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Are You A Little god?

Based upon the statements of Jesus in John 10:34,35 there are some who have stated that Christians are “little gods.”

        John 10:34-38:
        34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
        35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
        36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
        37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
        38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

When Jesus made these statements in John He was referring to Psalm 82, verse 6. Here is the entire Psalm:

        Psalm 82:1-8:
        1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
        2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
        3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
        4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
        5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
        6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
        7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
        8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.

Here, the psalmist is referring to the fact that God called the appointed judges of Israel elohyim, about which Strong’s Concordance says: “... gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative.”
Here are some of the verses where God called the judges elohyim:

        Exodus 21:6:
        6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges (elohyim); he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
        Exodus 22:8-9:
        8 If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges (elohyim), to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbour’s goods.
        9 For all manner of trespass, whether it be for ox, for ass, for sheep, for raiment, or for any manner of lost thing, which another challengeth to be his, the cause of both parties shall come before the judges (elohyim); and whom the judges (elohyim) shall condemn, he shall pay double unto his neighbour.
        Exodus 22:28:
        28 Thou shalt not revile the gods (elohyim), nor curse the ruler of thy people.
        The Amplified Bible makes the meaning clearer: “You shall not revile God [the judges His agents], or esteem lightly or curse a ruler of your people.”

The term elohyim is also used by God in reference to Moses in his relationship to Aaron his brother:

        Exodus 4:14-16:
        14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
        15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
        16 And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God (elohyim).
        The Amplified Bible states verse 16 clearer: “He shall speak for you to the people, acting as a mouthpiece for you, and you shall be as God to him.”

God also applied the term elohyim to false gods:

        Exodus 12:12:
        12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods (elohyim) of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
        Exodus 20:2-3:
        2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
        3 Thou shalt have no other gods (elohyim) before me.
        Leviticus 19:4:
        4 Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods (elohyim): I am the Lord your God.
        Deuteronomy 28:14:
        14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods (elohyim) to serve them.

We find an interesting usage of elohyim in Psalm 8:

        Psalm 8:1-9:
        1 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
        2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
        3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
        4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
        5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels (elohyim), and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
        6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
        7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
        8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
        9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

        Notice in verse 5 the Psalmist says that God made man a little lower than God.
        We see that elohyim not only applies to diety, i.e., God Himself, but that God also uses the term in reference to humanly appointed judges who are to serve as His agents here on earth. Elohyim is also used of Moses, in his relationship to his brother Aaron, as they carry out God’s commission. God also uses the term to describe “other gods” of which it should be obvious that He is referring to idols, not dieties.
        It should be clear to anyone of average understanding that this usage of the term “gods” does not always describe diety. If there is any doubt about that, it is clearly stated in scripture that God did not make man a God, He made man “a little lower” than God.
        The word elohyim occurs well over 2,000 times in the Bible, so it should be understood that the verses above are only a tiny sampling of the usage of the word throughout the Old Testament.
        So what did Jesus mean by His statements in John 10:34,35?
        The Net Bible 1996-2001 Biblical Studies Press makes these comments about verses 34 and 35:
        ““I said, Ye are gods?”—A quotation from Ps 82:6. Technically the Psalms are not part of the OT “law” (which usually referred to the five books of Moses), but occasionally the term “law” was applied to the entire OT, as here. The problem in this verse concerns the meaning of Jesus’ quotation from Ps 82:6. It is important to look at the OT context: the whole line reads, “I say, you are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.” Jesus will pick up on the term “sons of the Most High” in 10:36, where he refers to himself as the Son of God. The psalm was understood in rabbinic circles as an attack on unjust judges who, though they have been given the title “gods” because of their quasi-divine function of exercising judgment, are just as mortal as other men. What is the argument here? It is often thought to be as follows: if it was an OT practice to refer to men like the judges as gods, and not blasphemy, why did the Jewish authorities object when this term was applied to Jesus? This really doesn’t seem to fit the context, however, since if that were the case Jesus would not be making any claim for “divinity” for himself over and above any other human being—and therefore he would not be subject to the charge of blasphemy. Rather, this is evidently a case of arguing from the lesser to the greater, a common form of rabbinic argument. The reason the OT judges could be called gods is because they were vehicles of the word of God (cf. 10:35). But granting that premise, Jesus deserves much more than they to be called God. He is the Word incarnate, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world to save the world . In light of the prologue to the Gospel of John, it seems this interpretation would have been most natural for the author. If it is permissible to call men “gods” because they were the vehicles of the word of God, how much more permissible is it to use the word “God” of him who is the Word of God?
        “The parenthetical note And the scripture cannot be broken belongs to Jesus’ words rather than the author’s. Not only does Jesus appeal to the OT to defend himself against the charge of blasphemy, but he also adds that the scripture cannot be “broken.” In this context he does not explain precisely what is meant by “broken,” but it is not too hard to determine. Jesus’ argument depended on the exact word used in the context of Ps 82:6. If any other word for “judge” had been used in the psalm, his argument would have been meaningless. Since the scriptures do use this word in Ps 82:6, the argument is binding, because they cannot be “broken” in the sense of being shown to be in error.”
        Jamieson, Fausett and Brown Commentary states:
        “34-36. Is it not written in your law—in Ps 82:6, respecting judges or magistrates.
        “Ye are gods—being the official representatives and commissioned agents of God.
        “35, 36. If he called them gods unto whom the word of God came Say ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest—The whole force of this reasoning, which has been but in part seized by the commentators, lies in what is said of the two parties compared. The comparison of Himself with mere men, divinely commissioned, is intended to show (as NEANDER well expresses it) that the idea of a communication of the Divine Majesty to human nature was by no means foreign to the revelations of the Old Testament; but there is also a contrast between Himself and all merely human representatives of God—the one “sanctified by the Father and sent into the world”; the other, “to whom the word of God (merely) came,” which is expressly designed to prevent His being massed up with them as only one of many human officials of God. It is never said of Christ that “the word of the Lord came to Him”; whereas this is the well-known formula by which the divine commission, even to the highest of mere men, is expressed, as John the Baptist (Lu 3:2). The reason is that given by the Baptist himself (see on Joh 3:31). The contrast is between those “to whom the word of God came”—men of the earth, earthy, who were merely privileged to get a divine message to utter (if prophets), or a divine office to discharge (if judges)—and “Him whom (not being of the earth at all) the Father sanctified (or set apart), and sent into the world,” an expression never used of any merely human messenger of God, and used only of Himself.
        “because, I said, I am the Son of God—It is worthy of special notice that our Lord had not said, in so many words, that He was the Son of God, on this occasion. But He had said what beyond doubt amounted to it—namely, that He gave His sheep eternal life, and none could pluck them out of His hand; that He had got them from His Father, in whose hands, though given to Him, they still remained, and out of whose hand none could pluck them; and that they were the indefeasible property of both, inasmuch as “He and His Father were one.” Our Lord considers all this as just saying of Himself, “I am the Son of God”—one nature with Him, yet mysteriously of Him. The parenthesis (Joh 10:35), “and the Scripture cannot be broken,” referring to the terms used of magistrates in the eighty-second Psalm, has an important bearing on the authority of the living oracles. “The Scripture, as the expressed will of the unchangeable God, is itself unchangeable and indissoluble” [OLSHAUSEN]. (Compare Mt 5:17).”
        Vine’s Expository Dictionary discusses the word theos, translated in the New Testament as “G(g)od:”
        “(I) in the polytheism of the Greeks, denoted “a god or deity,” e. g., (Acts 14:11; 19:26; 28:6; 1 Cor. 8:5; Gal. 4:8) ...
        “(III) The word is used of divinely appointed judges in Israel, as representing God in His authority, (John 10:34), quoted from (Ps. 82:6), which indicates that God Himself sits in judgment on those whom He has appointed. The application of the term to the Devil, (2 Cor. 4:4), and the belly, (Phil. 3:19), virtually places these instances under (I).”
        Those who make the claim that they are “little gods” claim that they are “partakers of the divine nature” quoting 2 Peter 1:4:

2 Peter 1:4:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

To make such a claim based on this scripture shows the extreme shallowness of understanding of what this scripture (and obviously, all other scripture) says and what it means.
“Whereby” indicates that something has been previously stated and is now being referred to. We’ll find that in verse 3:

2 Peter 1:3:
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

        OK, there it is: the “whereby” refers back to the “all things” that God, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”
        Note now that the verse does not say that we are partakers of the divine nature. It says “that by these ye might be” partakers of the divine nature ...” (Emphasis mine).
        We are recipients of “all things” through the divine power and knowledge of God. We did not generate, or originate anything by our own abilities. We are recipients only. Our only function is to be a receiver of what God, in His divine power and knowledge gives us because of His love, grace, mercy, wisdom, judgement and justice. We are simply passive recipents.
        Reading the passage, instead of taking an isolated verse out of the context of the rational thought that Peter is teaching us, we find in verse 10 the theme of what Peter is saying here:

2 Peter 1:10:
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

Peter is teaching us how to make “your calling and election sure ...” How? By doing these things, and if you do those things, you shall never fall. It should obviously be understood that if you don’t do those things that you will fall.
If you never fall, then, in 2 Peter 1:11 we read:

2 Peter 1:11:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

You will have to read the passage in 2 Peter verses 3 through 10 to see the scriptural requirements that Peter states there in order for you to enter “into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” where you will then partake of the divine nature.
We find the same thought of a future glory, subject to how we respond to the word of God in 1 John 3:2:

1 John 3:2:
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Another statement by the “little gods” proponents is that “as he is, so are we in this world” a quote from 1 John 4:17:

1 John 4:17:
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

        Again, lack of understanding of what John is saying is apalling. It’s really almost embarrassing that those who pick and choose from collapsed verses (a technical name for verses plucked out of context and then strung together in an attempt to make an invalid point) have the gall to attempt to make their case that way.
        Simply reading the text of 1 John, chapter 4 starting at verse 7 reveals that it’s obvious John is speaking of brotherly love.
        An extract from Jamieson, Fausett and Brown Commentary reads:
        “because, &c.—The ground of our “confidence” is, “because even as He (Christ) is, we also are in this world” (and He will not, in that day, condemn those who are like Himself), that is, we are righteous as He is righteous, especially in respect to that which is the sum of righteousness, love (1Jo 3:14). Christ IS righteous, and love itself, in heaven: so are we, His members, who are still “in this world.” Our oneness with Him even now in His exalted position above (Eph 2:6), so that all that belongs to Him of righteousness, &c., belongs to us also by perfect imputation and progressive impartation, is the ground of our love being perfected so that we can have confidence in the day of judgment. We are in, not of, this world.”
        The Ryrie Study Bible has this note on 1 John 4:17: “confidence in the day of judgment. The believer who has practiced love during his earthly life will be able to approach the judgment seat of Christ without any shame. Such assurance is not presumption, because as He is, so also are we in this world; i.e., we are like Him in love.”
        Old Testament warnings about worshipping other “gods,” which in reality are simply idols, make it clear it will result in us being cursed.
        What does the New Testament say?

        Acts 12:21-23:
        21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
        22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
        23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

In view of this action by God when a person allows themselves to be called a god, it’s certainly something to avoid, isn’t it? And to call yourself a little “god?”

        Acts 14:11-15:
        11 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
        12 And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
        13 Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.
        14 Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,
        15 And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:

Paul and Barnabas, genuine apostles of the New Testament, had a rather violent reaction when they were mistakenly called “gods” by the people. Looks like they remembered the Herod incident, doesn’t it?

        Acts 19:24-28:
        24 For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, brought no small gain unto the craftsmen;
        25 Whom he called together with the workmen of like occupation, and said, Sirs, ye know that by this craft we have our wealth.
        26 Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:
        27 So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.
        28 And when they heard these sayings, they were full of wrath, and cried out, saying, Great is Diana of the Ephesians.

These unbelievers were wealthy from their making of idols for the people and became very angry when confronted with the preaching of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ by Paul. Those who call themselves “little gods” will also be very angry when they see their wealth subside with the light of the gospel of Jesus as taught in the Bible.

        Acts 28:3-6:
        3 And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
        4 And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
        5 And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
        6 Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

In verse 4 “barbarians,” refers to any foreigner ignorant of the Greek language and culture and is not used in a derogatory manner in this passage. I think it would also be safe to say that those who name the name of Christ who attribute miraculous happenings to “little gods” are foreigners to the language and culture of the Bible and everything that it teaches.
What is the Christians understanding of the one true and living God, and “gods many?”

        1 Corinthians 8:5-6:
        5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
        6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

There is one, and only one, true and living God.

        2 Corinthians 4:3-6:
        3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
        4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
        5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
        6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

        This passage refers to satan as the “god of this world”—chief idol of the world of many such idols. Does a Christian really want to be identified with satan as a “little god?” Verse 5 instructs us that the Christian doesn’t preach themselves as gods, “but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Jesus Christ, and He alone, is Lord and God.
        Fertile imaginations, resourceful thinking and pure fantasy abound in the religious circles today. Books, articles, tapes, videos, web pages and email lists abound with fancy ideas as to how and why God should do things the way their human author boldly asserts. Why? For what purpose? Why, to rewrite the Bible in order to make us humans “gods” in our own right.
        None of which are biblical.
        A dog has feet, a body, a neck, shoulders, a head, ears, a mouth, teeth and eyes. Just as human beings do. Therefore, according to their invalid syllogistic logic, dogs are humans! (Syllogistic reasoning is an argument or reasoning in which two statements or premises are made and a logical conclusion drawn from them. When incorrectly applied it results in a false conclusion. Example: All birds fly; ostriches are birds; therefore ostriches fly.) An invalid syllogism is a fallacy.
        Did they forget the fact that dogs are in the animal class, not the human class, therefore their function is different from that of humans?
        But—they say—just as dogs beget little dogs so does God beget little gods. No, He doesn’t! He has only One Begotten Son, and His name is Jesus!
        People are in the human class, only God is in the God class. Our function is also different from that of God’s function. Haven’t they noticed? Apparently not.
        God is pure, holy, wise and just. He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. Translation: God is all knowing, He is present every place any human can possibly think of in our limited, finite knowledge, and places we humans don’t even know where there are places. God is all powerful. And by the way, He doesn’t get colds and flu, and back aches and tooth cavities like humans do. Or wear eye glasses or die of cancer. Haven’t you noticed?
        God is also eternal (John 17:5; Hebrews 1:11-12), the Creator of all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2), and He holds all things in the universe together (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). Any one of you “little gods” fit that description?
        God alone offers forgiveness of sin (Luke 5:20-24), and we will face Him in judgment (John 5:24-28).
        Well, that’s strike three and all you “little gods” are out.
        Is there anybody out there stupid enough to claim they have a revelation on that that has greater authority than the Bible, which states that Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh?”
        Well, I guess I shouldn’t ask, because some idiot is liable to say that they do!
        Yeah, OK, I hear you way in the back there—right—you have eternal life, like God has. Well, no you don’t, ace, because you had a beginning and our eternal God has no beginning. He has always existed. He is the Creator, and you are a created being. Anybody else? No, well that’s nice.
        Just because we have a few of God’s attributes doesn’t make us gods, folks. Yes, we are created in His likeness and His image but ...

        Matthew 15:19:
        19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
        Mark 7:21-23:
        21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
        22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
        23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

        Jesus said that out of the heart of man proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, evil eye, pride and foolishness (Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-23).
        Aren’t you glad that God is God and not a man that He should lie?
        In Luke 11:13, Jesus said:

Luke 11:13:
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

        Here, the word “being” is huparcho, which Vine’s Expository Dictionary defines as “to exist, which always involves a pre-existent state, prior to the fact referred to, and a continuance of the state after the fact.”
        We were “evil” (poneros) before Jesus stated the fact, when He spoke, and will continue to be “evil” in the future. We have been corrupted and imperfected by the terminal illness of sin. Many humanistic and spiritualistic efforts to repair, recondition or refurbish humanity come and go in society. These are simply trends by fallen man to disown his problem.
        As saved human beings we are still “evil.” By God’s love, grace, mercy, wisdom, judgment and divine justice we can become legally perfect in His sight. Our personal and individual acceptance of the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ makes us eligible for a brand new existence. Any other hope of change of our “evil” character and influence is a false hope.
        Characteristics of fish are scales, fins and living under the water. Of a bird feathers, wings and flying in the air. Characteristics of fallen man are worthless, shameful, disgraceful thoughts, resulting in destructive, harmful and malignant influences and effects.
        Aren’t you glad that God is God and not a man that He should lie?
        I explain the role of redeemed humanity in the foreword to my book “The Overcoming Remnant Bride.” I quote from parts of that foreword here:
        God created one male entity that contained the essence of two persons, male and female. He removed part of the one person, the male, and “built” it into another person, female. Without God having “built” the other female person, it would have remained a flank, an isolated part of the male person. These two, male and female, i.e., husband and wife, were now considered to be one person.
        In the concept of the body of Christ, however, we have two different entities involved. There is Jesus, Who is one complete Person. He has given the members of the body of Christ His Holy Spirit and His individual disciples are considered to be His corporate body, of which He is the head. Jesus is in heaven, at the right hand of the Father, and His disciples are here on the earth in different places but connected spiritually.
        God’s eternal purpose is to bring all things together in one, in Christ. He will display His manifold wisdom through this corporate body of Christ, to the principalities and powers in the heavenlies.
        We don’t have one male physical entity containing the essence of two persons, male and female, who is going to become two physical entities, i.e., male and female, and viewed by God as one physical entity because of their relationship as husband and wife, or bride and groom.
        Instead the process will be reversed and the two will become one. We have two spiritual entities, Christ Himself (male) and the corporate body of Christ (also male), who are now separated. (If God was not involved in the “building” of the body of Christ, it would remain in spiritual Babylon, isolated from Jesus.)
        Jesus, the head, in heaven, and the body of Christ, on earth, are going to become one spiritual entity by God’s sovereign choice. In order to do so, the body of Christ will be as the female was in Adam when he was created. This will happen when Christ and His body are united as bride and Bridegroom. That is why the terminology of the same group of saints changes from being a “body” to that of being a “bride,” a “wife.”
        The bride and Bridegroom will be viewed by God as two spiritual entities in their relationship. Scripture says the body of Christ on becoming the bride of Christ will be His servants (literally, bondservants) and will serve Him and will reign with Him for ever and ever.
        We do not become “little gods.” We will become redeemed and glorified humanity, and as the body of Christ, we will become the bride of Christ and will be His bondservants, serving and worshipping Him while reigning with Him for ever and ever.
        Romans 12 introduces the concept of the disciples of Christ being one body.
        In the first 4 verses of that letter we are urged by Paul the apostle to dedicate our bodies as pure, holy, well pleasing living sacrifices as our rational, intelligent spiritual worship of God.
        We are told to not conform to the shifting, unstable, short-lived and trendy patterns of this world, but instead we are to willingly transform, i.e., renovate and renew our minds, for the better.
        We are to prove, or test, ourselves in expectation of approval of God’s good, beneficial, well pleasing, complete and perfect will for us.
        We are not to be vain, or arrogant and esteem ourselves beyond what reality dictates but are to exercise restraint in judging our abilities according to the faith God has given us at that particular point in time.
        In verses 4 through 6 Paul tells us that we are one body with many members with different functions and gifts, and corporately we are parts of one another. Paul elaborates on this concept in 1 Corinthians 14:12-27 and elsewhere.
        Those who assemble and congregate with the overcoming remnant body of Christ, which will become the bride of Christ and don’t meet the requirements stated in Romans 12:1-6 are not the body of Christ.
        They are the fake, or “counterfeit” body of Christ spoken of throughout the Bible. They are not the “genuine” body of Christ.
        They profess Christ, and they are visible, but they are nominal Christians, i.e., Christians in name only. They are not disciples of Christ. They are not the body of Christ. They will not become the bride of Christ.

        Matthew 7:21-23:
        21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
        22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
        23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

        The “counterfeit” Christians are not doing the will of the Father and they are not pursuing the Fathers eternal purpose. Instead they are pursuing their own agenda’s, their own wills and their own purposes.
        The thesis that the bride of Christ is a smaller portion of believers that comes out of the greater body of Christ is not correct. God doesn’t have first-class and second-class accommodations for His saints in heaven. They are all first-class.
        The differentiation between saints comes in the area of rewards, not “body” versus “bride.” Those who are genuine members of the body of Christ, by reason of having met clearly stated scriptural requirements, will become the bride of Christ.
        The only distinction that can be correctly made is here on earth, between the “counterfeit” and “genuine” members of the body of Christ.
        It’s useless to argue or discuss this with the “counterfeit” members of the body of Christ because they have been sent a strong delusion from God Himself as they do not have a love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 10-12).

“Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matthew 28:16-20).

        There have always been doubters of Jesus, even those who saw Him after the resurrection. Jesus said “... Teaching them to observe all things...” We’ve been doing that for centuries, just observing what Jesus said. However, the word in Greek means “... to guard (from loss or injury, properly, by keeping the eye upon) ...” according to Strong’s Dictionary. Vines Expository Dictionary says this about the word: “to watch over, preserve, keep, watch.”
        The meaning of this passage is to teach all people in the nations to guard the things that Jesus commanded, or ordered His disciples to do from loss or injury by keeping watch over them and preserving them.
        Instead, we have a variety of opinions, conjectures, guesses, traditions, personal experiences, heretical teachings and doctrines of demons flooding our minds from every conceivable source. There are even those who attempt to interpret the quoted passage as meaning that Jesus gave away His authority to Christians and that in so doing the “little gods” or whoever, now have the authority that Jesus used to have! Hey, if you let your kid drive your car, i.e., you give him authority to use your car in a prescribed manner and always with the legal speed limits and other responsibilities as stated by those who make the legal rules, did you give up your authority over your car?
        Why are you people trying so hard to get the Bible to say what you want it to say instead of just reading it for plain sense? Reminds me of somebody I knew a long time ago who would always tell a lie when the truth would fit better.
        It is a technique of “in your face” hypocrisy to try to attempt to make your point by quoting scripture and pointing out that Jesus Himself said that “the scripture cannot be broken” as proof of your invalid argument. And then to blatantly turn around and you, yourself, break the scripture! A classic case of unmitigated gall!
        The phrase “the scripture cannot be broken” is highly touted by proponents of the “little gods” idea as indisputable proof that men are little gods according to Jesus. “Broken” is luo, and according to Strong’s Condordance is “a primary verb; to “loosen” (literally or figuratively).” Researching the meaning of the word as used in John 10:35, it’s used in the sense of rendering not binding, or to deprive of authority. Isn’t that exactly what is being done here by this attempt to get the Bible to say what somebody wants it to say rather than reading the clear meaning?
        There’s another point here also. Those who quote that “the scripture cannot be broken” to claim they are “little gods” ignore what the Bible is stating here. Jesus is talking about those “unto whom the word of God came” and contrasting their authority with His Own authority as the Word made flesh. So they are giving credence to the claim that there is a difference between those “unto whom the word of God came,” and the word of God, Jesus Himself, and the fact that Jesus, the Word of God made flesh is the greater, and those “unto whom the word of God came” are the lesser. Remember, “the scripture cannot be broken,” to which they also agree. Then they turn around and, as self-proclaimed prophets of God, claim they are speaking a more authoritative “word of God” in brand spanking new “revelations” than what the Word of God, Himself, Jesus Christ has uttered and preserved for us in the written form of the Bible for us to read, study and apply to our lives! In their attempts to justify their “little gods” status, they acknowledge the greater is greater than the lesser. But in stating their “prophetic revelations” are superior to those of the New Testament apostles and prophets they are saying that the lesser is greater than the greater. Wisdom is justified by her children, isn’t it?
        If you don’t like what the Bible teaches why don’t you leave it alone and go do something else instead of trying to get it say what you want it to say? You got some kind of problem? Is that what’s wrong? Are you jealous of those people who are blessed by the simple, simple, simple truth of the Gospel of the kingdom of God and His Christ? Hey, get a life, will you!
        What saith the scriptures?

        1 Corinthians 4:6-7:
        6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
        7 For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?

A final thought:

        Galatians 4:8-9:
        8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
        9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Aren’t you glad that God is God and not a man that He should lie?

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