Psalms 2:7

Just as in 2:6 we began with a look at Christ in His office as king; we must now begin 2:7 by looking at His place as the Son of God. As before, I trust that it is a worthwhile and necessary consideration prior to venturing into the verse itself, even if it adds length to our study.

The Son or the Second Person in the Trinity
The second person in the Trinity is called “Son” or “Son of God” in more than one sense of the word. (1) In a metaphysical sense. It is quite evident that Jesus Christ is represented as the Son of God in Scripture, irrespective of His work as Mediator. (a) He is spoken of as the Son of God from a pre-incarnation standpoint, for instance in John 1:14, 18; Gal. 4:4. (b) He is called the “only-begotten” Son of God or of the Father, a term that would not apply to Him, if He were the Son of God only in an official or in an ethical sense, John 1:14,18; 3:16,18; 1 John 4:9 (compare with Ps. 2:7) (c) In some passages it is abundantly evident from the context that the name is indicative of the deity of Christ, John 5:18-25; Heb. 1. (d) While Jesus teaches His disciples to speak of God, and to address Him as “our Father,” He Himself speaks of Him, and addresses Him, simply as “Father” or “my Father,” and thereby shows that He was conscious of a unique relationship with the Father, Matt. 6:9; 7:21; John 20:17. (e) According to Matt. 11:27, Jesus as the Son of God claims unique knowledge of God, a knowledge such as no one else can possess. (f) The Jews certainly understood Jesus to claim that He was the Son of God in a metaphysical sense, for they regarded the manner in which He spoke of Himself as the Son of God as blasphemy, Matt. 26:63; John 5:18; 10:36. (2) In an official or Messianic sense. In some passages this meaning of the name is combined with the one previously mentioned, Matt. 27:40; John 1:49; 11:27. This Messiah-Sonship reflects the eternal Sonship of Christ. It is from the point of view of this Messiah-Sonship that God is even called the God of the Son, 2 Cor. 11:31, Eph. 1:3, and is sometimes mentioned as God in distinction from the Lord, john 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:5,6. (3) In a nativistic sense. The name “Son of God” is given to Jesus also in view of the fact that He owed His birth to the paternity of God. He was begotten, according to His human nature, by the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit, and is in that sense the Son of God.

The Eternal Generation of the Son
The personal property of the Son is that he is eternally begotten of the Father, and shares with the Father in the spiration [to breathe or send forth] of the Spirit. The doctrine of the generation of the Son is suggested by the biblical representation of the first and second persons of the trinity as standing in relation of Father and Son to each other. Not only do the names “Father” and “Son” suggest the generation of the latter by the former, but the Son is also repeatedly called “the only-begotten,” John 1:14,18; 3:16,18; Heb. 11:17; 1 john 4:9. The generation of the Son must be regarded as a necessary act of the Father… [but] this does not mean… that it is an act that was accomplished in the far distant past, but rather that it is a timeless act, the act of an eternal present, an act always continuing and yet ever completed. Its eternity follows not only from the eternity of God, but also from the divine immutability and from the true deity of the Son.

The Deity of the Son
[There are many who deny the deity of Christ. From the Ebionites; Alogi; dynamic Monarchians; Arians; Socinians; Unitarians; Modernists and Humanists of this present day.] This denial is possible only for those who disregard the teachings of Scripture, for the Bible contains an abundance of evidence for the deity of Christ. We find that Scripture (1) explicitly asserts the deity of the Son, John 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Phil 2:6; (2) applies divine names to Him, Isa. 9:6; 40:3; Jer. 23:5,6; Joel 2:32; 1 Tim. 3:16; (3) ascribes to Him divine attributes such as eternal existence, Isa. 9:6; John 1:1-2, omnipresence, matt. 18:20; John 3:13, omniscience, John 2:24-25; 21:17, omnipotence, Phil. 3:21; Rev. 1:8, immutability, Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8, and in general every attribute belonging to the Father, Col. 2:9; (4) speaks of Him doing divine works, as creation, John 1:3,10; Col. 1:16, providence, Luke 10:22; Heb. 1:3, the forgiveness of sins, Matt. 9:2-7; Mark 2:7-10, resurrection and judgment, Matt. 25: 31,32, Acts 10:42, the final dissolution and renewal of all things, Heb. 1:10-12; Phil. 3:21, Rev. 21:5, and (5) accords Him divine honor, John 5:22,23; 14:1; Heb. 1:6.

The Place of the Son in the Economic Trinity
The Son occupies the second place in the opera ad extra. If all things are out of the Father, they are through the Son, 1 Cor. 8:6. If the former is represented as the absolute cause for all things, the latter stands out clearly as the mediating cause. This applies in the natural sphere, where all things are created and maintained through the Son, John 1:3,10; Heb. 1:2,3. He is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, John 1:9. It applies also to the work of redemption. In the Counsel of Redemption He takes upon Himself to be Surety for His people, and to execute the Father’s plan of redemption, Ps. 40:7,8. He works this out more particularly in His incarnation, sufferings, and death, Eph. 1:3-14. Louis Berkhof, “Systematic Theology”, pgs. 91-95

Our Reformed Catechisms also deal with Christ as the Son of God; for instance, in the Westminster Shorter Catechism #21 and #22 and in the Heidelberg Catechism #33.

The Only Begotten
Christ is the only begotten, the natural, proper and eternal Son of God; but we are the sons of God, adopted of the Father by grace for the sake of Christ. [Christ has] the divine essence communicated from the Father to Christ wholly according to His divinity. As we are… the natural sons of our parents, so Christ is according to His divine nature the natural and only Son of God, of the same essence and nature with the Father, out of whose substance He was begotten from everlasting, in a manner altogether beyond our comprehension. John 5:26, “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself.” The Father has, therefore, communicated to Him the life by which He Himself lives by Himself, and by which He quickens all creatures, which life is that one and eternal Deity by whom all things are. Christ alone according to His human nature is the Son of God, by the grace of conception by the Holy Spirit, and of union with the Word; because, according to this, He was the Son of God by grace, even from the very moment in which He began to be man and to be born; and that because, by virtue of the Holy Spirit, He alone was from the substance of the Virgin, pure from all stain or corruption, and was personally united with the Word.

The First Begotten
1. According to His divinity in respect both to time and dignity. 2. According to His humanity, in respect to dignity alone, and that on account of the miraculous and peculiar manner of His conception, and on account of the gifts by which He excels all others, angels and men. It was the right of the first begotten to have a double portion of the inheritance, whilst each of the rest had only a single portion. The reason of this was on account of the office which He, as the first-begotten, filled; for He was placed over the rest and ruled them, Col. 1:15,18. Zacharias Ursinus, “Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism”, pgs. 181-184

Lastly, we also see this testified to and we proclaim our belief in it in our churches when we recite the Apostles’ Creed. We do this when we say, “I believe in God, the Father Almighty… and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.”

The creed explains why Jesus is of such central importance to the Christian faith. The first reason it identifies is that Jesus is the “Son of God.” In John’s Gospel (John 5:16-27; 17:1-26)… we find a remarkable emphasis on the identity of will and purpose of the Father and Son, indicating how close is the relationship between Jesus and God. In the words of Jesus Himself, as in the impression that was created among the first Christians, Jesus is clearly understood to have a unique and intimate relationship to God, which the resurrection demonstrated publicly (Rom. 1:3-4). In the creed, stating that Jesus is the “Son of God” amounts to saying that Jesus is God. The New Testament states that Jesus saves His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21); He is the Savior born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:11); in His name alone there is salvation (Acts 4:12). Yet the Old Testament insists that it is God, and God alone, who can save and redeem His people. Unless Jesus is God, it is impossible for Jesus to save us. [Also,] as every reader of the Old Testament knows, it is God and God alone who is to be worshipped (Ex. 20:3-7). The insight that Jesus is the Son of God [tells us]… Jesus ought to be worshipped and adored – precisely because He is God. Alister McGrath, “I Believe – Exploring the Apostles’ Creed”, pgs. 39-41

With specific reference to this verse being in Heb. 1:5 and 5:5; I wanted to take a look at the commentary on those verses as well to examine that which seems abundantly clear is used as a proof text testifying to the fact that Christ is the Son of God.
• 1:5 “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son?” The Jewish people understood Psalm 2 to be messianic, and their use of the Psalm in the synagogue reflected that understanding. The individual writers of the New Testament also interpreted messianically all the quotations and references from the second Psalm (Acts 13:32-33, 4:25-26; Rev. 2:26-27, 19:15). Allusions to verse 2, 7, 8, and 9 can be discerned in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews, 2 Peter, and Revelation. The answer to this rhetorical question obviously is negative. The status described in this verse has never been conferred upon the angels, and no angel has ever been given the title Son of God anywhere in the Scriptures. Obviously the earthly king, called son, was unable to fulfill the words of Psalm 2, for the passage referred to the Messiah who in the fullness of time gave the Psalm its ultimate significance. The words of Psalm 2 apply ultimately to the Son of God. His appointment to the office of Son – specifically, His appearance in the flesh – is reflected in the clause “today I have become your Father”. The words I have become indicate that God the Father from eternity has begotten and continues to beget the Messiah, His Son. The words of Psalm 2:7 could have been fulfilled by neither David nor Solomon but only by Jesus Christ. Simon J Kistemaker NT Commentary on Hebrews
• 5:5 “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.” Note… that the author does not use the name of Jesus but uses Christ, the name that describes the office and duty of the Son of God. The first time the author uses the quotation to identify the Son with angels. Now the psalm citation indirectly contrasts Christ and Aaron. Jesus is the Son of God, and yet He is called and appointed by God to serve as high priest. In Heb. 4:14, the writer combines the two concepts of sonship and high priesthood. Says Geerhardus Vos, “He gives exceptionally high value to the high priesthood of Christ, and derives its eminence from the Sonship.” Simon J Kistemaker NT Commentary on Hebrews
• It is quite clear… that the writers of the New Testament and Christ Himself understood the Old Testament to recognize and to teach that the Messiah was to be of divine nature. For example, they without hesitation support their own assertions of the Deity of Christ by appeals to the Old Testament passages in which they find the Deity of the Messiah afore-proclaimed. This habit may be observed… in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. There, the author, after having announced the exalted nature of the Son, as the effulgence of the glory and the very image of the substance of God, illustrates His superiority to the angels, the highest of creatures, by appealing to a series of Old Testament passages, in which a “more excellent name” than is given to angels is shown to belong of right to Him. The “more excellent name” which he cites from the Old Testament is in the first instance none other than that of Son itself, whence we learn that when the Old Testament gives to the Messiah the designation of the Son of God – or we would better say, when it ascribes Sonship to God to Him (for it is after this broader fashion that the author develops his theme) – it ascribes to Him, in the view of the author of this Epistle, a super-angelic dignity of person. Of this Son… in contrast with the names of mere ministry given to the angels, there are ascribed to Him the supreme names of “God” and “Lord”; and with the names all the dignities and functions which they naturally connote. These great names of “God” and “Lord” are apparently not adduced as new names, additional to that of “Son,” but as explications of the contents of that one “more excellent name”; and thus we are advised of the loftiness of the name of “Son” in the mind of this writer. B.B. Warfield, “The Works of B.B. Warfield”, vol. 3, pgs. 4-5

“I will declare the decree”
Note: In Calvin’s commentary on this part of the verse he proclaims that David is justifying his position over Israel and confirming he was indeed placed there by God. This carries over into his commentary on “You are my Son” and slightly into “Today I have begotten You”. He does say that it is more appropriately fulfilled by Christ and has a “spirit of prophecy” in the declaration. But when compared with all my other commentaries they all unequivocally would say that this is Christ speaking and/or a new speaker that we have not seen to this point in the Psalm. It is also important to remember how Kistemaker pointed out to us the generally accepted view that this entire Psalm is considered messianic with specific reference to 2:7 appearing in the NT in relation to that understanding.
• We have heard what the kings of the earth have to say against Christ’s kingdom, and have heard it gainsaid by Him that sits in heaven; let us now hear what the Messiah Himself has to say for His kingdom, to make good His claims, and it is what all the powers on earth cannot gainsay. MH
• This Psalm wears something of a dramatic form, for now another person is introduced as speaking. We have looked into the counsel-chamber of the wicked, and to the throne of God, and now we behold the Anointed declaring His rights of sovereignty, and warning the traitors of their doom. God has laughed at the counsel and ravings of the wicked, and now Christ the Anointed Himself comes forward, as the Risen Redeemer, “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Rom. 1:4. Looking into the angry faces of the rebellious kings, the Anointed One seems to say, “If this sufficeth not to make you silent, ‘I will declare the decree.’ “ Now this decree is directly in conflict with the device of man, for its tenor is the establishment of the very dominion against which the nations are raving. CHS
• Is not this Jesus speaking in answer to what Jehovah the Father had said before? As soon as God had declared that He had set His king upon His holy hill of Zion, the Son of God comes forward to declare the decree. What decree? Certainly no other than what was from everlasting decreed upon, in the council of peace which was between them both, Zech. 6:13. And is not this the same decree which the lamb was alone found worthy to make known? Rev. 5:1-10. Oh! Precious Lord Jesus! Thou hast indeed declared the decree! Hail, though Son of God, declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead! Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever and ever! RH
• These are the words of Jehovah's Anointed and King, exercising His kingly office, according to the decree and commandment of the Father. "The decree" [is] the purpose of God concerning Christ as Mediator, and the salvation of His people by Him; and who so fit to declare this as He who lay in the bosom of the Father, and was privy to all His secret thoughts and designs, and in [whom] the eternal purpose was purposed. "I will declare"… according to the order and rule prescribed by Jehovah, without adding to it or taking from it: agreeably to which He executed His office as King, and Prophet also. The doctrine was not His own, but His Father's He preached; He spake not of Himself, but as He taught and enjoined Him; the Father gave Him commandment what He should say and speak, and He kept close to it, as He here says He would: and He ruled in His name, and by His authority, according to the law of His office; and which might be depended upon from the dignity of His person, which qualified Him both for His kingly and prophetic offices. JG


“You are my Son”
• He is the Son of God, not by adoption, but His begotten Son, the only begotten of the Father, John 1:14. And the Father owns Him, and will have this declared to the world as the reason why He is constituted King upon the holy hill of Zion; He is therefore unquestionably entitled to, and perfectly qualified for, that great trust, He is the Son of God, and therefore of the same nature with the Father, has in Him all the fullness of the godhead, infinite wisdom, power, and holiness. The supreme government of the church is too high an honor and too hard an undertaking for any mere creature; none can be fit for it but He who is one with the Father and was from eternity by Him as one brought up with Him, thoroughly apprised of all His counsels, Pr. 8:30. He is the Son of God, and therefore dear to Him, His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased; and upon this account we are to receive Him as a King; for because the Father loveth the Son he hath given all things into His hand, John 3:35; 5:20. Being a Son, He is heir of all things, and, the Father having made the worlds by Him; it is easy thence to infer that by Him also He governs them; for He is the eternal Wisdom and the eternal Word. If God has said unto Him, “Thou art my Son,” it becomes each of us to say to Him, “Thou art my Lord, my Sovereign.” MH
• Here is a noble proof of the glorious Divinity of our Immanuel. CHS
• Not by creation, as angels and men; nor by adoption, as saints; nor by office, as civil magistrates; nor on account of His incarnation or resurrection; nor because of the great love of God unto Him; but in such a way of filiation as cannot be said of any creature nor of any other; He is the true, proper, natural, and eternal Son of God, and as such declared, owned, and acknowledged by Jehovah the Father. JG

“Today I have begotten You”
• This expression, to be begotten, does not therefore imply that He then began to be the Son of God, but that his being so was then made manifest to the world. This begetting ought not to be understood of the mutual love which exists between the Father and the Son; it only signifies that He who had been hidden from the beginning in the sacred bosom of the Father, and who afterwards had been obscurely shadowed forth under the law, was known to be the Son of God from the time when He came forth with authentic and evident marks of Sonship, according to what is said in Jn. 1:14, We have seen his glory, as of the only begotten of the Father.” JC
• To satisfy us that His kingdom is well-grounded upon His Sonship, we are told what His Sonship is grounded on: This day I have begotten thee, which refers to His eternal generation itself, and to the evidence and demonstration given of it by His resurrection from the dead. MH

Personal Summary:

We covered a lot of information in this study and you will have to forgive me for its length which I try to avoid being too liberal with. Sometimes the hardest part of these studies is deciding what needs to be whittled down and what is necessary. But I trust that you will find that, while lengthy for sure, what remains has been well thought out and came under heavy study and consideration, so that what is left has been worthy of your time and energy and has, hopefully, the Lord willing, imparted a better understanding of Christ as the Son of God and as it relates to this verse under review.

That said, what a wonderful declaration we have of Christ as the Son of God! Can you imagine that there are those out there that would deny that He is the Son of God? It is so clearly attested to in our bibles and definitively so in this verse. I had a Jewish friend that I worked with years ago that one day was relating to me his fondness of Isaiah. I asked him, how then, based on Isa 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” he could not believe in Christ? When we read these things we are so firmly convinced that it is so that it baffles us to think that anyone could miss it. Why is that? Why did my Jewish friend read the book of Isaiah and not grasp that it is definitively speaking of Christ? Or how could he spend so much time in the Psalms and not see that Ps. 2 has been fulfilled in Christ? It is most certainly not because of us and some intellectual brilliance found in us yet not evident in them. Certainly there are some extremely intelligent men that will deny Christ for as long as they live. The answer is twofold. They do not see because they are reprobates, justly condemned for their sin, and the Lord has hardened their hearts that, “By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive,” Matt. 13:14, just as in Ex 10:20, “the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” The other side is that the Lord has given His elect understanding just as it says in Eph. 1:17-19, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” It is by grace that we perceive Him and see Him and digest the knowledge of Him in our hearts; not because of us or anything we do in and of ourselves. Ro 9:16, “So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” So we must be thankful that we know Him and understand Him. Apart from the knowledge He Himself gives us we would be like the lost man denying Him every step of the way.

But now we have this beautiful knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now we perceive that He is the Son of God. We may confidently and accurately assert that He is the second person of the Trinity, eternally begotten of the Father, that with the Father He sends forth the Spirit; that He is fully God, equal and fully endowed with every attribute of the Father; that through Him everything created was made and is sustained; that He is the true and only-begotten Son of God the Father. We may know all of this and appreciate more fully, that unlike Isaac being spared as a sacrifice by the Lord, the Son of God was not spared but was sacrificed in our place. That God the Son took on the wrath of God in our place and became the propitiation for our sins. Is it not more beautiful what He did for us in obedience to the Father and in love for us when we see how clearly the bible reveals who He is? RC Sproul in his book “The Holiness of God” defines what Christ did for us on the cross, acting as the propitiation for our sins; please as you read this keep in mind all that you have learned in this study and allow it to guide your thought as you contemplate what He has done. He says, “The most violent expression of God’s wrath and justice is seen in the Cross. If ever a person had room to complain of injustice, it was Jesus. He was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. If we stagger at the wrath of God, let us stagger at the Cross. Here is where our astonishment should be focused. If we have cause for moral outrage, let it be directed at Golgotha. The cross was at once the most horrible and most beautiful example of God’s wrath. It was the most just and the most gracious act in history. God would have been more than unjust; He would have been diabolical to punish Jesus if Jesus had not first willingly taken on Himself the sins of the world. Once Christ had done that, once He volunteered to be the Lamb of God, laden with our sin, then He became the most grotesque and vile thing on this planet. With the concentrated load of sin He carried, He became utterly repugnant to the Father. God poured out His wrath on this obscene thing. God made Christ accursed for the sin He bore. Herein was God’s holy justice perfectly manifest. Yet it was done for us. He took what justice demanded from us. This “for us” aspect of the Cross is what displays the majesty of its grace. At the same time justice and grace, wrath and mercy. It is too astonishing to fathom.”

And with that I end this study hoping that we more fully recognize who He is and what He has done for us. Let us draw ever nearer to Him who has loved us in the scope of eternity and has always been the answer to the problem of our deserved condemnation because of the sin that is in us. Only the Son of God could overcome sin’s disastrous effects and yet God so loved His elect “that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Amen.