Thank you for the question, “Was Jesus the son of God or God incarnate?”
As I read the question, there appears to be a two fold question as to the deity of Jesus Christ and the identification of the person incarnated.
Within the Christian community, there is a divergent view of the deity of Jesus Christ. There three main views on the deity of Jesus Christ. The three views are as follows:
A. Jesus is a good moral man without any divinity.
B. Jesus is the highest created being like God, but not God.
C. Jesus is God Himself, not created, having eternally existed.
The discussion of the “Trinity” or the personhood with the Godhead is debated. The viewpoint expressed by me is my own and I do not represent any other Christians or churches.
Here are some thoughts for one’s consideration:
A. The name, Jesus, is given to the Second Person of the Godhead in his incarnation as a man. That is his human given name at Jesus’ birth. In other words, the name of Jesus is not necessarily his own name with the Godhead.
Luke 1 says this, “Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” (A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages). Bible citations are from the New International Version.
As one reads the text, I want to be very careful here so as not to be misunderstood. The angel declares that this child to be born to be Mary is to be called Jesus. The angel further states that he will be called the Son of the Most High. The title given to Jesus on earth is called the Son of the Most High. Joseph is not the father of Jesus. Mary was a virgin and didn’t have an sexual intimacy with anyone including Joseph. God the Father was the one who brought the Son into this world. Jesus is the One and Only Son of the Most High God. He is unique in the sense that this being became incarnated into human flesh.
The Apostle Paul says this in Philippians 2, “ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (NIV).
This Second Person of the Godhead condescended and took on human likeness being made in human likeness. Thus as the incarnate Second Person of the Godhead, Jesus is the Son of God on earth.
The second part of the question is this: Did God created the Son or did he eternally existed? Let me try to answer that question.
B. The Second Person of the Godhead eternally existed with God.
In Genesis 1:1 the word, God, is Elohim. The noun is plural in form. This means more than one. As one reads Genesis 1, God declares an action each day and God brings forth that action. In Genesis 2, the words, YHWH (LORD) Elohim (God) is introduced as bring forth that action. “This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens (vs. 4). It is the LORD God who created the animals and Adam and Eve. Thus one can conclude that within the Godhead there are at least two persons: Elohim and YHWH Elohim. Throughout the Old Testament it is YHWH Elohim who reveals himself to his people.
The Apostle John recorded Jesus’ words in John 1, “18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.” Jesus is declaring in the Gospel of John that the Patriarchs and Prophets did not see God, but they walked and talked to him as the LORD God. Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, etc. did not see or talked to God, they talked to the LORD God. The question then becomes who is the LORD God?
The Apostle John states in John 1:1–3 these words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (NIV).
If the Apostle John wanted to show that the Word had a beginning, he could have said this, “and the Word BECAME God or divine” but he did not. John also did not say this, “And the Word was THE God.” If he said that, those words would mean that God and the Word were the same person. Without the definite article, he states there were two beings from (the) beginning: God and the Word (Logos).
Verses two and three affirms his eternal existence since he was with God in the beginning and that all things were made through him which confirms Genesis 1–2. Thus in my conclusion that the LORD God is the Word (Logos) who became flesh with the name Jesus on earth.
There are other verses that I didn’t cite as John 8:54–59, John 10:25–30, Eph. 1:3–14, Colossians 1:15–22, Hebrews 1:1–14 but for one’s further study.
SUMMARY: Christians called Jesus the Son of God in two senses: his eternal relationship with the Father and his earthly existence as a human being to God the Father.
For more perspectives:
https://thechristiancorner.quora.com/Was-Jesus-the-son-of-God-or-God-incarnated-1