The Lord Jesus is referred to as both Son of Man and Son of God in the Bible.  Let us look at just a few instances.

  • In Matthew 18:11 the Lord Jesus says of Himself, “For the SON OF MAN is come to save that which was lost.”
  • In Matthew 26:2 the Lord says of Himself, “Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the SON OF MAN is betrayed to be crucified.”
  • In John 20:31 we read, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the SON OF GOD; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
  • In John 3:18 we read, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten SON OF GOD.”

The humanity of the Lord Jesus is vital.  The deity of the Lord Jesus is vital, also.  Jesus was conceived by the Spirit of God, but he was birthed by Mary and born as a man.  Matthew 1:18 tells us, “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.”   

Eighty-five times in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus is referred to as the Son of Man.  Almost all of those times, it is the Lord Himself using that term to identify Himself.  Daniel, the prophet, spoke of the Son of Man in Daniel 7:13-14, “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the SON OF MAN came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”  It is evident in this passage that the Son of Man is no mere human being, but is also a heavenly person, thus showing He is also the Son of God.

Let us notice when the Lord healed on the Sabbath day and was rebuked by His enemies, He said, “For the SON OF MAN IS LORD even of the sabbath day.” (Matthew 12:1-8). Once, when the Lord Jesus forgave a man for sins, it created an uproar from the scribes and they said, “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?” Jesus responded, “But that ye may know that the SON OF MAN HATH POWER on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” (Mark 2:1-12). Again, and again, and again, we see that this title, “Son of Man” that Jesus uses for Himself, speaks of His humanity, but also shows His power and authority.

The Lord Jesus is truly Son of God, just as much as He is Son of Man.  Let’s listen to the witness of several who spoke of Him as the Son of God.

  • AN ANGEL – Luke 1:35, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the SON OF GOD.”
  • THE LORD’S DISCIPLES – Matthew 14:33, “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the SON OF GOD.”
  • THE CENTURION AND OTHERS WITH HIM – Matthew 27:54, “Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the SON OF GOD.”
  • DEMONS – Matthew 8:28-29, “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou SON OF GOD? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?”
  • THE LORD JESUS, HIMSELF – John 3:18, “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten SON OF GOD.”

Many others identified the Lord Jesus as the Son of God.  We see from the Word of God, that the Lord Jesus is equally the Son of Man and the Son of God.  The difference between the SON OF MAN and the SON OF GOD is that Son of Man refers more to the humanity of Jesus Christ and Son of God refers more to the deity of Christ.  Christ is not half man and half God.  He is fully man and fully God!  (CC)  (590.4)