“16 Simon Peter answered, “𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 the living God.” 17Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar Jonah, for 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:16–17)
Matthew would have derived the meaning of the Messiah as God’s Son from the descriptions given in the OT Scriptures like 2 Samuel 7:11-14. In particular, the designation refers to the oath from God that David’s offspring would be God’s Son.
The fact is that God wasn’t the only one to make this confession, nor was Peter. We have it from many witnesses in addition to God and the Apostle Peter…
𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘂𝘀 — 35 “Jesus…said, ‘Do you believe in 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱?’ 36 He answered, ‘Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?’ 37 Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you’”
(John 9:35–37).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹 𝗚𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗹 — 32 “‘He will be great, and will be called 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵…’ 35 …‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱’” (Luke 1:32–35).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘁 — 70 “They all said, ‘Are you then 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱?’ He said to them, ‘You say it, because I am.’” (Matthew 26:63–65; Mark 14:61 and Luke 22:70–71). Also: “The Jews answered him, ‘… he ought to die, because he made himself
the Son of God’” (John 19:7).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗻 — “And the centurion… said,
‘Truly this man was 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱’” (Mark 15:39, YLT).
𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 — “I have seen, and have testified that this is
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱.” (John 1:34)
𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗲𝗹 — “Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱! You are King of Israel!’” (John 1:49)
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 — “Those who were in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, ‘You are truly 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱!’” (Matthew 14:33)
𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 — “The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱.” (Mark 1:1)
𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 — “But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱, and that believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31)
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗮𝗻 — “Then Philip said, ’If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ And he answered and said,
‘I believe that Jesus Christ is 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱.’” (Acts 8:37, NKJV)
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 — “Immediately in the synagogues he proclaimed
the Christ, that he is 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱.” (Acts 9:20)
Even the devils that believe and tremble realize Jesus is the Son of God, not “God” himself.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹 — “The tempter came and said to him,
‘If you are 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱, command that these stones become bread’” (Matthew 4:3).
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘀 — “Behold, they cried out, saying, ‘What do we have to do with you, Jesus, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝗱?’” (Matthew 8:29, also Luke 4:41).