SUBJECT: Jesus
QUESTION: Explain how Jesus is referred to as both
“Son of God” and “Son of Man”?
ANSWER:
The verses are making reference to the physical line of
Jesus Christ. Go to the family record of Jesus which begins
in Matthew 1:1. Verse 1 says:
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of
David, the son of Abraham.
In verse 2 we begin the line with Abraham. We read down
through the line until we come to verse 6. Here we see King
David.
The line continues down to verse 16 where we see Joseph the
husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called
Christ. This is interesting because it was not Joseph that
made Mary pregnant. It was by the power of the Holy Spirit
(which is the essence,
power, mind and spiritual extension of God) that
Mary became pregnant with Jesus.
Matthew 18:1
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his
mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came
together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost (Spirit).
There are many scriptures that show that God, the Father in
heaven is the real Father of Jesus Christ.
Psalm 2:7
I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou
art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Matthew 3:17
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased.
Matthew 11:27
All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man
knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the
Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him.
Mark 1:1
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
Luke 10:22
All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man
knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father
is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Luke 9:35
And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my
beloved Son: hear him.
John 17:1
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven,
and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that
thy Son also may glorify thee:
Acts 3:13
The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of
our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered
up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was
determined to let him go.
Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly
places in Christ:
2 John 1:3
Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father,
and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in
truth and love.
Jesus is also referred to as the Son of Man because it is
important that we understand that He came in the flesh to be
tempted as we are and to set an example for us. He came in
the flesh to show us that a fleshly human can overcome sin
and take possession of salvation.
Mark 2:28
Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
Matthew 20:28-31
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto,
but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
29 And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude
followed him.
30 And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when
they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have
mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold
their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on
us, O Lord, thou Son of David.
Philippians 2:7-8
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself,
and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
1 John 4:2-3
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that
confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is
come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and
even now already is it in the world.
Following is our doctrinal statement on JESUS CHRIST:
JESUS CHRIST
DOCTRINAL STATEMENT
Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God and the Son
of man. He was prophesied Messiah of the Old Testament and
is described throughout the New Testament as being both
fully human and fully divine. As second member of the God
family, He has existed from eternity as the "Word." He
divested Himself of His power and majesty and became a human
being to die for the sins of all mankind as our loving and
merciful Savior. He was then resurrected and ascended to
heaven to become our High Priest and the head of all things
to the Church. Jesus Christ shall return to establish the
Kingdom of God on earth and rule as King of kings with His
saints forever.
DOCTRINAL OVERVIEW
Jesus Christ is the. Chief
cornerstone and foundation of Christianity, the focal point
of both Old and New Testaments and of biblical prophecy. He
is the one around whom God's plan of redemption and
salvation revolves.
Christ as the "Word of God"
(John 1:1) has existed with the Father from eternity. He and
the Father together devised a plan to reproduce themselves
and to expand their family by means of the human creation.
This creation as accomplished by the one who became Christ
through the agency and power of the Holy Spirit. "For by Him
[Christ] were all things
created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible
and invisible" (Colossians 1: 16). John adds that "all
things were made by Him: and without Him was not any thing
made that was made" (John 1:3). Thus the "Word of
God"—Christ—was also the Creator God, who fashioned the
universe and breathed the breath of life into Adam.
The being who later became
Jesus Christ was likewise the God of the Old Testament and
hence the one who walked with Noah and talked with Abraham
and with Moses (John 8:58; cf. Exodus 3:14). He was the God
of Israel, the God, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God who
gave His law to Moses at Sinai. He was the one who led
Israel with a cloud by day and protected them by a pillar of
fire at night. He was Israel's Protector, their Guide and
their "Rock" ("and that Rock was
Christ," 1 Corinthians 10:4). He likewise was the
God of David and was the one who dwelled in Solomon's
temple. He spoke through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and all
the prophets and inspired the entirety of the Old Testament.
In order to fulfill the
divine master plan of salvation, this great being divested
Himself of all His power, might and majesty and took upon
Himself "the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness
of men" (Philippians 2:7). As envisioned, however darkly, by
Abraham and Moses, and as prophesied by Isaiah and others,
God's "Word" was now incarnate, the Son of God and the Son
of man. As a human being, Jesus led a sinless, perfect life
although He "was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He overcame Satan's temptations
and qualified to replace him as ruler of this world. He was
our example who learned obedience through suffering; He
became our Savior whose atoning death paid the death penalty
for all the sins of mankind.
This great personal
sacrifice of Christ's crucifixion is a perfect illustration
of Jesus' love and mercy toward us. In Christ's own words
the greatest love a man can have is to "lay down his life
for his friends" (John 15:13). And Jesus' sacrifice for us
is even more powerfully poignant in that "while we were yet
sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8), "when we were [still]
enemies" (verse 10) and not yet friends, Jesus laid down His
life for us. Certainly the giving of His life on the cross
(stake) for all humanity
was the greatest example of the greatest love which can be
shown.
Christ's resurrection from
the dead was the focal point of universal history—an event
of ultimate importance without equal in the unfolding of
God's master plan. His burial for three days and three
nights and His subsequent resurrection was the very sign and
proof of His messiahship (Matthew 12:40). His resurrection
proved that man could also be resurrected; it showed the
viability of God's plan and was the means by which human
beings could eventually be resurrected to eternal life.
The death of Christ—the
Creator of everything—was designed "from the foundation of
the world" (Revelation 13:8) and was able to pay the penalty
for the sins of humanity because His life was worth far more
than the sum total of all the lives of all human beings who
have ever lived or ever will live. Upon repentance and
baptism, we have the opportunity to take advantage of
Christ's sacrifice to pay the penalty for our own personal
sins, and through God's grace to receive the gift of eternal
life—which Jesus Christ's life, death and resurrection made
possible.
Christ has now ascended and is exalted at the right hand of
God the Father at the throne of heaven. He is once again
actually God, all powerful and shining in the spirit realm
like the sun (Revelation 1:13-16), yet with the same mercy
and compassion He exemplified during His physical life.
Jesus is the firstfruits of salvation, the first mortal to
be made immortal, the first human being to become a member
of the God family. He is the Christian's elder brother and
the forerunner of our salvation, the consummate High Priest
and Advocate, Intercessor and Mediator before God's throne
of mercy.
Although Christ is under the
Father in authority, it is through Christ that we learn of
the Father. Christ is the "express image" of the Father
(Hebrews 1:3), and "he that hath seen [Christ]
hath seen the Father" (John. 14:9). Thus we learn of the
Father, of His plan, His ways, His character, His laws and
His love, through His first begotten and His "firstborn"
Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ, today, is the
living head of His Church, actively, intelligently and
personally guiding and directing it through the Holy Spirit
of God. He is simultaneously fully involved in the
relentless sweep of mankind's historical events as He
prepares to intervene in the end time of world history,
returning to earth in full power and authority to take over
the governments of this earth and to set up His divine
Kingdom of God as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Christ, who began the
creation, will also finish it. After the completion of His
1,000-year rule, Jesus Christ will turn everything over to
His Father, and God Himself will join His billions of
spirit-composed sons as the new heaven and new earth are
created (Revelation 21). God and His family will then rule
the universe forever, and of "the increase of His government
... there shall be no end" (Isaiah 9:7).
END OF STATEMENT |