God in Christianity

==== The Son ====
{{Main article|God the Son|Son of God (Christianity)}}
{{see also|Christology|Christ the Logos|Jesus in Christianity|Person of Christ}}
[[File:Витраж в Петропавловском соборе.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Stained glass]] window of Christ, [[Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg|Peter and Paul Cathedral]], St. Petersburg, Russia.]]
Since [[early Christianity]], a number of [[Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament|titles have been attributed]] to Jesus, including, [[Messiah]] (Christ) and the [[Son of God]].<ref name=Bowden101/><ref name=Brom128 /> Theologically, these are different attributions: Messiah refers to his fulfilling the expected Old Testament prophecies, while Son of God refers to a paternal relationship.<ref name=Bowden101>''The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology'' by Alan Richardson and John Bowden (1 January 1983) {{ISBN|0664227481}} page 101</ref><ref name=Brom128>''Historical Theology: An Introduction'' by Geoffrey W. Bromiley 2000 {{ISBN|0567223574}} pages 128–129</ref> God the Son is distinct from both Messiah and Son of God and its theology as part of the doctrine of the Trinity was formalized well over a century after those.<ref name=Brom128 /><ref name=mini307>''Christology: Biblical And Historical'' by Mini S. Johnson {{ISBN|8183240070}} page 307</ref><ref>''The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church: A History'' by Joseph F. Kelly (1 September 2009) {{ISBN|0814653766}} pages 19–22</ref>

According to the [[Gospel]]s, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and [[Nativity of Jesus|born]] from [[Mary, mother of Jesus|the Virgin Mary]].<ref name=Pract/> The Biblical accounts of Jesus' ministry include: [[Baptism of Jesus|his baptism]], [[Miracles of Jesus|miracles]], [[Ministry of Jesus|preaching, teaching, and healing]]. The narrative of the gospels place significant emphasis on the death of Jesus, devoting about one third of the text to just seven days, namely the last week of the life of Jesus in Jerusalem.<ref name=Turner613 >''Matthew'' by David L. Turner 2008 {{ISBN|0-8010-2684-9}} page 613</ref> The core Christian belief is that through [[Crucifixion of Jesus|the death]] and [[resurrection of Jesus]], [[original sin|sinful]] humans can be reconciled to God and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of [[eternal life (Christianity)|eternal life]].<ref name=Harris12/> The belief in the redemptive nature of Jesus' death predates the Pauline letters and goes back to the earliest days of Christianity and the [[Early centers of Christianity#Jerusalem|Jerusalem church]].<ref>''Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity'' by Larry W. Hurtado (14 September 2005) {{ISBN|0802831672}} pages 130–133</ref> The [[Nicene Creed]]'s statement that "for our sake he was crucified" is a reflection of this core belief.<ref name=Harris12>''Christian Theology'' by J. Glyndwr Harris (Mar 2002) {{ISBN|1902210220}} pages 12–15</ref>

The two Christological concerns as to how Jesus could be truly God while preserving faith in the existence of one God and how the human and the divine could be combined in one person were fundamental concerns from well before the [[First Council of Nicaea]] (325).<ref name=Bromo50>''Historical Theology: An Introduction'' by Geoffrey W. Bromiley 2000 {{ISBN|0567223574}} pages 50–51</ref> However, the theology of "God the Son" was eventually reflected in the statement of the Nicene Creed of the 4th century.<ref>''Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World'' by G. W. Bowersock, Peter Brown and Oleg Graba 1999 {{ISBN|0674511735}} page 605</ref>

The [[Chalcedonian Definition]] of 451, accepted by the majority of Christians, holds that Jesus is [[Incarnation (Christianity)|God incarnate]] and "[[Hypostatic union|true God and true man]]" (or both fully divine and fully human). Jesus, having become fully human in all respects, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, yet he did not sin. As fully God, he defeated death and rose to life again.<ref>''A Short History of Christian Doctrine'' by Bernhard Lohse (5 January 1978) {{ISBN|0800613414}} pages 90–93</ref> The [[Third Council of Constantinople]] in 680 then held that both divine and human wills exist in Jesus, with the divine will having precedence, leading and guiding the human will.<ref>The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology by Alan Richardson and John Bowden (1 January 1983) {{ISBN|0664227481}} page 169</ref>

In mainstream Christianity, Jesus Christ as [[God the Son]] is the [[Person of Christ|second Person]] of the Holy Trinity, due to his eternal relation to the first Person (God as Father).<ref name=Millard>''Introducing Christian Doctrine'' (2nd Edition) by Millard J. Erickson (1 April 2001) {{ISBN|0801022509}} pages 237–238</ref> He is considered coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit and is all God and all human: the Son of God as to his divine nature, while as to his human nature he is from the lineage of David.<ref name=Pract>''Practical Christian Theology:'' by Floyd H. Barackman 1998 {{ISBN|0825423740}} pages 149–151</ref><ref name=Millard/><ref>''Encyclopedia of Theology: A Concise Sacramentum Mundi'' by Karl Rahner (28 December 2004) ISBN pages 692-694</ref><ref>For Biblical passages see: {{Bibleref2|Rom|1:3,4}}{{Bibleref2|Galatians|4:4}}; {{Bibleref2|John|1:1–14}};{{Bibleref2-nb|Jn|5:18–25}};{{Bibleref2-nb|Jn|10:30–38}}</ref>

More recently, discussions of the theological issues related to God the Son and its role in the Trinity were addressed in the 20th century in the context of a "Trinity-based" perspective on divine revelation.<ref>''Introduction to the Theology of Karl Barth'' by Geoffrey William Bromiley (3 November 2000) {{ISBN|0567290549}} page 19</ref><ref>''The Renewal of Trinitarian Theology: Themes, Patterns & Explorations'' by Roderick T. Leupp (1 October 2008) {{ISBN|0830828893}} page 31</ref>