Are Christians “little gods”?
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Question: "Are Christians ‘little gods’?"
Answer: What has been popularly termed the “little god controversy” originated with Word of Faith pastors and teachers. The basic idea behind the controversy is that humans are actually divine, created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27) not only in having a soul, having dominion over the earth, or living in relationship with others, but by being of the same “spiritual class” as God Himself. Evangelicals decry this concept as misguided at best, or heretical and cultic at worst.
The main tenant of Word of Faith is that, when we ask something of God in faith, He is compelled to fill the request. As “little gods,” our words have much power. This error is taught by some television evangelists, and its roots in Pentecostalism have made it more common in Charismatic churches. The Word of Faith movement has a number of popular monikers including “name-it-claim-it,” “prosperity theology” and “health and wealth gospel.”
The basis for the “little gods” claim is found in two Scripture passages. Psalm 82:6 reads, “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High.’” Jesus quotes this psalm in John 10:34, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I have said you are gods’?” However, both of these passages include explanations in the immediate context which clearly do not indicate human divinity…
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Dr. Mike Heiser’s work on the Israelite divine council could be worth a look. http://www.thedivinecouncil.com/ He makes a very strong case the that the ‘elohim’ in Ps 82 are not humans, but divine, spiritual beings. Regardless, there’s no indication of human divinity with either a divine council, or human ruler interpretation of Ps. 82. Human rulers being sentenced to ‘die like men’ doesn’t seem very sensible to me.