Son of God and Son of Man

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:25-29).

Jesus told the Jews that His Father entrusted the work of judgment to Him… “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). The Spirit inspired John to reveal here that both life and judgment were offered to sinners through Christ. The Son was the incarnation of the Word of the Father. Through His words and deeds Jesus confronts sinners with God’s truth and compels them to believe in Christ and receive eternal life in exchange for judgment… “Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24). Sinners may reject Christ, in which case the wrath and judgment of God remains on them… “Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). The Spirit of Truth reveals here that for both living and dead, Christ alone is the difference between life and judgment because Christ alone is both Son of God and Son of Man.

Everyone contemplates the question of life after death. It is one of the big questions that shape our worldview and impact how we live everyday life here and now. If we believe in life after death then we can hope for more than what we’ve received in this temporal world. But there is a deeper, more important question raised by this belief in an afterlife. What is it like? Is it better or worse than this life? How is it related to this life? Do we face or forget the blessings and consequences of this life’s words and actions in the afterlife? Are the injustices of this life corrected in the next life? Every person who has ever lived in every culture that ever existed has wrestled with the question about life beyond death.

The Word of God came to dwell with us to confront us with God’s truth about life and death. After healing the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda Jesus confronted the accusations of the Jews with truth that confirmed His divinity. Then he moved the crowd toward a consideration of the eternal consequences of their decision to accept or reject His claim to be the Messiah. Jesus reminded them God’s word taught the Messiah would be the Son of God… “For to which of the angels did God ever say, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’”? (Hebrews 1:5), and the Son of Man… “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him” (Daniel 7:13).

As the Son of God, Jesus could offer life to mankind because He is of the same essence as God… For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. God is life and He lives forever… “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). God desires to give the same life He has to His children… “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God gives life through the Son… “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12).

As the Son of Man, Jesus could execute judgment. In the flesh He became like us and lived above sin… “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). In the flesh Jesus paid for sin at Calvary… “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).

As we grow up into Christ we anticipate eternal life, not judgment, because we know He is both…

Son of God and Son of Man.