If Jesus was God’s son in a metaphorical sense, then Jews also called themselves God’s children. Israel was called God’s firstborn, and David was called God’s son. Thus, the reason of Jesus’ crucifixion depicted in the NT gospels seems baseless. And if Jesus was God’s literal son through spirit, then Adam also had no parents and God also blew his spirit in him. What’s the big thing about it?

This is a reasonable question.  To be honest, the use of the language relating to the term son of God can be ambiguous in the Scripture.  Yet, one thing is clear, which is that in the Bible Jesus is the Son of God in a completely unique way.  It is quite normal for humans to use the same word to mean to very different things in different contexts, and this is certainly the case with the use of the  of the description of humans being a child of God or a son of God versus Jesus being the Son of God!  The context, as always, determines the meaning.  John makes it clear.  He says of Jesus that he is “the one and only” or the “unique” Son of God in John 1:18.  How unique is the sonship of Jesus?  Jesus “is himself God.” (John 1:18).  Clearly, this does not apply to any citizen of Israel other than Jesus, and it certainly does not apply to David.  Daniel and Ezekiel are called “Son of man” but they are never called “the Son of God.”  If you read John 1:1-18, it is abundantly clear. Jesus, as the unique Son of God is himself God.  (John 1:1)  In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God.

Jesus is not God’s son in a metaphorical sense.  He is not like a son.  He IS the Son of God.  It is true that all humans are children of God, as he produced us.  But the Father did not produce the Son.  The Son was with the Father from the beginning (John 1:2).  Christians are children of God in a different sense than other humans who are not saved.  But we certainly are not God-become-flesh (John 1:14).

So, although it is true that the use of the description child of God or son of God to human beings, has the potential to be confusing when Jesus is called the Son of God, but if we look at the uses of these and similar phrases in their context, it becomes abundantly clear that Jesus is the Son of God in a completely unique way.  Whether he is “literally” or “metaphorically” God’s son is a matter of definition, and I will not worry about that.  But his sonship is not a mere metaphor.  He is the unique Son of God, and he is God-in-the-flesh.

Adam is a son of God in a somewhat unique, as is Eve.  Having no human parents makes them different from you and  from me.  But this does not make them even remotely like Jesus!!!  Adam and Eve were created.  Jesus was not!  All things were created by him and for him, and without him nothing was made which has been made.  We cannot say that about Adam or Eve!

John Oakes