Romans 1:3

I don't think I fully understand the shock value of this statement the way the people of the 1st century would have understood it. "Son of God" would have been so blasphemous to the Jews and would have sounded almost blase to the Greeks and Romans. The gods of the Greeks and Romans had children all the time, who often became gods themselves, but never had the kind of power and authority that our Lord has. The Jews knew that the Lord God is different; saying that He has a son must have sounded like He was being compared to the false gods of the gentiles. Yet once again the reality far exceeds and transforms the imitation. The gods' children and the gods themselves were never related to each other like the Lord God and His Son, Jesus. They never sacrificed themselves for our sake. They never loved like God loves us. They never promised and fulfilled. They never transformed our humanity by becoming human themselves. Their myths are shallow and worthless when compared to the truth of Christ, the Son of God.

When I read the Bible, a lot of phrases like "Son of God" can be too familiar to me. I've heard them so many times throughout my like that I don't appreciate their impact. Taking time to consider how they would have sounded to the people of the 1st century helps me understand better how they should transform my own life. Using my imagination in this way is one tool that Works for Me in my own Bible study.