You are all welcome to "Dois Dedos de Teologia" On today's episode, we are answering a question that is low-key weird, but yet has gained some importance these last weeks on the internet: "Are we gods? " It seems to be a weird question. However, it is not when we observe that some people out there are stating that humans are gods.
Or some sort of divine entity, or simply just like God. They say we (humans) have the same value as God because we're called gods in the Scripture. So are we divine beings?
How does it work? That's the topic for today's "Looking At The Passage" episode! Siri, please, don't scare me like that again.
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" All that said, let's jump into today's video! This discussion, about humans being gods or not, is based in two passages in Scriptures: one in the Old and one in the New Testament. The passage in the New Testament (NT) is a citation of the passage in the Old Testament (OT).
So let's take a look at the NT passage and see how it refers to the OT passage and from there we will build our argument. The passage in the Old Testament is Psalm 82, which is mentioned in John 10:34. If you read with me the gospel of John 10:33-38, you'll read: “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.
” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. ” Let go slow here looking at John 10 and comprehending how is Jesus citing Psalm 82 and what is the significance of that to this argument if we are gods or not based on this passage.
Here Jesus is answering to the Pharisees who are trying to stone him because he claims to be Son of God. Jesus argues in his defense saying that Psalm 82 calls gods those who received the word of God. Why, then, would he be stoned for claiming to be the Son of God if the Old Testament called "gods" those who received the Word ?
And Jesus argues citing Psalm 82 verse 6 where apparently human beings are being called gods. If Jews in the Old Testament are being called gods, Jesus, then, could also be called so. The problem here is that if any Jew was treated as a god in the Old Testament we have two issues: The first one, a major issue connected to the person of Christ, is that Jesus claiming to be God has no special implication, as anyone who believed in the God of the Old Testament would also be called a god.
The second issue is connected to humankind, as it would put us all up to a level of deities or something like that. On one hand, it would diminish Jesus' authority. On the other, human beings would be elevated.
If that was the way Scripture is indicating, we would have to change our Christology (our vision of Christ) and our Anthropology (our vision on humankind). So now what? Do we have to rebuild 2000 years of Christianity?
Another problem that emerges, not connected to Systematic Theology, but a problem of reading and interpreting the passage, is how could we explain such an energetic reaction among the Pharisees if it was so clear that Jews in the Old Testament were treated like gods. That's why to answer this question, we need to dive into the Old Testament theology, look at Psalm 82 to understand who is being called god, there in the Psalm's context, and understand how this is used by Jesus within his context. The main position to interpret this matter is called MORTAL VISION No, this is an X-Men superpower or anything like that.
. . [Was it a bad joke?
Yeah. Do I regret it? I do.
Am I asking the editor to cut it? No, I am not! ] The point in the "Mortal Vision" is that the beings called gods here are mortal beings.
. . In other words, terrestrial beings.
This position presents some variations: One is that these gods of Psalm 82 were 1. The Judges from Israel (who received a divine revelation). These judges were incapable of keeping the law and justice in the courts and are described as the corrupted gods on Psalm 82.
These Judges are called gods because of the mission given by God to judge the people according to the divine law in the name of God. What's the problem in this very much negative position to interpret the passage, describing as gods the evil people who are not judging correctly, when they should be judging correctly because they were gods, ideally, Judges of God bringing His justice on earth? The issue is that on John 10 Jesus uses as the "gods" of Psalm 82 are those who received the Word of God, Those to whom the Word was ministered to, as would argue D.
A. Carson Once the ministration of the Word was received by all of Israel, not only to the Judges, that position doesn't seem to be the best one to read the Psalm. What takes us to a second position: 2.
The gods on Psalm 82 were the people who received the Word of God. This position observes the Greek verb added the particle called "direction indicator. " Meaning the "gift of the divine revelation.
" That's a structure presented in the Septuagint and all New Testament. In other words, [right now I am trying to spare you from the challenges of reading Greek. Let's make it less complicated!
] the idea of WHO the Word of God came to, in greek, is more organically comprehended as "words to whom a message was ministered" In the Septuagint, that's the wording usually related to the prophecies the prophets received. The main example in the Old Testament is the Israel people itself. According to this interpretation, The Psalm would be referring to the Word that God ministered to the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.
While the judgment presented in the Psalm relates to the disobedience displayed by Israel later on - especially on the episode of the Golden Calf. D. A.
Carson, mentioned here before, defends this position affirming that Jesus "Ministers a quick yet powerful shock: a scriptural reason for why they should not be offended just because he calls himself Son of God. This reason does not establish the nature of the singular affiliation. He is preceded by his self-reference as the one the Father sanctified and sent to the world.
But the AD HOMINEN reprehension towards the crowd is enough for him to call on once again to the witness of his own words and actions. " Carson's position is very strong, indeed. However, as this passage is one of those complicated ones We can lean towards a position without canceling the other.
What takes us to a third position that maybe has a better set of evidence. The idea that were 3. Angelical beings who received the divine revelation.
Here we leave the "Mortal Vision" and expand our perception. On Psalm 82 verse 1 It is said that "God presides in the great assembly or divine council" Right on verse 2 there is a message to that assembly. In a parallel passage, Psalm 89 verse 7 the use of the term "council" of the saints is referring to a council formed of celestial beings.
In other words, a council that is located on heavens. Psalm 82, in its first verses, seems to point not towards human and mortals individuals, but to celestial beings who are close to God. And then we have this message about the Word that was ministered.
And what word is that this divine assembly receives on Psalm 82? Verses 6 and 7 say: “I said, ‘You are “gods”; you are all sons of the Most High. ’ But you will die like mere mortals; you will fall like every other ruler.
” The announcer of the message is the God of Israel. The God who stands in front of the council on Psalm 82 verse 1. Among the gods, among the "elohim.
" And God announces that the elohim of the council are His sons, but because of their corruption - what can be seen in verse 2 through 5 - they will lose their immortality. Observe: there are two important things in here. 1) These sons of God are being judged because they failed in governing the people.
So we can understand that the text is not addressing the people itself, but those ruling over them. and 2) This word was announced by God, and it is a word of judgment. Therefore, when Jesus mentions "the word" in John 10, he is mentioning this judgment message from God present in the Psalm and not the Judaic law received on Mount Sinai.
. . "The word" thas was received by these gods is the very word of judgment spoken by God on Psalm 82:6-7 The judgment delivered here is that these gods would become similar to human beings by becoming mortal like any other human leader.
There's a parallel established between MEN/HUMAN LEADERS and these GOVERNORS/GODS/SONS OF GOD that would become like mere human leaders, becoming like ordinary humans as they would now die Going back to the Gospel of John, when Jesus uses Psalm 82 in the passage, as part of His argument for His divinity, arguing that He is equal to the Father, Jesus doesn't seem to have Isreal in his mind when he talks about these "gods" in the plural. Because the human leadership of Israel doesn't happen as a council in celestial places. Psalm 89:5-8 says that this divine council is celestial.
Not even the Israelites were established above the world nations like the elohim on Psalm 82 where. Jesus also doesn't seem to be talking about an ordinary King of Israel. It is because any ordinary king would die like anybody else.
What happens on Psalm 82 is that there are beings close to God, dwelling in a divine council that because of their sin became mere mortal. Is this a possible connection with the fall of Satan and his angels? Yes, it could be.
What Jesus is doing in citing Psalm 82 is using a statement in the Old Testament that establishes a specific divine wording to refer to these divine beings close to God as a justification to the idea that Jesus was not blaspheming when calling himself God. Nonetheless, Jesus was not just better than mankind or a mere angel he was equal to the Father, as we observe in John 10:30. Jesus had the Father living IN him, as said in John 10:35-36.
If divine beings, probably angels, were called sons of God in the OT how much more worthy of the title could be Jesus, being one with the Father - that lived in him and sent him - and did all the work the Father asked him to? If you are interested in knowing more about these positions there's this famous book called "The Unseen Realm" by Michael Heiser. However, the idea that there's a reference to the People of Israel is not canceled entirely as wold argue Carson.
But understanding that the passage is talking about divine beings, possibly angles also treated like sons of God in the OT being Jesus the first-born, therefore equal to God as said in NT, doesn't make it impossible to comprehend the position that we are gods. The point here is that Jesus is presenting himself in John 10 as superior to all these beings called gods in the OT. It's like Jesus is saying "if they were called gods in the OT, so I have all the rights to call myself God, being much superior, doing all the deeds of my Father and having the Father dwelling in me" In both cases, Jesus establishes a solid argument about his unity and equality with God.
When we understand that Psalm 82 is talking about divine beings and not other deities, but angels that were called "elohim" (gods) in the Old Testament before, we have a solid case to state that no, mankind is not treated like gods in Old Testament, we are NOT gods and if we take Carson's position if we could be called gods, it would not be in the same level that Jesus is called God because Jesus is treated as God in a much superior way and not as a mere leading status as presented in the Old Testament Is it hard and confusing? I know it is! I hope I could help to clarify these issues and make it easier for your comprehension.
If you still have questions, use the comments section below so we can discuss positions within the theological scenes that are more complicated. We wanna try to make it easier for you here on the internet. Greetings to you all and don't forget to subscribe, like, and share with your friends so we can keep this project alive, relevant and teaching good theology on the internet That's all!
I hope to see you again on this channel! Bye!
