Q: #42. Why did Jesus say "Ye are gods?"
A: Let me first explain why Jesus said this, then explain what He meant. Jesus said this in (Jn 10:37) while speaking to the Jews. In (Jn 10:22-42), Jesus was proclaiming His deity, for which the Jews wanted to stone Him (Jn 10:31), for blasphemy (Jn 10:33).
When Jesus said “ye are gods,” He was referring back to (Ps 82:6), in which human judges were called “gods.” He was simply telling the Jews, if their “law” (Jn 10:34) said humans could be called “gods,” then why did they have a problem with Him saying He was God.
When “ye are gods” is used in (Ps 82:6), it was speaking of the judges of Israel. They were called “gods” not because they were Gods (as in deity), since there is only ONE God (Deut 6:4)(Jas 2:19)(1 Cor 8:4), but rather, because they had God given power and authority over the Israelites as representatives of God, and were men to whom the word of God came (Jn 10:35). Because they held authority to pronounce judgment over others, and even held a position to determine the fate of some, they had “God-like” power.
They were clearly not “gods” though because they were unjust and showed partiality (Ps 82:2), they walked in darkness (Ps 82:5), and they died (Ps 82:7).
Moses is also called a “god” in the Bible because God gave Him power over others as His representative and spokesman (Ex 4:15-16)(Ex 7:1). Even Satan, who is called a “god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), has a measure of God given authority (Lk 4:6) in this world, but only what God allows (Job 1:12)(1 Cor 10:13)(2 Thess 2:7). However, Satan isn’t a “god” either, because he is a fallen angel (Ezek 28:12-19)(Isa 14:12-15)(2 Cor 11:14).
Some faiths, such as LDS (Mormons), use these verses to say we can become “gods” ourselves one day. Some Word Of Faith teachers also use this to say we are “little gods” right now. We CANNOT be, nor will we EVER be deity. That is why understanding these verses is important.
