a. Judged unjustly , vs. 2.
b. Accepted the conduct of the wicked, vs. 2.
c. Did not defend the poor and fatherless, vs. 3.
d. Did not do justice to the afflicted and needy, vs. 3.
e. Did not give justice to the poor and needy, vs. 3.
f. They lacked understanding, vs. 5.
g. They walked in darkness, vs. 5.
h. They will fall, vs. 7.
i. They will die just like other men, vs. 7.

F. DAVID IS THE FIRST-BORN OF GOD

PSALM 89:27 (NAS)
"'I also shall make him My first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth.'"

God makes a covenant with David and gives him promises for his lifetime, including being the firstborn. It is in his lifetime that David also exhibits the characteristics of the others in the conduct of his life:

a. Murderer of Uriah the Hittite, II Samuel 5:13.
b. Adulterer, II Samuel 11:4.
c. Defiled the institution of marriage, II Samuel 5:13.
d. Heart of vengeance against Nabal for an offense against David's preservation, I Samuel 24:22, 33, 34.

G. SONS THAT JEHOVAH HAS REARED, ACT CORRUPTLY AND ARE OFFSPRING OF EVILDOERS

ISAIAH 1(NAS)
2: "Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; for the Lord speaks, 'Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me.'
4: Alas, sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they have turned away from Him."

God makes His case for judgment against Judah. Because of their sin and defection, captivity and removal from the land would follow. Their sins are seen before God:

a. Rebelled against God, vs. 2.
b. Did not know their master (God), vs. 3.,br> c. Did not understand the things of God, vs. 3.
d. Nation of iniquity, vs. 4.
e. Offsprings of evildoers, vs. 4.
f. Corrupt, vs. 4.
g. Abandoned the Lord, vs. 4.
h. Despised the Holy One of Israel, vs. 4.
i. Turned away from God, vs. 4.
j. Hypocritical offerings and sacrifices, vss. 11-15.
k. Unclean, vs. 16.
l. Evil deeds, vs. 16.
m. God not know how to do good, vs. 16.
n. Unjust, vs. 16.
o. Failure to judge the violent, vs. 16.
p. Failure to defend orphans and widows, vs. 16.
q. Murderers, vs. 21.
r. Rulers are rebels, vs. 23.
s. Rulers are thieves, vs. 23.
t. Everyone involved in bribery, vs. 23.
u. Wish rewards for what they do, vs. 23.

H. SONS WHO ARE MORALLY CORRECT - 63:8
    FATHER OF THOSE GOD REDEEMED - 63:16

ISAIAH 63:8 (NAS)
"For He said, 'Surely, they are My people, sons who will not deal falsely.' So He became their Savior."

God expresses His kindness and mercy to Israel. He has given them everything, called them sons, even being their Savior. Yet, they would also sin:

a. They rebelled, vs. 10.
b. Grieved His Holy Spirit, vs. 10.
c. They were enemies of God, vs. 10.

ISAIAH 63:16 (NAS)
"For thou art our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not recognize us. Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer from of old is Thy name."

This is the testimony of a repentant remnant of Israel as they remembered what God had done. They are a people, far from the time of Abraham and Israel (Jacob), yet they can still look to the Lord and call Him Father.

I. JEHOVAH IS THE FATHER OF THOSE WHO ARE THE WORKS OF HIS HAND

ISAIAH 64:8 (NAS)
"But now, O Lord, Thou are our Father, we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and all of us are the work of Thy hand."

The repentant remnant continue their supplication and confessions to God. They confess their sin and now call Him Father as they recognize God as their Creator and the One to which they must submit. God is recognized as the potter in their lives; He is free to mold and make them as He wills. The remnant also present to God the picture of their ruined land and temple as a reason to beg for His forgiveness and mercy. God answers in Chapter 65 with His reasons for the devastation and the hope for the remnant in their salvation (65:8-10). As a further expansion of Chapter 63, the record of Israel's sins, (the sons of 63:8), is here recounted in Chapter 65:

a. God sought them that did not seek Him, vs. 1.
b. Nation did not call on the name of the Lord, vs. 1.
c. Rebellious people, vs. 2.
d. People walk in the way which is not good, vs. 2.
e. People follow their own thoughts, vs. 2.
f. Provoke God directly, vs. 3.
g. Offer hypocritical sacrifices, vs. 3. i. Eat the forbidden meat of pigs, vs. 4.
j. Eat unclean meat, vs. 4.
k. Self-righteous, vs. 5.

J. FATHER OF THOSE WHO CALL GOD FRIEND

JEREMIAH 3:4 (NAS)
"'Have you not just now called to Me, ''My Father, Thou art the friend of my youth?'''"

In the middle of their chastising, Judah calls to God in an appeal to minimize their discomfort, attempting to appeal to His emotions in the time of their youth. God was a leader or guide in their youth, but they have fallen away. He was a Father then, but He is not now and they will fall away even further. God has repeated their sins and states even more:

a. Fathers went far from God, 2:5.
b. Walked after emptiness and became empty, 2:5.
c. They did not remember the care of God out of Egypt, 2:6.
d. Defiled the land God had given to them, 2:7.
e. His inheritance was made an abomination, 2:7.
f. Priests did not acknowledge the Lord, 2:8.
g. People changed the glory (of God) for other, 2:1.
h. Forsaken God, the fountain of living water, 2:13.
i. Have tried to provide water for themselves, 2:13.
j. Wicked, 2:19.
k. Apostate, 2:19.
l. Worshipped many gods, 2:28.
m. Did not accept chastening of god, 2:30.
n. Forgotten God days without number, 2:32.
o. Do not believe they are guilty before God, 2:35.
p. People are a harlot with many lovers (gods), 3:1.
q. Have done evil things, 3:5.
r. Have had their own way, 3:5.
s. Treacherous, 3:8.

K. FATHER OF THOSE WHO DO NOT TURN AWAY FROM THE GOD WHO SETS THEM AMONG HIS SONS

JEREMIAH 3:19 (NAS)
"'Then I said, ''How I would set you among My sons, and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations!'' And I said, ''You shall call Me, My Father, and not turn away from following Me.'''"

This was the desire of God, but Israel would not repent of the same sins as Judah.

L. SONS WHO ARE FAITHLESS, CHILDREN WHO ARE STUPID

JEREMIAH 3:22 (NAS)
"'Return, O faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness.' Behold, we come to Thee; for Thou art the Lord our God."

JEREMIAH 4:22 (NAS)
"'For My people are foolish, they know me not; they are stupid children and have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, but to do good they do not know.'"

The continuing condemnation of Judah's sins:
a. They have done a shameful thing (worshipped Baal), 3:24
b. They and their fathers had sinned against the Lord, 3:25.
c. Did not obey the voice of god, 3:25.
d. Do evil, 4:22.
e. Do not know how to do good, 4:22.

M. FATHER TO THOSE GOD LEADS

Ephraim is the example, God's first-born.

JEREMIAH 31:9 (NAS)
"'With weeping they shall come, and by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they shall no stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born.'"

Israel will one day return to god, realizing her lost condition and the sins committed against God. God will truly be their Father and the nation will be united as one, so Ephraim (the Nation) will be as God's first-born.

N. CHILDREN WHO HAVE BEEN SACRIFICED TO IDOLS

EZEKIEL 16:21 (NAS)
"'You slaughtered My children, and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire.'"

The sons and daughters born to the people were to be for the service of God, but they (Israel) acrificed those children to their false idols. They murdered their own children, but God considered those children to be His.

O. SONS OF ISRAEL WILL BE SONS OF THE LIVING GOD

HOSEA 1:10 (NAS)
"Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered; and in the place where it is said to them 'You are not My people,' it will be said to them, 'You are the sons of the living God.'"

Even after pronouncing Israel as not My people and He is not their God, the Lord gives a promise of redemption. In the same place where God said, "You are not My people," they will one day be "... sons of the living God."

P. ISRAEL IS A SON

HOSEA 11:1 (NAS)
"'When Israel was a youth, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.'"

It was God's care that brought the nation out of Egypt. Yet not all, perhaps even a very few, followed the Lord during the time. Yet they were still His sons. Their sins were continual:

a. The prophets called for repentance, but the people would not repent, vs. 2.
b. Sacrificed to false gods, vs. 2.
c. Worshipped idols, vs. 2.
d. They did not realize God cared for them, vs. 3.
e. They refused to return to the Lord, vs. 5.

Q. FATHER OF ALL WHO DO NOT PROFANE THE COVENANT

MALACHI 2:10 (NAS)
"Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously each against his brother so as to profane the covenant of our fathers?"

In spite of the sins enumerated in 1-9 and those following in 11-17, the people have one Father; and He will be the One to bring judgment in Chapter 3.

PART II
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES

A. ADAM THE SON OF GOD

LUKE 3:38 (NAS)
"... the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."

Adam is not a son in the same manner as those others who were listed, yet he is called a son. He is a son by creation and a son by position in that he was a partaker of the promise of God to provide a redeemer, Genesis 3:15.

B. PEACEMAKERS WILL BE CALLED SONS OF GOD

MATTHEW 5:9 (NAS)
"'Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.'"

C. THOSE OF THE RESURRECTION ARE SONS OF GOD

LUKE 20:36 (NAS)
"'... for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.'"

D. THOSE LED BY THE SPIRIT ARE SONS OF GOD

ROMANS 8 (NAS)
  4: "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15: For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"
19: "For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God."

E. CHRISTIANS ARE SONS

GALATIANS 4 (NAS)
6: "Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!!'
7: Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God."

F. GOD WAS THE FATHER OF THE DISCIPLES MATTHEW 5:16 (NAS)
"'Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.'"

MATTHEW 5 (NAS)
44: "'But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45: so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
48: Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.'"

MATTHEW 6:1 (NAS)
  1: "'Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.'"
  4: "'... so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.'"
  6: "'But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and you Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.'"
  8: "'So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.'"
  9: "'Pray, then, in this way: ''Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed by Your name.'''"
14: "'For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.'"
15: "'But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.'"
18: "'... so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and you Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.'"
26: "'Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?'"
32: "'For the Gentiles eagerly seek all things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.'"

MATTHEW 7:11 (NAS)
"'If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!'"

MATTHEW 10:20 (NAS)
"'For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.'"

MATTHEW 18:14 (NAS)
"'So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.'"

MARK 11 (NAS)
25: "'Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.

LUKE 6:36 (NAS)
'Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.'"

JOHN 20:17 (NAS)
"Jesus said to her, 'Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ''I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'''"

G. GOD IS THE FATHER OF THE RIGHTEOUS

MATTHEW 13:43 (NAS)
"'Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.'"

MATTHEW 23:9 (NAS)
"'Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.'"

ROMANS 1:7 (NAS)
"... to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Gather and the Lord Jesus Christ."

ROMANS 8:15 (NAS)
"For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'"

I CORINTHIANS 1:3 (NAS)
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

II CORINTHIANS 1:2 (NAS)
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

II CORINTHIANS 6:18 (NAS)
"'And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,' says the Lord Almighty."

GALATIANS 1:4 (NAS)
"... who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father ..."

GALATIANS 4:6 (NAS)
"Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'"

EPHESIANS 1:2 (NAS)
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

EPHESIANS 4:6 (NAS)
"... one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."

PHILIPPIANS 1:2 (NAS)
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

PHILIPPIANS 4:20 (NAS)
"Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

COLOSSIANS 1:2 (NAS)
"To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father."

I THESSALONIANS 1 (NAS)
1: "Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace."
3: "... constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father ..."

I THESSALONIANS 3 (NAS)
11: "Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you ..."
13: "... so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints."

II THESSALONIANS 1:1 (NAS)
"Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ ..."

II THESSALONIANS 2:16 (NAS)
"Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace ..."

H. BELIEVERS ARE CHILDREN OF GOD

JOHN 1:12 (NAS)
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even those who believe in His name ..."

JOHN 11:52 (NAS)
"... and not for the nation only, but in order that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad."

ROMANS 8 (NAS)
16: "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17: and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
21: "... that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God."

ROMANS 9:8 (NAS)
"That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants."
EPHESIANS 1:5 (NAS)
"He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will ..."

PHILIPPIANS 2:15 (NAS)
"... so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as light in the world ..."

I JOHN 3 (NAS)
  1: "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him."
10: "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother."

Te references in both the Old and New Testaments reveal one overriding fact that cannot be denied. Only in the three citations in Job can it be said with assurance that angels are referred to as "sons of God". In no other citation are angels referred to as sons or children, and in no other place is God referred to as being the Father of angels. In relation to being the same as Christ, the scripture specifically denies the possibility that angels are sons:

HEBREWS 1:5 (NAS)
"For to which of the angels did He ever say, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You'? And again, 'I will be a Father to Him and He shall be a Son to Me'?"

PART III
COMPARISON OF OLD TESTAMENT AND
NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES

Certainly, there is a difference in meaning, regarding sonship, in relation to Christ and in relation to angels as created beings. The term son, in relation to Christ and angels, is not mutually exclusive to one or the other. The means by which angels and Christ became sons are mutually exclusive; angels are sons by virtue of their being created by God and Christ is a Son by virtue of His eternal relationship to the Father and also by being begotten by God. There is also a difference in meaning, regarding sonship, in relation to human beings, angels and Christ. Human beings were also created beings and are to be considered sons of the Creator in the same manner as angels. However, human beings also attain the position of sonship by means of a spiritual relationship that is not part of the relationship of the angels to God. The attainment of that position is by means of adoption by God into His family and is based on belief in the work and person of His Son, Jesus Christ.

EPHESIANS 1 (NAS)
5: "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
6: to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved."

In regards to Christ, He is the Son of God by means of His eternal relationship to God and also through the union of God with man in the incarnation. Angels are sons by virtue of being created by God. Men of the Old Testament were sons in two ways, by virtue of their being created by God and by virtue of being part of the covenant of God and the people of Israel, predicated on faith in a future redeemer who would take away their sins. Men of the New Testament are sons in two ways, by virtue of their being created by God and by virtue of being adopted into the family of God, predicated on belief in the work and person of the true and preeminent Son of God, Jesus Christ.

There are many references regarding filial relationships to God in both the Old and New Testaments. If one is a son or daughter, then one must have a father. If one has a father, then one must be a son or daughter. If one is a child, then one must be a son or daughter and have a father. It is not enough to maintain that because a son is seen to be an angel in one reference, that the term always refers to angels. If the reference to angels being the "sons of God" in Job 1:6, Job 2:1 and Job 38:7 is applied to Genesis 6:2, then the reference to Adam being a son of God in Luke 3:38 must also mean that Adam was an angel and not a human being. Using the same standard of interpretation, peacemakers in Matthew 5:9, those of the resurrection in Luke 20:36 and those led by the Spirit in Romans 8:14, being "sons of God", must also be angels. If the same standard is applied to other terminology, such as "My first-born", then Israel, "'My first- born ..,'" in Exodus 4:22 is the same as David, "My first-born in Psalm 89:27 and Ephraim, "'My first-born ..,'" in Jeremiah 31:9. The comparisons become absurd when placed in their context. By the same measure, the settings of Genesis 6:2 and those of Job 1:6; 2:1 and 38:7 must also be considered with respect to the terminology of "sons of God" and those contextual situations are not the same in each verse. Genesis 6:2 is in the context of man and earth. Job 1:6 and 2:1 are set in the presence of God in heaven. Job 38:7 is set at the time of creation, apparently before the appearance of man. It is an obvious assumption to see the term "sons of God" being applied to angels in Job 1:6; 2:1 and 38:7, given the heavenly context of the events and the absence of man. However that same assumption cannot be applied to Genesis 6:2 in light of the fact that angels are neither the subject of the narrative, either before or after the citation. The meaning of the terms "sons of God", "children of God", "sons", "daughters" and "children", in relation to "father", is much more complicated than the sum of the words being used. The problem is not just a semantical interpretation of the terms used, but also the contextual nature of the settings in which the words and terms are applied.

It becomes clear, in dealing with the concepts of sons of God, God the Father and children of God, that there is one overriding aspect in all the Old Testament references cited, in that sons are those who fall under the unique provision and care of God. It is His chosen people who are sons, even though they were faithless and did not follow Him. The pattern of Genesis 6 keeps repeating over again. Those who are under His care and provision, sons of God and Israel, continue to fall away from the knowledge and relationship that they can have with the Lord God. The difference being that in Genesis, humanity reached its lowest possible point in deliberately rejecting God to the point of being unredeemable, yet there was a remnant of eight people which God redeemed. In His dealing with Israel, there was always chastising, which was designed to bring about repentance. In most instances, there was no repentance, but in some, unlike the antediluvians, there was true repentance. During all times, there was always a remnant of believers who worshipped the true God. They were persecuted and killed, but God has made provision for them in heaven for their redemption. It is in the course of human conduct and the all-encompassing development of sin in human life that finally culminates in the flood. Man progresses to a point of depravity so great, that he becomes unredeemable by his own choice. It is the way of Cain, choosing to ignore and disregard God, that causes humanity to sink to a level so far removed from God that society no longer has the spiritual capacity to understand or realize its condition in relation to God. It is in this context that the flood comes, because of the deliberate choice of man to entertain sin in his life. It is for that reason that man is guilty and must pay the penalty in the flood.

A point may be made, that in referring to the sons of God, the term for God in Genesis and Job is Elohim, because of the relationship of the angels to the Creator. Created beings are said to be sons of Elohim and that is also the reason Adam is called a son of God in Luke. In all other instances, sons or children are in reference to God with another term such as Yahweh or Jehovah. Therefore, it is more likely that sons of Elohim are created beings such as angels. However, it may be just as valid to assume that the "sons of God" are men, because they are also created beings. The point, in relation to angels, may be valid, however, the term Elohim is not always as it would appear to be, because it is not always used in reference to God. In Psalm 8:5, man is noted as being made a little lower than the elohim; not a little lower than God, but a little lower than the proper interpretation, angels. It may be that the term Elohim can also apply to men of high rank, position or authority. Perhaps to divine beings such as angels and perhaps to men of high religious calling or appointment, such as patriarchs. It may be a possibility to see the sons of Elohim in Genesis 6:2 as the sons of the patriarchs. This is certainly not a popular theory, but the entire content of Chapter 5 is a recounting of the patriarchs and their sons in the genealogical lineage. This is not an inconceivable possibility.

There is one compelling fact that cannot be denied in dealing with the "sons of God". They exist in the context and recitation of the genealogical lineage of the godly line. To see them outside of that view is to move away from the context of the Genesis narrative and retrieve context from other scripture in order to provide a framework of meaning. The context of the chapters in Genesis causes them to flow into each other; the creation to the fall, the promise of the "seed" to the appointment of Seth and the patriarchs, and the way of Cain to the judgment of the flood. Is not humanity better described by the term "sons of God" rather than angels? It is humanity who are created by God and also are given within their being the image of God, Genesis 1:26,27. Is not humanity closer to being sons, rather than angels who are created but do not possess the image of God? It is difficult not to see the "sons of God" in the context of humanity. Within the context, who should be seen as the "sons of God"? According to H.C. Leupold, the answer is obvious:

"But of these two uses of the title, which shall we choose in this instance? We have had no mention made of angels thus far in Genesis. We have met with other sons of the true God, in fact, the whole preceding chapter, even 4:25-5:32, has been concerned with them. Who will, then, be referred to here?"