bs57 Ye are gods is an explanation of Jesus’ words. The Bible uses the term “god” for somebody who is in power over the wellfare of others.
By David Cox [bs57] v1 ©2023
www.folletosytratados.com
This brochure may be freely photocopied and printed
John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Are ye gods?
This verse is very seldom understood. On the one hand, there are no other gods besides God. Likewise, we are not to worship other gods. So, the question arises, are there any other gods besides Jehovah, or not? On the one hand, this, and on the other hand, there is clearly the statement that someone (who is a human being) “is a god.” This is said in the Old Testament (Psalm 82), and Jesus quoted this Psalm in John 10:34. But the bottom line is very important for every believer to understand. And the short answer is that it is not possible for a human being to be a god, nor are you going to fly through the air or perform miracles of creating gold, or be rich, or be powerful in a way that will help your ego and glorify your own life. The issue is to understand who the psalmist was referring to. He was referring to human rulers who “ act like God ,” but without the morality, without the moral principles of God. Rulers like that are going to do what suits THEM, not what helps the people they are charged with caring for.
Note: I make the observation that in English we use a lowercase “d” for God who is not divine, and a capital “D” for God Jehovah. In Hebrew and Greek, they did not use capital letters at the time when the Scriptures were given. The English translators used lowercase and capital letters at their discretion.
. Contents
There are no other gods
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God besides me. I will gird you, though you have not known me , 6 that it may be known from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is none besides me , 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil. I, the LORD, do all these things. 8 Rain down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds drop down justice; let the earth open, and let salvation and righteousness spring forth together; let them spring forth together. I, the LORD, have created it. 14… there is no other but God … 18 For thus says the LORD who created the heavens, he is God, who formed the earth, who made it and established it; he did not create it in vain, he created it to be inhabited: I am the LORD, and there is no other. 21… but I, the LORD? And there is no God but Me, a righteous God and a Savior ; there is none other besides Me. 22 Look to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.
So we need to examine this matter very carefully. First, only the God of the Bible exists. God is one, but there are three persons in this one God, and each person of the Trinity is still fully one God. But while Jehovah is the only God, we understand that there are “other gods” who are not really God, but who take the place and function of a God. The Bible speaks of these entities as being “false gods” We must understand them as entities who are NOT GOD, but who pretend to be “God” to some who want them to be their god.
Psalm 95:3 For the LORD is a great God, And a great King above all gods.
So the idea is that the LORD is greater than any being who sets himself up as “ a god ” who purports to cause the disposition of a person or people , and thus this “god” would be worshiped. For example, the word “god” is used of judges in Exodus 21:6; 22:8-9, 28.
What Does the Word “God” Mean?
The word “God” in the Bible is used as a being that controls people’s lives. So, in whatever form we find the word “God,” it speaks of this ability to decide the lives of others. Wealth can be someone’s “god.” Mark 4:19 But the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Jesus explained in this parable that many people have riches as their “god,” and therefore, they do not go to heaven. Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and riches. So, to clarify, Jesus taught that many people set wealth as the goal of their lives, meaning everything they do is checked to see if it “serves” the goal of being rich. Many work on Sunday because, in their mind with their logic that financial gain is supreme (“their god”), there is no financial gain if they take the day to worship Jehovah, Jesus their Savior. On the contrary, if they go to a church, they will not gain anything “for their god,” the money, and it will cost them if they give anything in the offering.
Satan wants to be worshiped
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceedingly high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them. 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.‘”
We need to get something straight here. Satan wants to be worshipped. This is very clear. But the first temptation is to change the stones into bread, because Jesus had not eaten for more than a month. That is, he wanted to tempt Jesus by seeing his own needs. Many in our day would accept this as normal for them. They would perform this miracle if they could. Satan wants the world to worship him, but in truth, his desire is that it does not worship God alone. If you worship Satan, he is happy with this, but if not, then you worship yourself as Satan has done. He stopped worshipping his Creator , and you worship yourself, your needs and desires , and it is the same for him all the same.
Psalm 82 The Lord will judge the gods
Psalms 82:1 God presides in the divine assembly; He judges in the midst of the gods. 2 How long will you judge unjustly, And accept the names of the wicked ? 3 Defend the weak and the fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the afflicted and the needy; Rescue them from the hand of the wicked. 5 They do not know, they do not understand, They walk in darkness; All the foundations of the earth tremble. 6 I said, You are gods, And all of you are sons of the Most High ; 7 Yet you will die like men , And you will fall like one of the princes. 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; For you will inherit all the nations.
If we understand that there are other gods apart from Jehovah, we can understand this chapter. But to understand the passage, we have to break the link in our minds that these “gods” are talking about a spiritual being, other false gods like Baal. If we understand that “a god” is a being that decides the fortune and status of others, then the passage speaks of Jehovah being in the meetings of the rulers of the people to judge what they do. To understand this, we skip to verse one which names “the gathering of the gods” and see what these characters do, which is, they are human rulers. The entire chapter is to scold these human beings who claim to dictate the lives of others (Jehovah has established them in positions of human government among humans), and the focus is on ruling by doing harm rather than good. God scolds them for having power and not using it for God’s purposes. All of these facts and this lack of moral character, God The Creator, the Supreme Being, will judge, and the ruler who sins is under the wrath of God.
Jesus proved his own deity by saying that he is the Son of God. The Jews wanted to kill him immediately because he used the title “God” for himself. Jesus replied to them, if even in the Old Testament he said that rulers are of a “god” style, why do they object to his use of “god” for the same thing? This is for human beings, but Jesus was the Supreme Being God, and they did not want to understand this either. This statement by Jesus makes it valid that Jesus is a ruler among humans, and because he is someone who decides the fortunes and lives of others (this is technically what the word “god” means), this does not affect his deity by being lumped in with other civil rulers.
For those who want to “be gods”
Genesis 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.“
The concept of “God” is someone who decides the state of others, it can be understood that one is “the captain” of a group of people. Instead of being a dictator to others, it is to be responsible for the well-being of others. But when Satan tempted Eve with “you will be like God,” the temptation was wrapped up in misunderstanding what God is, that is, what it is like to be “God.” Satan offered her control through science, knowledge. Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children. God commands us to be “imitators of God” or “be like God.” We must force this to be understood as being morally like God in His moral character.
The problem is that the serpent crossed a line and was condemned. He used God’s wisdom as a thing to lust after , and he used disobedience to God’s commandments as a means of attaining this lust. What Satan either doesn’t quite understand, or what it does understand well but wants to overcome, is that within God, within how God is and how God operates, there is boundless power , but there is also morality. God’s power and will do not exist where something is against God’s morality, God’s moral character. That is to say, the link between God’s moral character and this boundless power is so deeply embedded in one another that no one can think of or gain God’s power without all of their actions, thoughts, and way of operating being equally saturated with this correct morality of God. Satan opposed this truth, and worked against this link between morality and being like God.
We must understand that God’s power is fully available to us. But the condition of receiving and using this power is God’s character, which in itself forms God’s will. Because God’s character is the way it is, God’s will is thus defined in perfect harmony with God’s character. God’s character and God’s will are united in the power of God.
For example, if you pray, “I want a million dollars.” Nothing happens, because this desire does not have the will of God behind it. But what element of God’s character can exist in this prayer? Nothing. It does not come into being because it is not in harmony with God’s character, and therefore, it is not God’s will. If I am hungry, and I pray for something to eat, God’s character is to sustain His creatures, and I can probably get something to eat.
Likewise, as Paul said… 2 Thessalonians 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: If anyone would not work, neither should he eat. That is, the condition of God’s character and will enter into any request, and God does not give food to a person who can and should work, but who is lazy in working for his own support. We really don’t even have to proclaim this because it’s so obvious, but a created being is limited, and can never become God. He can be “like God” morally, and that is commanded of us in Ephesians 5:1 quoted above, but a being who had a point of creation cannot become eternal God, who never had a beginning or point of creation.
The differences in the definitions of creature and Deity exclude one from the other. Jesus has always existed as God, but “took on a body.” This point was not when He came into existence, but when He entered into creation to effect our salvation. That is, if we understand this correctly, God has made human beings (rulers within each country) who act in a god-like manner, who cause the good or bad fortune of their people.
We are Intercessors
1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort, then, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. Philippians 1:19 For I know that through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will work out for my deliverance.
So, every child of God, being part of the divine royalty, is a creature. Every Christian has the responsibility to pray before the throne of God for others , to help them so that the blessings of God come to them. When you pray for them, you are acting in a way, in the same character of a “god” (“small g”) of Psalm 82. Also, for this, God Jehovah is going to reward us. But how much do you pray for the welfare, salvation above all, and good of others? What do you do within your possibilities to make another person’s life a blessing?
bs57 Ye are gods