The idea that Christians are “little gods” is based on a misinterpretation and misunderstanding of Scripture. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians become like gods or attain any kind of divinity. This faulty teaching distorts what the Bible really says about believers.
Those who advocate the “little gods” theology typically point to a few key verses. One is John 10:34, where Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 – “Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?” They claim this shows we can become like God. But in context, Jesus is responding to accusations of blasphemy by pointing out that even sinful human beings were called “gods” in the Psalms, so how can it be blasphemy for the sinless Son of God to say He is God’s Son? He is not saying we actually become divine.
Another verse is 2 Peter 1:4, which speaks of partaking in the divine nature. However, this refers to sharing in God’s moral qualities, not taking on His divine attributes like omnipotence or omnipresence. We only share in the communicable attributes like love, mercy, justice, etc. We never become omniscient or omnipotent like God.
1 John 3:1-2 is also twisted to teach that we become little gods. It says we are called children of God and when Christ appears we shall be like Him. But being called God’s children is not the same as being little gods. And being like Christ refers to sharing in His glorified existence, not becoming exactly equal to Him in all ways. We remain creatures, not the Creator.
The “little gods” doctrine undermines the uniqueness of God. God says “I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 46:9). Making created beings into “gods” violates the Creator-creature distinction that Scripture upholds from Genesis to Revelation. Humans remain human and finite. We never become infinite or attain the transcendent divine attributes that belong to God alone.
The “little gods” view also distorts the relationship between God and man. God alone is supreme, while we are dependent, derived beings who owe everything to Him. But “little gods” theology sees humans almost as God’s equal, diminishing His glory and supremacy. It fails to acknowledge the infinite gulf between the uncreated Creator and created creatures.
This unbiblical theology can lead to tremendous arrogance. If people think they are “little gods” with divine powers, they may think they no longer need to submit to God’s authority. They may live self-centered lives instead of Christ-centered lives. Humility and obedience to God fade away.
In a nutshell, the “little gods” doctrine teaches that humans can become demigods with divine powers and attributes. This flatly contradicts Scripture. We remain human beings, adopted as God’s children and being conformed to Christ’s image, but never becoming demigods. Our identity is found in Jesus alone, not in fanciful notions of humans as junior deities. We are servants of the Most High God, not little gods ourselves.
Some key points from this article:
- Nowhere does the Bible say Christians become divine or like gods.
- “Little gods” theology misinterprets verses like John 10:34 and 2 Peter 1:4.
- It undermines God’s uniqueness as the only true God.
- Humans remain creatures, not the Creator.
- Can lead to arrogance and failing to submit to God’s authority.
- Our identity is in Christ alone, not in being “little gods.”
In conclusion, the “little gods” doctrine has no biblical basis. Christians do not become demigods or divine beings. We remain human, though adopted as God’s children and being conformed to Christ’s image. But we never become worthy of worship or attain the divine attributes that belong to God alone. Any notion of Christians becoming “little gods” should be rejected as thoroughly unbiblical.
The “little gods” theology is an example of eisegesis – reading ideas into Scripture instead of properly exegeting the text. Proponents take verses out of context to prop up this aberrant theology. But when studied carefully in context, the Bible nowhere teaches that believers become demigods or godlike beings. This false teaching should always be identified and rejected.
Some church fathers like Irenaeus helped combat early gnostic teachings that humans have an inherent spark of divinity within. Such errant ideas about humans being divine beings in essence ultimately lead to the “little gods” doctrine. But orthodox, biblical Christianity has always affirmed the Creator-creature distinction and rejected any blurring of the lines between God and man.
The “little gods” teaching also shares similarities with Word of Faith theology propagated by preachers like Kenneth Copeland and Kenneth Hagin. They teach that humans have divine powers to speak things into existence, control reality with their words, etc. But again, this erroneously elevates mankind and twists what Scripture actually says about God’s supreme authority.
In a nutshell, “little gods” theology should always send up red flags. No Christian should ever think they are becoming a demigod with divine attributes and powers. Our identity comes from being adopted as God’s children, not from becoming junior deities. The Bible maintains the Creator-creature divide very clearly from start to finish.
Some key Bible passages that uphold the distinction between God as supreme Creator and humans as His finite creatures include:
- Isaiah 42:8 – “I am the Lord; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.”
- Isaiah 45:5 – “I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God.”
- Numbers 23:19 – “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.”
- Psalm 8:4-5 – “What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.”
- Ezekiel 28:2 – “Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God: Because your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,’ yet you are but a man, and no god, though you make your heart like the heart of a god.”
- Acts 12:21-23 – Herod allows himself to be called a god and is struck down by an angel.
In conclusion, the Bible makes it abundantly clear that human beings remain human beings. We never become divine or deserve worship. All glory belongs to God alone. Any notion of humans becoming “little gods” is thoroughly unbiblical and should always be rejected by Christians seeking to understand and obey the word of God.
Some key takeaways from this examination of the unbiblical “little gods” doctrine include:
- It is based on a few verses taken out of context like John 10:34 and 2 Peter 1:4.
- Nowhere does Scripture actually teach that Christians become demigods.
- It undermines God’s unique divinity and supremacy.
- Believers remain finite creatures, never the infinite Creator.
- Can promote arrogance and failing to submit to Christ’s lordship.
- Our identity is found in Jesus, not in being “little gods.”
- Maintains the Creator-creature distinction evident throughout Scripture.
- Church history repudiates any notion of humans becoming divine.
- Related to gnostic and Word of Faith errors.
- Passages like Isaiah 45:5 uphold God’s unique deity.
In summary, the “little gods” doctrine wrongly teaches that believers become demigods through faith in Christ. But Scripture maintains the Creator-creature divide. Though adopted as God’s children, Christians never become worthy of worship or attain divine attributes. Our identity is found in Jesus alone. The unbiblical notion that believers become “little gods” in essence must always be rejected.
Some final points on why the “little gods” theology should be rejected:
- It wrongly deifies sinful humans, unlike Jesus who was sinless.
- No Bible passage teaches we can become all-knowing or all-powerful.
- We remain dependent on God, not autonomous like He is.
- Jesus prayed we would be unified, not be divided into gods vs others.
- Early church fathers like Justin Martyr spoke against any concept of deification.
- It can breed pride, undermining our reliance on the Holy Spirit.
- Redeemed sinners like Paul never claimed they had become divine beings.
- Only the unique God-man Jesus retained full deity and humanity.
- Scripture warns against self-appointed false gods like Herod (Acts 12:20-23).
- We must guard against any theology that undermines God’s supreme glory.
In conclusion, the “little gods” doctrine has no scriptural support and goes against the Bible’s teachings about the uniqueness of God and humanity’s dependent relationship to Him. Sound doctrine uplifts Christ alone as divine and cautions against any theology that falsely deifies created beings. Our focus should be on becoming more Christlike, not viewing ourselves as demigods. As His redeemed children, we rest securely in our identity in Jesus.
