Are We Little Gods?

There has been a great deal of misunderstanding concerning what has come to be known as the "little gods" doctrine which has its basis in John 10:34-36 where we read:

"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 the Scripture cannot be broken—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'?"

This passage simply affirms Genesis 1:26 about mankind being made in God's image endued with dominion. Jesus was simply comparing His status as the ‘Son of God’ with fallen creatures’ status as ‘gods’. He is saying that if God exalted fallen men by calling them gods, then why are you upset with Him, who is without sin, if He should call Himself the Son of God. Christian theologians have used the term ‘gods’ for thousands of years to explain how close mankind is in God’s image.

Athanasius, in his famous work, On the Incarnation of the Word of God, wrote, "The Word was made man in order that we might be made gods."

Even fairly recently, the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, commented on this passage:
"The greatest honour was thus put upon them: they were delegated gods, clothed for a while with a little of that authority by which the Lord judges among the sons of men." (The Treasury of David: An Expository and Devotional Commentary on the Psalms, 7 vols, vol. 4, page 41)

It is amazing that only lately have some heresy hunters argued against this. For example, Dave Hunt criticizes certain ministers who use this term. He even considers them heretics. He writes:
"The Bible never says that God made man a god…That was Satan’s seductive promise to Eve…" (The Seduction of Christianity, page 85).

In my opinion, Hunt is definitely at odds with Jesus, because Jesus said God called them ‘gods’, and Hunt is trying to contradict God.

It has often been argued that there is a danger in using this term, but there is a danger in using any term if it is not properly understood within the context in which it is used. This term is used to speak of two important facts about mankind: first that we are made in God’s image; we have God’s character and spiritually we have God’s genetic makeup—which is what the term re-gene-ration means. Second, we use this term to speak of man’s dominion over the earth. God gave dominion to man in order for him to rule. The term "god" is often used in connection with dominion. Even Satan is called "god of this age" (2 Cor 4:4), which means that he rules this age.

To be honest, I am not aware of any genuine Christian using the term "god" to mean that we are the Creator as Dave Hunt implies. Certain cults such as Mormonism use the term in that fashion, but that use is not scriptural and certainly not endorsed by any real Bible-believing Christians. We are simply creatures made in God's image endowed with dominion; thus we are "gods" in that sense and nothing else should be inferred by this use of the term.