Son of Man/Son of God

      Jesus has two identities: Son of Man and Son of God. As "Son of Man" he is like Adam, from whom he descended through Mary. His flesh was created as Adam's "seed" was planted generation after generation until Mary blossomed. "Son of Man" refers to Jesus's humanity; he experienced all that other men experience. That was necessary for Jesus's temptations by the Devil and his ability to overcome temptation. The Son of Man revealed that men need not sin, and that sin is a resistible choice. Before he was tempted though, God imbued Jesus with the Holy Spirit. The Son of Man was not on his own, but the Son of God was there delivering him from temptation.
     Adam was tempted; Jesus was also and in the same manner. Satan is limited in his bag of temptations. I have written before on the temptations of Christ. Briefly, Jesus was tempted three ways:

1.  Jesus hungered after forty days of fasting: Satan offered to turn the stones into bread.
2.  Challenged to stand on the pinnacle of the temple and cast himself down. That temptation was to trust his angels.
3. Satan offered Jesus all he could see from a mountaintop. Satan would be powerful enough to anoint Jesus as God as King of the Jews.

     Compare the temptations of Christ to the temptations of Adam:

1.  Connived to eat of the fruit of the forbidden tree after zero days of fasting.
2. To trust themselves rather than God.
3. Tempted the eyes of them with the qualities of the fruit.

    In both cases, Satan offered substance to mankind (No. 1). In both cases, to trust someone other than God (No. 2; angels and mankind, respectively.) In both cases, offered what was pleasant to the eyes (No. 3).

     The first temptation in both cases was the lust of the flesh. The second temptation in both cases was pride, and the third temptation, in both cases, was lust of the flesh. Satan offers the same things to everyone, as noted in scripture: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 John 2:16).

     Jesus came into the world to be tempted in the same way all Adam-kind is tempted. He, as the Son of Man, passed the tests of Satan that everyone else would fail, based on two observations: 

1.  Sin is submitting to temptation. Jesus was without sin, even one sin: "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb 4:15).
2. Everyone else, unlike Jesus have sinned. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23).

     Could Jesus have sinned? Yes, because he is the Son of Man. (The story of Job's temptation is of similar nature. Could Job have sinned? Yes. Because Job was Adam's "seed" as was Jesus, either could have sinned but did not.)  Because Jesus had the desires of the flesh, he could have sinned, but because he is the Son of God that kept Jesus from sinning. God gave Jesus the will power to overcome temptation!

     The Sons of God are holy, sanctified with the Holy Spirit of God. The sons of Seth were "sons of God" because they were holy and were set apart on the holy mountain. The Nazarites were born with the Holy Spirit, and were anointed pure and set apart from sin. Samson was the only Nazarite by name, but he failed. Likely, both John the Baptist and Jesus were Nazarites - both sons of God. 

     John was a son of God by anointing. Jesus, by birthright, was the Son of God. Elizabeth, John's mother, had the Holy Spirit make her womb alive again so that John could be anointed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was THE Son of God. Jesus was not born in iniquity, as John was. (All of mankind with the exception of Jesus are born in iniquity as David said in Psalm 51. That is original sin - the sin of Adam. Jesus was not!)

     Jesus was the Son of Man to empathize with our lusts. Jesus was the Son of God, and endowed with power, to overcome temptations. However, that was not the only reason. Jesus came to die for our inability to overcome temptation. He knew how hard Satan tests, empathized with his creatures, cried for us, then died instead of us. He was the true Son of God. John the Baptist knew that his power was a gift, and that Jesus's was the original image of God!

     Because Jesus overcame temptation is proof that Adam could have. Likewise, it is proof that overcoming temptation is a reasonable expectation, as we are to present our bodies to Christ for power to overcome temptation (Rom 12:1). Knowing how profound temptations are, Jesus lowered the bar for mere sons of men. He only looks to see if we are willing to overcome temptation by not entering into it. That is possible only of we become sons of God and depend on Him to deliver us from temptation (Mat 6:13). Jesus was both Son of Man and Son of God, and Christians are both sons of men and sons of God. We are not to be gods, but as God. How is that? Jesus overcame temptation and served his Father in Heaven who gave him the power to overcome temptation. We too are to trust God in all things.

     Christians don't have to sin. Each sin is a choice. Sons of God are willing to avoid temptation, but sons of men enter into it intentionally and sin.