Proof That John 10:31-36 Means That Someone Who Has Faith Is a 'god'
Note the following scriptures:
Psalm 82
1 God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the "gods":
2 "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5 "They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 "I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.'
7 But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.
John 10
31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him,
32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?
35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came–and the Scripture cannot be broken–
36 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’?
Christ was referring to Psalm 82, when He said what He said in John 10:34-35. There are those who suggest that God was in Psalm 82, calling only the judges of Israel gods. In light of this, please look at the following scriptures:
Romans 2
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.
29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
Romans 4
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
1 Corinthians 6
1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?
2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!
Christ.
1 Corinthians 3
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"
20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours,
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,
23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Romans 2:28-29 indicates that someone is (in a spiritual sense) a Jew, if he is one inwardly. Romans 4:16-17 indicates that this takes place when that person has faith. 1 Corinthians 6:1-4 indicates that all those who have faith (who are spiritually Jews and hence make up the spiritual Israel) have an inheritance of judgeship. 1 Corinthians 3:21-22 goes a step further by indicating that not only do those who have faith now own all things in the present, they also now own all things in the future - which include their judgeships. (This means, at least to some extent, all those who have faith are now in possession of the judgeships they will inherit in the future.)
Therefore if we are to concede that Psalm 82 only refers to the judges of Israel, we would see that the scripture is none-the-less applicable to all those who have faith. (How exactly? Because all those who have faith make up the spiritual Israel; have an inheritance of judgeship; and also now own their inheritance of judgeship – meaning that they are already judges [at least to some extent].)
In addition, Christ in John 10:34-35, indicated that Psalm 82 was in fact referring to all those who have faith. How exactly? Because Christ effectively said in John 10:34-36, "Why do you say I blaspheme when it is written in your law, 'I have said you are gods’? If God called to whom the word of God came, 'gods', how much more God is the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?'' The fact of the matter is that Christ could not have reasonably said in the scripture that at the very least He was a god, if Psalm 82 was only applicable to the righteous judges officially established by (the physical nation) Israel: because Christ Himself was not such a judge. Therefore when Christ said in John 10:35, "If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came ...", He must have been referring to all righteous people who made up Israel - which Romans 2:28-29 and Romans 4:16-17 indicate spiritually include all those who have faith.
Finally, the following scripture provides added confirmation that when God called the righteous individuals in Israel gods in Psalm 82, He meant all those who have faith.
2 Corinthians 1
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes."
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
The above scripture indicates that all of God’s promises (which include those who make up [the spiritual] Israel being gods) apply to everyone. The only variation of God’s promises are in degrees and expression. E.g. everyone who has faith has an inheritance of kingship and priesthood – some will just have higher rankings than others in these areas. Some who have faith are predominantly teachers, while others who have faith are predominantly prophets: but despite all of this, everyone who has faith has the potential to display any gift he pleases.
One last thing, there are some who say that the title god, given by God to those He was addressing, had nothing to do with righteousness. However, doesn't Psalm 82:6-7 say that because of the Jews’ (or descendants’ of Abraham) unrighteousness, God would let them die like mere men, instead of holding them up as gods and His sons? Further, isn’t someone considered righteous because of his faith (Romans 3:28, Romans 4:1-8, Hebrews 11:6)? Doesn’t it follow therefore that if the Jews remained righteous (by continuing to have faith), God would have still considered them to be gods and His sons? Therefore it is seen for a person to be considered to be a god by God, that person must be righteous (by having faith - Romans 3:28). (See here for more information on the Godhood of Man.)
Psalm 82
1 God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgment among the "gods":
2 "How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?
3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5 "They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 "I said, 'You are "gods"; you are all sons of the Most High.'
7 But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler."
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.
John 10
31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him,
32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?
35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came–and the Scripture cannot be broken–
36 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’?
Christ was referring to Psalm 82, when He said what He said in John 10:34-35. There are those who suggest that God was in Psalm 82, calling only the judges of Israel gods. In light of this, please look at the following scriptures:
Romans 2
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.
29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God.
Romans 4
16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
17 As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.
1 Corinthians 6
1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?
2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!
4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!
Christ.
1 Corinthians 3
18 Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"
20 and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile."
21 So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours,
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,
23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.
Romans 2:28-29 indicates that someone is (in a spiritual sense) a Jew, if he is one inwardly. Romans 4:16-17 indicates that this takes place when that person has faith. 1 Corinthians 6:1-4 indicates that all those who have faith (who are spiritually Jews and hence make up the spiritual Israel) have an inheritance of judgeship. 1 Corinthians 3:21-22 goes a step further by indicating that not only do those who have faith now own all things in the present, they also now own all things in the future - which include their judgeships. (This means, at least to some extent, all those who have faith are now in possession of the judgeships they will inherit in the future.)
Therefore if we are to concede that Psalm 82 only refers to the judges of Israel, we would see that the scripture is none-the-less applicable to all those who have faith. (How exactly? Because all those who have faith make up the spiritual Israel; have an inheritance of judgeship; and also now own their inheritance of judgeship – meaning that they are already judges [at least to some extent].)
In addition, Christ in John 10:34-35, indicated that Psalm 82 was in fact referring to all those who have faith. How exactly? Because Christ effectively said in John 10:34-36, "Why do you say I blaspheme when it is written in your law, 'I have said you are gods’? If God called to whom the word of God came, 'gods', how much more God is the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world?'' The fact of the matter is that Christ could not have reasonably said in the scripture that at the very least He was a god, if Psalm 82 was only applicable to the righteous judges officially established by (the physical nation) Israel: because Christ Himself was not such a judge. Therefore when Christ said in John 10:35, "If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came ...", He must have been referring to all righteous people who made up Israel - which Romans 2:28-29 and Romans 4:16-17 indicate spiritually include all those who have faith.
Finally, the following scripture provides added confirmation that when God called the righteous individuals in Israel gods in Psalm 82, He meant all those who have faith.
2 Corinthians 1
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes."
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
The above scripture indicates that all of God’s promises (which include those who make up [the spiritual] Israel being gods) apply to everyone. The only variation of God’s promises are in degrees and expression. E.g. everyone who has faith has an inheritance of kingship and priesthood – some will just have higher rankings than others in these areas. Some who have faith are predominantly teachers, while others who have faith are predominantly prophets: but despite all of this, everyone who has faith has the potential to display any gift he pleases.
One last thing, there are some who say that the title god, given by God to those He was addressing, had nothing to do with righteousness. However, doesn't Psalm 82:6-7 say that because of the Jews’ (or descendants’ of Abraham) unrighteousness, God would let them die like mere men, instead of holding them up as gods and His sons? Further, isn’t someone considered righteous because of his faith (Romans 3:28, Romans 4:1-8, Hebrews 11:6)? Doesn’t it follow therefore that if the Jews remained righteous (by continuing to have faith), God would have still considered them to be gods and His sons? Therefore it is seen for a person to be considered to be a god by God, that person must be righteous (by having faith - Romans 3:28). (See here for more information on the Godhood of Man.)
posted by P. Douglas | 1:48 AM
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