top of page
Search

We Are Not Little Gods: A Biblical and Historical Examination

One of the most persistent and dangerous teachings circulating in parts of the modern Church is the idea that believers are “little gods” or divine beings by nature. This teaching often appeals to John 10:34, where Jesus says, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?” At first glance, it can sound biblical. It quotes Jesus. It quotes a Psalm. It uses spiritual language. But when we slow down, read carefully, and allow Scripture to interpret Scripture, the entire idea collapses. This is not a minor theological disagreement. What we believe about who God is and who we are shapes worship, prayer, humility, authority, and the Gospel itself. Let’s walk through this carefully biblically, historically, and responsibly.

What Jesus Meant by “You Are Gods” Context Is Everything

Jesus’ statement in John 10:34 is not a teaching moment on human divinity. It is a legal defense in the middle of a confrontation. The context matters here:

Just verses earlier, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one”  John 10:30. The Jewish leaders immediately pick up stones to kill Him for blasphemy John 10:31-33 Their accusation is clear: “You, being a man, make Yourself God.” Jesus responds by quoting Psalm 82:6. Psalm 82 is a courtroom psalm. God is rebuking unjust human judges, leaders entrusted with the authority to judge rightly on His behalf. They are called “gods” (Hebrew: Elohim) not because they are divine, but because they function as representatives of God’s authority. The same Psalm immediately says, “Nevertheless, you will die like men” Psalm 82:7, removing any idea of inherent divinity. Just as these judges represented God’s authority without being divine, Christians represent Christ’s message and character when we bear His name and proclaim His gospel, yet we remain fully human and never divine in nature.

Jesus’ argument is a classic lesser-to-greater rabbinic argument. If Scripture can use the term “gods” for corrupt human judges in a limited, representative sense, how can it be blasphemy for the One whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to say, “I am the Son of God”? John 10:36

Jesus is not elevating humans. He is defending His unique divine identity.

The Bible as a Whole Clearly Denies That Humans Are Divine by Nature

The “little gods” teaching collapses when placed against the full witness of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture maintains a sharp distinction between Creator and creature. God alone is eternal, uncreated, self-existent, and sovereign Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 45:5. Humanity is created, dependent, and accountable Genesis Chapters 1 &2; Psalm 100:3.

Believers are called:

But none of these phrases mean we share God’s essence. To “partake” does not mean to become God. It means to share in His life by grace, not by nature. Paul is clear: “There is one God” 

1 Corinthians 8:6. Not one God plus millions of lesser ones. When Scripture speaks most clearly, it leaves no room for ontological confusion.

How Jews Understood Psalm 82: Not Divine Humans, but Accountable Judges

Long before Jesus walked the earth, Jewish interpreters understood Psalm 82 as addressing human judges, not divine beings. Rabbinic commentators such as Rashi and Ibn Ezra consistently interpret “gods” in Psalm 82 as judges or leaders entrusted with authority to carry out God’s justice on earth. The Psalm is a rebuke, not an exaltation. God stands among them to judge them. And the verdict is severe: they will die like ordinary men. No strand of mainstream Jewish interpretation teaches that humans are divine beings by nature. Jesus was not introducing a new doctrine; He was engaging an interpretation His audience already understood.

The Early Church Never Taught Humans Are Divine by Nature

From the earliest centuries, Christian teachers made a sharp distinction between Christ’s divinity by nature and humanity’s transformation by grace.


John Chrysostom (4th century) explicitly states that humans may be called “gods” only by honor or grace, while Christ alone is God by nature.


Augustine repeatedly emphasizes that believers are made sons of God by adoption, not by essence.

This distinction becomes even clearer as Church history progresses.

Before the rise of modern Word-of-Faith theology, Protestant teachers consistently rejected the idea of humans being divine.

John Calvin wrote that Scripture sometimes applies divine titles to humans only in a representative or metaphorical sense, never in essence. God alone remains God.


Martin Luther affirmed that believers are united to Christ, not absorbed into deity. Any elevation of humanity that blurs the Creator-creature line, Luther warned, leads to pride and false worship.


Charles Spurgeon strongly opposed teachings that inflated human authority or identity beyond Scripture, calling them subtle forms of self-exaltation dressed in religious language.

None of these men across centuries taught that Christians are “little gods.”

Not one!!!

When and Why the “Little Gods” Teaching Entered the Church

The idea that Christians are “little gods” does not come from the early Church, the Reformers, or historic Christian orthodoxy. It emerges much later, primarily in the 20th century, within strands of Word of Faith and prosperity theology. This shift was influenced by metaphysical thought and positive-confession movements that emphasized the power of words, mental states, and personal authority over submission and dependence on God. Scripture was not carefully studied in context but selectively used to support pre-existing ideas about power, success, and control.


At the theological level, this teaching is fueled by an over-realized view of Christian identity and authority. Promises that Scripture places in the future glorification, reigning with Christ, full conformity to His image are pulled into the present in an unbiblical way. As a result, authority replaces humility, declaration replaces dependence, and identity language becomes detached from the Cross. The Gospel subtly shifts from reconciliation with God through Christ to personal empowerment through spiritual technique.


This is why “little gods” theology rarely stands alone. It is typically found alongside other errors common in Word of Faith and New Apostolic Reformation teaching, including exaggerated claims of authority, new revelation, guaranteed prosperity, and a diminished theology of suffering. These teachings tend to reinforce one another and are often repeated within closed systems, where teachers echo one another rather than test their doctrine against the whole counsel of Scripture and the witness of church history.


The idea that we are divine appeals to the flesh. It promises control, promises power, and promises escape from weakness. It sounds spiritual while quietly removing the need for submission, repentance, and dependence on God. However, Scripture never inflates humanity to comfort; instead, it humbles us to save us.


Why Proper Bible Study Protects Us from False Teaching

False doctrine often begins when a single verse is lifted out of its setting and treated as a standalone truth rather than part of the whole counsel of God. Scripture never contradicts itself, but our interpretations can when context is ignored. Faithful Bible study asks essential questions: who is speaking, to whom, and why? What is happening in the moment? What genre is being used: poetry, narrative, argument, or instruction? These questions are not academic hurdles; they are safeguards. Without them, symbolic language can be reduced to literal doctrine, descriptive passages made prescriptive, and corrective statements mistaken for affirmations.


This is precisely what happens with Psalm 82 and John 10. Psalm 82 is poetic and judicial, not ontological it addresses unjust human judges and ends by reminding them they will “die like men.” John 10 is not a teaching discourse on human nature but a courtroom defense in which Jesus answers an accusation of blasphemy. When these passages are read in isolation, confusion arises. When they are read alongside the rest of Scripture where God alone is eternal, uncreated, and sovereign the meaning becomes clear. The Bible interprets the Bible. Clear doctrinal passages govern difficult or symbolic ones, and no single verse is allowed to overturn what Scripture consistently teaches from beginning to end.


Conclusion: God Is God, That Is Good News!

We are not little gods. We are redeemed sinners and adopted children, new creations by grace.

Jesus alone is God by nature, and because He is, we can be saved without becoming Him.

The Gospel does not exalt humanity; it magnifies Christ. That distinction guarded by Scripture, upheld by history, and preserved through careful study gives us confidence against false teachers and their teachings and helps us walk in truth with our Creator.


Comments

bottom of page