According to Christians, God has revealed Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit from the outset of Jesus' mission.
Look for a minute at His Baptism.. why did he allow Himself to be baptised for the remission of sins, if He was indeed God and therefore sinless?
1. Because of His humility which is described in Philippians chapter 2
and
2. Because with the crowds, He didn't want to undermine the One ness of God. Do you know what would have happened to any one claiming to be God in the midst of a staunchly monotheistic culture?
In discussing the second thought, think of how he then became more open in private with the Disciples. Look at how revelation came to them
In Luke 5:1-11 they became aware of His Holiness
In Matthew 8:27 they became aware of His power over forces of nature
In Matthew 11:25-27 He revealed to them His identity as the Son of God
and little by little they discovered the meaning of these words in Matthew 14:33 leading to the full revelation in Matthew 16:15-16
"Who do you say that I am?". Simon Peter answered, "You are the Son of the living God" Jesus replied, "blessed are you Simon, son of Jonah, for this is not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven"
A week after this, Jesus gave them a new revelation of Himself, His transfiguration where He appeared between Elijah and Moses and a bright cloud enveloped them and a voice from Heaven said "This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased, Listen to Him". Matthew 17:2-5.
This overwhelming experience, combined with the solemn testimony from God the Father regarding Jesus's identity, must have had great impact on the Disciples, as Peter refers to this incident in one of His letters to give historical evidence for the sonship of Jesus
We did not follow cleverly invented stories, when we told you about the power and coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain 2Peter 1:16-18)
When speaking to the Jewish leaders, jesus described the prophets as God's servants, whereas he referred to himself as God's Son Matthew 21:33-36. He challenged them to prove Him guilty John 8:46 and they realised He was claiming to be God John 5:18 and John 10:33.
From that day onwards, they tried to find an opportunity to arrest him John 10:39 and John 11:53, but were cautious, afraid of how his crowds of followers would react to his arrest Matthew 21:46 and John 12:19. When they eventually seized him, they subjected Him to interrogation and accused him of claiming to be God's Son John 19:7, something that Jesus did not deny, but pointed out was in line with divine revelation and in no way undermined the oneness of God. Matthew 26:63-66, Mark 14:61-64 and Luke 22:70-71. (please read these verses in conjunction with my first posting.. and Jesus as the Son of Man in Daniel as this is where the discussion should begin and end with the two terms Son of Man and Son of God, coming together in Jesus the Christ.)
Jesus was condemned as a blasphemer for having claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of God and these were the reasons cities for his crucifixion.
His final revelation to them as Son of God came at the resurrection, when Jesus appeared again to them with His final instructions. those who knew He was much more than a prophet, worshipped Him, others were not so sure Matthew 28:17. Jesus told His Disciples they were to go into ALL the world and spread the message to the world. He told them to baptise all believers in the Name of the Trinitarian God.. Father, Son and Holy Spirit... a person's faith in the God who had revealed himself through the Son.
All Authority in heaven and on earth is given to me. therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even unto the end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20
Yes.. Jesus did declare Himself Son of God in the New Testament, and though there may be a sense of the irrational about that, we are all called to accept Him by faith not by rational thinking.