WHO IS THIS SON OF MAN?

John 6:53 Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

In the course of discussing the Substitutionary atonement with Gene Frost and my answering this Campbellite naysayer’s objections, I made the off the cuff comment that never before had Jesus been separated from the God Head as He was on the cross. This was misconstrued to mean that the deity of Jesus was separated from the Father’s deity and the Holy Spirit’s deity, namely the trinity. Of course, my comment was meant in reference to the “humanity” of Jesus as the Son of man and was not any reference to His deity ever being separated from the Godhead. I answered Gene Frost’s question as to who was forsaken and abandoned on the cross and for how long. In other words, the Son of man was forsaken by the Father and then after that the Son of man was completely separated at death from the Father, the Holy Spirit, the Word, and the God/man for three days and three nights. In my explanations and my subsequent disclaimers to Frost, it became necessary to explain the union of the God/man (a union of the Word (deity) and the Son of man (flesh). Due to the length of the original Substitutionary Atonement debate, we have had to write this additional detailed supplement on the hypostatic union for the benefit of the reader who may have some questions or objections to what I wrote. In it, we explain the God/man, a union of the Word (deity) and the Son of man (flesh) and his role in the crucifixion, the entombment of His body, and the resurrection of His bodyas well as the differences between the Son of man (flesh) and the Word (deity) and the various roles, functions, limitations, powers, and attributes. However, since Gene Frost does not believe in the separation/abandonment of anyone on the cross, such a detailed explanation of the Son of man is neither necessary nor due him. This treatise is not perfect and lies in the midst of opinion and reading between the lines based on speculative understanding of the scriptures that are available. Our terms are defined below.

Basic Definition of Terms

  1. The Word – Preexistent Deity
  2. The Son of God – The conceived, begotten, composite union of the Word (deity) and humanity or visible Christ
  3. The Son of Man – The visible humanity of Christ
  4. God/Man – The union of deity (Word) and humanity(Son of man) as the composite Son of God*
  5. Son – Broadly used term for both the begotten Son (deity plus humanity) and/or the visible Son of man or God
  6. Lord – The word KURIOS is broadly used for the begotten Son (deity plus humanity) and the visible Son of Godand/or Son of man; It is often a counterpart word for Jehovah.
  7. Jesus – the broadly used earthly name of the visible begotten Son of God and/or the visible Son of man*
  8. Christ/Messiah – The broadly used prophetic name of the His flesh and/or the visible Son of Man or Son of God
  9. KURIOS/Jehovah – Referenced to the Father, The Word, Jesus, the Christ, the Lord Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, The Son of man, and the God/man, but is also used as sir and mister when addressing men of worth or nobility.

*References are made to Jesus’ and Christ’s humanity, deity, and their union without distinction.Jesus is a human name and His humanity had a beginning unlike His deity. Jesus was ONE person with TWO natures.

The Hypostatic Union

Luke 10:22 . . . no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father . . .

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which IS in heaven.

John 12:34 . . . We have heard out of the law that CHRISTabideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be liftedup? WHO IS THIS SON Of MAN?

1Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh. . .

Naturally, the hypostatic union is a complex and intricate miracle, and we do not have all the answers, but we hope to try to do it justice based upon what scriptures that we have available. The first thing that we learn here is that the union of the Word (deity) and the Son of man (flesh) in the womb of Mary resulted in the only begotten composite Son of God, the God/man,the Christ or Messiah. The composite only begotten Son of God was the divine nature of the Word joined with the seed of Abraham. The pre-existent Word took on substance and a new essence of flesh as the only begotten Son or God/man through Mary. Next we find that no man knoweth who the Son is but the Father unless it is revealed by God and/or by the scripture. Although the Jews understood that the prophesied Christ or Messiah demanded that He be eternal and abide forever, they could not grasp the Son of man aspect of the Christ in regard to the God/man’s flesh. The Jews did not seem to understand how Christ could be lifted up or killed, and they questioned, “who is this Son of Man?” We are persuaded that some folks have the same problem with that question today. God cannot be directly seen; nevertheless,the Son of man,who IS in the bosom of the Father (Omnipresence), can be seen, and by virtue of this God/man union, declares the Father. Both the Son of God and the Son of man are said to be in heaven, while on earth (omnipresence).

The Divine Genealogy of the Creator, Jehovahthe Word

Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord [G2962 - KURIOS] in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth;

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Act 17:24 God that madethe world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord[G2962 - KURIOS] of heaven and earth . . .

1Cor 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of who are all things, and we in him; and one Lord [G2962 - KURIOS]Jesus Christby whomare all things, and we by him.

Heb 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

The Word is deity and the creator of everything; He is also Jehovah/KURIOS, who does not have beginning of days or end of life but is like the Son of God (in His deity) after the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Only the humanity of the Messiah could be born and die or be killed, but not Jehovah deity.

The Human Genealogy of Jehovah Jesus

Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord [2962 - KURIOS] God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

John 1:14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 7:42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David . . .

Act 2:30 Therefore beinga prophet, and knowing thatGod had swornwith an oath to him, that of the fruitof his loins, according to the FLESH, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

Rom 1:3 . . . his Son Jesus CHRIST our Lord [2962 - KURIOS], which was made of the seed of Davidaccording to the FLESH …

Php 2:11 Andthatevery tongue should confess that Jesus Christ isLord,[2962 - KURIOS] to the glory of God the Father . . . that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

2 Tim 2:8 . . . Jesus CHRIST of the seed of David . . .

Heb 2:16 . . . took not on him the NATURE of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Heb 7:14 For it is evident that our[2962 - KURIOS]sprang out of Juda . . .

1 John4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the FLESH is not of God . . .

The humanity side of the God/Man has its roots in David and Abraham and Judah and has its legal claims in the genealogy of both Joseph and Mary. Yet no human sperm or ova was involved in the virgin birth, hence Jesus had pure, sinless blood.

Who is Jehovah?

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [G2962 – KURIOS] is upon me, becausehe hath anointed me to preach . . .

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus [G2962 – KURIOS], and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rom 14:9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, andrevived, that he might be Lord [G2962 – KURIOS] both of the dead and living.

1 Cor 12:3 . . . no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, [G2962 – KURIOS] but by the Holy Ghost.

Eph 4:5 ONE LORD[G2962 – KURIOS]one faith, one baptism

. . .Frequently, the Greek word for Lord is often KURIOS which is a counterpart of the Hebrew word for Jehovah and is a word that is often used for the Lord Jesus Christ. Still, KURIOS is also used for addressing notable human beings of worth as sir or as Mister. Using this nuance of the word, Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken the liberty to change the English word “Lord” to Jehovah in many places of their New World Translation where the underlying Greek word KURIOS is used except in some critical places (above) that would prove that the Jesus is Jehovah if changed as such. Actually, the GOD HEAD is Jehovah, in that the Father is Jehovah, the Word is Jehovah, the Holy Spirit is Jehovah, and even the Son of man, while alive, is Jehovah. Without deity, the Son of man cannot exist or subsist.

Jehovah and His Christ, Lord or Jehovah Jesus

Matt 22:43 - 45 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, [G2962 - KURIOS] saying, The Lord[G2962 - KURIOS] saying said unto my Lord,[G2962 - KURIOS] saying how ishe his son?

Luke 1:76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord[G2962 - KURIOS] saying to prepare hisways . . .

Luke 2:11 . . . unto you is born this day . . . a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.[G2962 - KURIOS] saying

Acts 4:26 . . . rulers were gathered together against the Lord,[G2962 - KURIOS] saying and againsthisChrist.

Acts 7:59 . . . Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord[G2962 - KURIOS] saying Jesus, receive my spirit.

Jude 1:14 . . . Behold, the Lord[G2962 - KURIOS] cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord,[G2962 - KURIOS] saying which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Rev 4:8 And the four beasts . . . saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord [G2962 - KURIOS] saying God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Rev 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded . . . The kingdoms of this world are becomethe kingdoms of our LORD, [G2962 - KURIOS] and of his Christ;

Rev 16:5 And I heard the angel of the waters say Thou art righteous, O lord,[G2962 - KURIOS] sayingwhich art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus.

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord[G2962 - KURIOS] of Lords, [G2962 - KURIOS] and King of kings:

Rev 19:16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.[G2962 - KURIOS] saying

Rev 22:20 . . . Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord [G2962 - KURIOS] saying Jesus.

KURIOS or Jehovah refers to the terms “Father,”“Lord,” “Christ,” “Jesus,” “Lord Jesus,” “Lord Jesus Christ,” Son of man, and the God/Man and His component parts. They refer to the Lord in the past, the present, and the future. (art, wast, shalt be), (was, is, and is to come).

God Manifest as Flesh and Man

John 4:29 Come, see aMAN, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

Act 2:30 Therefore beinga prophet, and knowing thatGod had swornwith an oath to him, that of the fruitof his loins, according to the FLESH, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

1 Cor 15:47 The first MANis of the earth, earthy: the secondMANis the Lord from heaven.

2 Cor 5:16 . . . know we noMAN after the flesh: yea, though we have known CHRIST after the FLESH . . .

Rom 5:15, 17, 19 . . . For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God . . . which is by one MAN, Jesus CHRIST, hath abounded unto many . . . For if by one MAN's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus CHRIST.) . . . For as by one MAN's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one[MAN] shall many be made righteous.

Rom 9:5 Whoseare the fathers, and of whom as concerning the FLESHCHRIST came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Php 2:7, 8 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as aMAN, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

1 Tim 2:5 For there isone God, and one mediator between God and men, the MAN CHRIST Jesus . . .

2 Pet 1:4 . . . great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divineNATURE . . .

Heb 10:12 But this MAN, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

1 John 5:6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus CHRIST . . .

Isa 1:9 Except the LORD [JEHOVAH] of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom . . . *

Rom 9:29 . . . Except the Lord[2962 - KURIOS]of Sabaoth[hosts] had left us a seed, we had beenas Sodoma . . .*

Jas 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers . . . the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord [2962 - KURIOS] of sabaoth[hosts].

By virtue of the deity joining flesh and dwelling among us, certain attributes and powers were afforded Jesus’ humanity as the Son of man in that Son of man could forgive sins and was the Lord[2962 - KURIOS] of the Sabbath Day (1 Cor. 12:3)! The Son of man even possessed omnipresence as did the begotten Son of God. To deny that Jesus was man or flesh is to deny that He came in the flesh and makes one an antichrist. The Son of man was a man, even he who died the death of the cross. The Son of man was a man, even he that rose from the dead. The second Adam is a man, the Son of man. When back tracking the incarnation, we see the eternal Word as becoming flesh and dwelling among us as the only begotten Son, namely, the complex union of theWord (deity) and the Son of man (flesh) as the composite ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD orGod/man, even God manifested in the flesh (the hypostatic union).That which was conceived in Mary’s womb was a result of the union and is referred toas the Christ or Messias whichshares certain common attributes, powers, goals, and purposes due to the inseparable union with the Word or deity. The flesh of this union had certain limitations of hunger, thirst, pain, and limited knowledge. Unlike Nestorius, we have no desire to dissect the hypostatic union during the God/man’s life and ministry, and we insist that there never was any contradiction in goal or purpose between the Son of man and the Word or deity or any disagreement within or between that God/Man union.The Son of man did not and cannot exist without deity being joined to it.

The Son of Man is always Visible or Discerned Having a Body and Flesh and Blood and Bone

Luke 6:5And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord [G2962 – KURIOS] also of the sabbath.

Luke 11:39And the Lord [G2962 – KURIOS] said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside. . .

John 13:14If I then, your Lord [G2962 – KURIOS] and Master, have washed your feet . . .

John20:28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My [Lord G2962 – KURIOS] and my God.

Acts 9:17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord [G2962 – KURIOS]even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me . . .