Children of God? R. C. Sproul

In this article, R. C. Sproul clarifies the history of Genesis 6 regarding the meaning of “Sons of God” and daughters of men ?:

In the twentieth century, the German biblist Rudolf Bultmann made an intense critique of the scriptures, stating that the Bible is full of mythological references that must be erased in order to have a meaningful application for our time. Bultmann’s greatest concern was the New Testament narratives, especially those that included annals of miracles, which he considered impossible. Other scholars, however, have stated that there are also mythological elements in the Old Testament. The main point of this argument is usually a narrative that some think is similar to the ancient Greek and Roman myths about gods and goddesses who sometimes mate with humans.

In Genesis 6 we read this account: “When men began to multiply on earth.
And daughters were born to them.
Seeing the children of God that the daughters of men were beautiful.
They took women for themselves.
Which among them pleased the majority.
“At that time there were giants on earth; and also later.
When the sons of God possessed the daughters of men.
Who gave birth to them sons; Were they brave and renowned men in ancient times?(verses 1-4).

This account is essentially a preface to the history of the flood God sent to eradicate all people from the earth except Noah’s family. Of course, the history of the flood itself is often considered mythological, but this preparatory section, where we read about marriage between “the children of God” and “the daughters of man,” is considered a cheeky myth.

The assumption in this interpretation of Genesis 6 is that “God’s children?”They mean angelic beings, why do some biblical interpreters make this statement?The simple answer is that the scriptures sometimes refer to angels as children of God, and the reference in Genesis 6 is supposed to have the same meaning. That is certainly a possible inference that you may have, but is that a necessary inference?I would say no, I don’t think this text necessarily teaches the idea of sexual relations between angels and human beings.

RCSproul was born in 1939 in the state of Pennsylvania, a Presbyterian pastor, pastor of St. Saint Andrews, in Floride, founder and president of Ligonier’s ministry, professor and lecturer in seminars and conferences, author of more than sixty books, including several published in Portuguese, and editor-in-chief of the Reformation Study Bible.

This article is part of the December 2012 issue of Tabletalk magazine.

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