The Son of God with Power

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:1-4).

Now there is a subtlety in Romans 1:4 we cannot miss. Jesus Christ was already God’s Son since eternity past, before He was even made of flesh, as we saw in Romans 1:3. Now, in verse 4, Jesus was declared “the Son of God with power.” The “with power” came later. Let us see how He became the Son of God with power before we discuss what that means.

According to the Spirit of Holiness

First, Jesus became the Son of God with power “according to the spirit of holiness” (Romans 1:4). Upon His baptism by John, we read this:

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. (Matthew 3:16-17)

The Spirit of God was upon Jesus from this moment forward.

He lived a perfect, holy life. Jesus became a human being, and was “tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Immediately after His baptism, he was tempted by the devil, and unlike Eve in Genesis 3, He resisted temptation.

By the Resurrection From the Dead

Second, Jesus became the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. In Matthew 28:18, we read, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” He only said this after He had been raised from the dead, and was going to the right hand of God in heaven.

Now here we see what being the Son of God with power means. In Hebrews 1:1-3, we read:

God... Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Here, Jesus had become the heir of all things and sat down at the right hand of God, a place of prominence and power. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus had told His disciples of this authority so He could give His people the power to teach all nations, and assure them that He would always be with them.

As Christians, we can be assured of this same authority in our lives, and that His power is with us as we trust Him. It is by His power that we live the Christian life, and be obedient to the commands He gave us. Believing that He is the Son of God with power, and forfeiting any power and authority we may have will reveal His working in our own lives.