The Son of a man and the Son of a God are two phrases quoted in the holy scriptures of Christianity. You can find these phrases littered through the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible.
Generally, both these terms are used as a reference to Jesus Christ. They refer to two different sides of his personality.
The term “son of God” provides information about Jesus Christ being associated with God. It shows his association with God and his lineage as a Deity.
In contrast, the “son of man” refers to the human side of Jesus Christ. Being born of flesh and blood to a human mother makes him a human, or you can call it a “son of man.”
I’ll discuss these two terms in detail in this article. So stay with me.
What Is Meant By The Son Of A Man?
The term “son of man” refers to someone born from a human father and possesses typical human characteristics.
As an ordinary man living in the company of other men, Jesus was called the Son of Man and the Christ because The Holy Spirit conceived him. He appeared to be an ordinary man on the outside, but in essence, He was God incarnate. In the flesh, Christ embodies both ordinary humanity and a complete divinity.
In this regard, you can observe the example of the Lord Jesus, who appeared to be an ordinary, average person from the outside. Unlike other religious leaders, He lived as an average person, ate, clothed Himself, and lived his life as if it were normal.
His childhood was just like any other, and he had the same routines. From the outside, there was nothing that distinguished Him from other people.
His flesh, however, was the flesh of God’s Spirit; he was both God and Christ incarnate. Being the embodiment of truth, he possessed a divine essence. God’s disposition, almightiness, and wisdom were revealed in that fleshly form.
What Is Meant By The Son Of A God?
Jesus is the only person to be called the Son of God. In no way does that imply he was a child of God, in the same way that Christians are adopted into God’s family when they become Christians. Instead, it emphasizes his divinity, which means he is God.
Apart from this, the “sons of God” described in Genesis 6 refer to the rebellious angels who helped Lucifer overthrow God and fell from the angels’ ranks. Over 40 times in the Bible, Jesus Christ is called the Son of God.
The term does not imply that Jesus was the literal child of God the Father since each of us has a human father. According to the Christian Trinity doctrine, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal, meaning they have existed together forever, and each holds the same value.
In his capacity as the Son of God, Jesus Christ continues to offer eternal life to those who follow him today:
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them at the last day.”
(John 6:40, NIV)
Is There Any Difference Between The Son Of A Man And Son of A God?
The Son of a man and Son of a God are two names used for the same man. In the course of studying the Bible, you might have encountered these two phrases from time to time.
According to the Bible, these titles give you an insight into the identity of Jesus Christ:
- The “Son of Man” phrase appears 88 times in the New Testament but only four times outside the gospels. Comparatively, “Son of God” appears 43 times but always refers to Jesus.
- ‘Son of Man ‘ refers to the human being, particularly the physical attributes of being made of flesh and blood for Jesus Christ. In contrast, the Son of God tells you that Jesus is God. It shows his divinity.
- The Son of a man title is also used for prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament, telling about his humanity. However, the title of the Son of a God is only used for Jesus Christ.
Here’s the table of comparisons between the son of a man and the son of a God:
| Son Of Man | Son Of God |
| Refers to human beings. | Refers to God or his counterparts. |
| Mortal | Immortal |
| Shows his humanity. | Shows his divinity. |
Here’s a video as well showing the difference between these two phrases:
Why Is Son Of Man Not Son Of God?
The Son of a man shows the humanity of the being, while the Son of a God shows the divinity of the being instead its angel or prophet. Both of these are opposite. If one is the Son of a man, it means he has humanity and h’s born of blood and flesh. This makes him mortal.
While if someone is the Son of a God, it means he’s immortal. Both these qualities of divinity and immortality couldn’t be combined. You cannot find both these titles assigned to anyone other than Jesus Christ throughout history.
Is Adam Called Son Of A God?
Adam is mentioned as the Son of a God in Luke’s Gospel.
The concept of the Son of God is pretty vast. A human being referred to as a son of a God doesn’t need to be truly divine. If someone is self-righteous and follows the teachings of God, they’re indeed known as the Son of a God. You can also put it this way God created Adam himself, and God always creates man and women in his likeness.
This is evident from Genesis 5:1-3,
“This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, blessed them, and called them Mankind the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, begot a son in his likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”
Do Christians Believe Jesus Is God?
Christians recognize Jesus as God’s Son, not God himself. They only believe in one God as they call Him Father. The teachings of Jesus Christ told his followers to believe in one God and call him Father. To remain loyal to him and follow his path.
Why Is Jesus Called Begotten Son Of God?
The only person to have been born of a mortal mother, Mary, and an immortal father, God the Father, was Jesus. This is why Jesus is called the Only Begotten Son of God. His Father endowed him with divine powers.
Who Are Considered The Sons Of God?
According to Judaism, “Sons of God” are those who are righteous, i.e., children of Seth. Besides this, the angels are also known as the sons of God. You can find it in many early scriptures that pronounced angels as the sons of God.
What Is Jesus’ Real Name?
In Hebrew, Jesus is known as Yeshua, while in English, he is called Joshua.
Final Takeaway
- The Son of a man and the Son of a God is the chants written in the Holy scriptures of different religions, including Judaism and Christianity. Although both these terms are used for Jesus Christ, they differ.
- The Son of God means a person is divine and has immortal powers. Besides this, the righteous person and angels are also called sons of God.
- The Son of a man means a person is born mortal to humans. He’s made of flesh and blood. It also shows his humanity.
- Jesus is called both Son of man and God to show his humanity and his divinity.
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