Introduction
The Bible speaks of the “Son of Man” and the “Son of God”. What does that mean? The obvious answer is that Jesus is the “Son of Man” through Mary, His mother, and “The Son of God” through the Holy Spirit, Who’s seed she bore. But there is much more than that. I have learned much through this study. I hope you do too. Let’s explore further.
Definitions
I always start with definitions. You must clearly understand what I am trying to say, and I must be wary that I am conveying what I mean to say.
Son of God
The term itself is often assigned to many rulers. When I speak of the Son of God, I’m speaking of the second person of the Trinity, in His Divine form, Jesus Christ. The term itself speaks of Jesus’ relationship to the Father. He was not “born of His Father” in the sense that I was born of my father. If He were, they would not be co-equal of one substance with the Father, as our Creed states. My paper titled “The mystery of the Divine Trinity Revealed” clarifies that. Click here to read. You must read on for more clarification.
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16 ESV
Son of Man
Many people are called “son of man”. When I speak of the Son of Man, I am speaking of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, but in His corporal form. In His corporal form, Jesus, Mary’s son, was the son of man. This title is used 88 times in the New Testament, 85 times by the Lord Himself in the four gospels.
It is a title of His humanity, focusing on the humanity of Christ.
“By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:2-3)
Other Terms Used of Jesus used of Jesus are: “only begotten Son” (used 5 times), “My Son” used 8 times, “the Son” used 34 times, and “His Son” is used 24 times.
Tanakh
The Tanakh is the Hebrew Bible composed as follows: The Torah (the Pentateuch), Nevi’im (Prophets), Ketuvim (Scriptures) – remaining Biblical books)
Who is the Son of God
The Bible speaks of those who have a special relationship with God, as in Angels who were created, not begotten. This term can also refer to Adam, who was created by God, not begotten. Other Emperors, Kings, etc. have also used this title, believing they ruled by “Divine Right”. Solomon (in the Tanakh), various Kings of Israel and Rulers of the Holy Roman Empire, carried this title as an Imperial title, even people like Genghis Khan were called Son of God, as well as many characters throughout Greek mythology.
Scripture says this of Israel
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel (meaning the Nation of Israel) is my firstborn son,” (Exodus 4:22)
God the Father says this of Jesus
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) KJV
Believers are Sons and Daughters of God
The Bible also speaks of mankind who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior as “sons of God”
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” Matthew 5:9 ESV
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” John 1:12 ESV
“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” Romans 8:14 ESV
From these scriptures, you can easily see where there can be much confusion.
How Did the Son of God Get Here from Heaven
Again, the scriptures address this question. Jesus lived with the Father before the world existed.
“And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” (John 17:5) ESV
When Jesus came into the world, Jesus spoke to the Father and said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’” When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:5-10) ESV
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself (refereed to as the Kenosis of Christ – giving up His divine privileges), by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:5-7) ESV
Son of God in the Old Testament
We do see the term “Son of God” in the Old Testament, but these references, as far as I can tell, are all prophetic in nature.
In these scriptures, we see Jesus before creation, not as the Son of God or the Son of man, but as God, the second person of the Divine Trinity, speaking to the first person of the Godhead. When He comes to earth, He comes as the only Begotten son of God through man (Mary and her lineage from Luke 3:23-38 and the lineage of Joseph mentioned in Matthew 1-16)
“I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalms 2:7-9 ESV
This is quoted in Acts 13:33 as a reference to Jesus and His resurrection from the dead. Click here.
“Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!” Proverbs 30:4 Proverbs 30:4 ESV
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,” Isaiah 9:6 ESV
On Earth
On earth, Jesus lives as a man and servant of His Father, doing His will. At His baptism by John the Baptist, we see Jesus receiving the Holy Spirit.
“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him (John). John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”” (Matthew 3:13-17) ESV
After His baptism, Jesus retreats to the mountains to pray and fast for a period of 40 days, after which He is tempted by Satan. These temptations are real temptations like those of men. Jesus answers these temptations as a man filled with the Holy Spirit. We can say this because the scriptures say that God cannot be tempted, but man can.
“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he tempts no one.” (James 1:13) ESV
At this point, Satan leaves for a period, and Jesus proceeds through His life on earth performing signs, wonders, and miracles by the Holy Spirit, doing the will of His Father, as the Son of Man. Watchman Nee sees this life as “The Normal Christian Life” that we Christians, filled with the Holy Spirit, should live by.
“What is the normal Christian life? We do well at the outset in pondering this question. The object of these studies is to show that it is something very different from the life of the average Christian. Indeed, a consideration of the written Word of God – of the Sermon on the Mount, for example, should lead us to ask whether such a life has ever in fact been lived upon the earth, save only by the Son of God Himself (Who dwells within man by the Holy Spirit). But in that last saving clause lies immediately the answer to our question. (from Watchman Nee’s book The Normal Christian Life)
The Apostle Paul also addresses this issue.
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) ESV
Years later, we see Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane contemplating His upcoming betrayal and death. I have written before that I feel that this is one of Jesus’s most difficult periods in His life. Maybe even superseding His death on the Cross. He went through this ordeal as the Son of Man.
Here is where we find a mystery. Only the Son of God could be sacrificed for all the sins of mankind for all eternity. The sacrifices of man were never sufficient to fulfill God’s covenant. Not even Abraham’s attempt to sacrifice Isaac. So we ask ourselves, “Did Jesus die as the son of man or the Son of God?”. Remember, at Jesus’ death, our Father could not look upon the sins which Jesus carried – our sins. If Jesus did anything in life as God, His sacrifice would have been moot. We would be able to say, “Of course He could! – After all He was God”. Here is my answer. Only the Son of God could satisfy God the Father’s sacrificial covenant, but only the Son of Man can voluntarily place our sin upon Him. That is the only way we can obtain so great a salvation that has been provided for us. The Son of God was sacrificed as the Son of Man.
Side Note: There may be some confusion as to where Jesus dwells. Many scriptures say that He dwells within us, and we are taught such in Sunday Schools across the world. However, this is how it works. It is the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. He is often called the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of Jesus. Jesus, the Son of God, resides in heaven as described in the following scriptures.
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34) ESV
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1) ESV
Jesus, the Son of Man
“And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:32) ESV
“And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:8-9) ESV
“And he said to him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (John 1:51) ESV
The Lineage of Mary and Joseph
There is a great controversy over the lineage of Joseph and Mary as recorded in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. It seems as though when you come to the lineage by Matthew, it goes back to David the King, and that of Luke goes back to Adam (also referred to as Son of God, but not as being begotten, but as created as the Angels were created and called sons of God. In this instance, it is more fitting to call him Son of Man (Adam). As I have mentioned in other papers, there is no redemptive value in the pursuit of this questioning; therefore, I will not explore this beyond the fact that both Mary and Joseph are of humankind the title Son of Man fits.
How Did Jesus Become the Son of Man
The decision for Jesus to become the Son of Man was made in heaven by Jesus Himself.
“Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8) ESV
Son of God
This term describing the relationship of Jesus to His Father is used 47 times in the Bible. God our Father confirmed that Jesus is His son at Jesus’s baptism by John the Baptist.
“…and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) ESV
And at the transfiguration before James and Peter
“And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35) ESV
Angels are the Sons of God
The Bible speaks of Angels being sons of God, but we must remember they were created as Adam was and not begotten as Jesus and we are.
“When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.” (Genesis 6:1-4) ESV
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.” (Job 1:6) ESV
We are Sons (and daughters) of God
“Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) ESV
“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!” (Galatians 4:6) ESV
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,” (John 1:12) ESV
Did not Jesus say so Himself when He showed us how to pray? “Our Father Who art in heaven….” God in heaven is His Father and our Father, making us His sons and daughters.
A Mystery and A Lesson from Stephen
“But he (Stephen), full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56) ESV
This occurred after the crucifixion, after Jesus ascended into heaven, and after Pentecost, when Jesus sent His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, to dwell within men. Note that Jesus is referred to as the “Son of Man,” not the Son of God. Stephen saw the Son of God but knew Him as the Son of Man. (I believe this is the only time Jesus is spoken of in this manner other than by Jesus Himself.)
Why did Stephen Say Son of Man
At the time of Stephen’s martyrdom, Jesus was both Son of God and Son of Man because,
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22) ESV
“And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.” (Colossians 1:18) ESV
Jesus is the first fruit, “son of man,” to be raised from the dead to dwell with His Father for all eternity. Just as we will rise on a day to come.
In His position in Heaven, Jesus is now both the Son of God and the Son of Man. He has proven after the resurrection that He is not just Spirit but flesh and bones. He can be touched, and He eats as we do.
“Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” John 20:24-25 ESV
“See my hands and my feet, that it is I. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.” Luke 24:39-43 ESV
Summary – Conclusion
Jesus came as God’s Man to redeem mankind. Jesus started in heaven as the second person of the Divine Trinity. He emptied Himself of His Divine privileges and became the Son of Man through Mary and the Son of God through the seed of the Holy Spirit. He dwelt on earth as the Son of Man and became filled with the Holy Spirit as we have (should). He continued to live as the Son of Man, fighting principalities and demons of darkness, including sickness and all kinds of temptation and persecution. He died as the Son of God because only the Son of God could redeem us from our sins. However, being the firstborn from the dead (His Resurrection) now dwells, with flesh and bones, at the right hand of Our Father as both Son of Man and Son of God.
Note from a friend. “The ascension is the complete fulfillment of the transfiguration. Our lord returned to His original glory, but not simply as the Son of God – He returned to His Father as the Son of Man as well.” (Oswald Chambers)
Enough Said
“When I found your words, I devoured them; your words made glad, they gave me joy; because, Adonai Tzv’ot (Lord of Heavens Army’s) you had me bear your name” (Jeremiah 15:16) CJSB
