False Teaching – Exalting Man
The exaltation of man is where the Word-Faith movement sharply deviates from the Bible and historic Christianity. The great lie of Satan has always been, ‘You will be like God’ (Genesis 3:5). In the beginning, Satan’s sin was pride. In Isaiah 14:14 the Bible says that he declared the he would be like the Most High God and then he uses the same false claim on any man who will head him. After his fall, this same echo of pride has been used to tempt man throughout the ages. Pagan religions appeal to people on the level of pride. Margo Adler, a well known witch, stated this well:
The reason people are so attracted to magical and pagan religions is because they want to be god. The fundamental thing of pagan religions is that ultimately they say that you are within yourself the god or goddess.
Do you think it is true that the desire to be like God or to be a god is pagan?
Can this pagan doctrine and the Bible be in agreement?
Isaiah 43:10 tells us:
"You are My witnesses," says the LORD, "And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. "
Can the pagan religions and the Bible both be true?
Is there any other god other than the LORD?
Will there ever be another god other than the God who has revealed Himself in scripture?
The Bible is a very exclusionary book. God declared His word in such a way that it is impossible to accept pagan religions without rejecting scripture. Either this verse in Isaiah is a lie, or the pagans are following a lie. Both cannot be true. The claim that man is god is probably the most consistent error that Word-Faith doctrine teaches. Across the board, almost all prominent Faith teachers echo the same message. Some, like Benny Hinn, began by warning people not to believe this doctrine. However, now Hinn teaches it with great fervor. Early on, Hinn once taught the following:
One of the most dangerous things in the body of Christ today is this teaching going around that teaches men that they are God. When you say that you are God, you are putting your place right where Lucifer was standing. When someone tells you that you are God, that's just another serpent coming to say, 'taste it'. When you hear the teaching that you are God, remember what I am telling you, it's the serpent coming into your garden saying, 'has God said...? If you eat this, you'll be just like Him.' The devil hasn't changed his game.
Obviously, early in his ministry Hinn was influenced in this area by orthodox Christianity. Historic and Biblical Christianity soon gave way to sensationalism and pagan influenced doctrines. Hinn went from warning against this doctrine to defending it. Hinn stated:
He laid aside his divine form so that I could one day be clothed on high with the divine form. People have a problem with Ken Copeland and Kenneth Hagan's teaching, but it is absolute and divine truth. Hagan and Copeland say, 'You are God'.
If the doctrine, ‘you are God’ is divine truth, does Hinn, Copeland and Hagan side with the Bible as divine truth or paganism as divine truth?
It cannot be overlooked that Hinn plainly stated that this teaching is absolute divine truth. Scripture does not teach that we are or will be divine. However, this does not prevent Hinn from now teaching the very thing He once declared to be of the devil:
God came from heaven and became a man. He made men into little gods. Went back to heaven as a man. He faces the Father as a man. You say, 'Am I little god?'. You're a son of God aren't you? You're a child of God aren't you? What else are you? You say, 'I AM'. You are identifying yourself with Him. Are you a part of Him? Are you His offspring? You can't be human."
Do you agree that we have been made a god but Jesus remains a man agree with the Bible?
Read Philippians 2:5-11. Who is Lord over all, man or Jesus?
The Bible does not teach that Jesus was merely a man. Word-Faith doctrine teaches that Jesus is only a man and man is a god. As we will examine a little later, this completely contradicts scripture. Let’s break down the Word-Faith’s doctrine of man’s divinity so we can examine it against the clear teaching of scripture.
What is God’s purpose for man? As we will see, the Word-Faith movement answers this question completely different that Biblical Christianity. In Word-Faith doctrine, mankind was created divine and on equal terms with God. We only need to recognize our god-potential and believe that we are gods. It's amazing how closely the Word-Faith teaching aligns to New-Age and pagan beliefs. Here are some examples:
"DID I DIE FOR YOUR SINS? Of course I did not die for your sins . . . that would place you below me."
"The word "Christ' refers to your Divinity. This is the sacred substance of which you are made."
"Resurrect yourselves. You are Christ. CONSCIOUSLY BE CHRIST NOW!"
The clear intent is that you are not below Christ, you are Christ.
According to New Age doctrine, is man equal to Jesus Christ?
Now look at Word-Faith teaching:
"God's reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. I mean a reproduction of Himself. In the garden of Eden, He did that. He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God. Adam was as much like God as you can get. Just like Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, Adam was God manifested in the flesh."
- Kenneth Copeland
According to Word-Faith doctrine, is man equal to Jesus Christ?
Word-Faith doctrine teaches that man was created as God manifest in the flesh. Is there a difference between Adam and Jesus? According to Word-Faith teaching, the answer is no. Is there a difference between you and Jesus? According to Word-Faith teaching, the answer is also no. Make a note of the key points in the above quote, when we examine scripture, the differences will be obvious. The points presented as ‘truth’ are: the purpose of man is to be a reproduction of God Himself; Adam (or mankind) is a replication of God; man is not subordinate to God; Adam was God in the flesh; Adam was identical to God. This is echoed throughout the Word-Faith movement. Here is Herbert W. Armstrong:
As God repeatedly reveals, his purpose is to reproduce himself into what may well become billions of God persons. Why did the Creator God put man on the earth? For God's ultimate supreme purpose of reproducing himself, of recreating himself.
Note the key points presented here: God has revealed His purpose for man; man’s purpose is to be a God-person; we are a recreation of God. John Avanzini states:
"Eternal purpose of God has been throughout the ages...that God is duplicating Himself throughout the earth."
Morris Cerello declares God’s eternal purpose according to Word-Faith doctrine:
Did you know that from the beginning of time the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself? Who are you? Come on! Who are you? Come on, say it, sons of God! All that is at work within us is that manifestation of all that God is, all God has and when we stand up here, you're not looking at Morris Cerello, you are looking at God! You're looking at Jesus!
Does the Bible agree with these teachers when they claim God’s purpose for man is to reproduce God?
Does the Bible agree that there are billions of “God-persons” identical to Himself?
Do these teachers proclaim the doctrine handed down from the apostles, the Bible and the early church, or do they echo the New Age movement?
Key points to note: man becoming God was the intention from the beginning; God reproduced Himself by creating man; man is all that God is and all that God has; we are God in the flesh; we are identical to the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
‘The Messenger’ is an organization of Elizabeth Clare Prophet, a self-proclaimed New Age mystic and prophetess. She states that her purpose is to be God’s messenger to “transformed lives and awakened souls to their great God-potential”. Elizabeth Clare Prophet boasts of being 'a pioneer of modern spirituality'. The messenger explains:
She has dedicated her life to spreading the teachings of the Ascended Masters and has delivered lectures around the globe on angels, the aura, soul mates, prophecy, spiritual psychology, reincarnation and the mystical paths of the world's religions.
…
The calling to be a Messenger includes gifts of healing, blessing and preaching. "My purpose in life," Mrs. Prophet says "is to help people to become acquainted with their own God Reality."
If you substitute the Holy Spirit with the ‘Ascended Masters’, her doctrine is almost identical to Word-Faith doctrine.
A Biblical response:
My goal here is to allow scripture to draw the line in the sand. 1 Kings 18 states:
21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.
Perhaps today, all the true prophets of God (those who proclaim the truth of scripture) should call out, ‘If the LORD is God, follow Him, but if mankind is God, follow him; but don’t falter between the two”. If someone wants the divinity of man to be their god, we cannot prevent them. However, we should draw a clear distinction between the true God and the false godhood proclaimed by Word-Faith and pagan religions. Just be honest and choose. If we don’t want to God of the Bible, reject the Bible. Don’t choose paganism and then pretend that the Bible teaches it. These messages are not intended to bash the Word-Faith movement, but rather to show that it is a religion in direct conflict with scripture. If a man or woman wants this religion, they have the right to choose, but they do not have the right to drag the Bible down into a different religion. The god of the Word-Faith movement is not the God of the Bible. The purposes of the Word-Faith god is not the purposes of the God of the Bible. Mankind is not the same; redemption is not the same; our purpose is not the same. Choose who you believe – the Word of God revealed in the Bible, or the word spoken by the self-appointed authority of the Word-Faith movement.
Is the purposes of the god of the Word-Faith religion in agreement with God’s stated purpose in scripture?
What is man’s purpose according to Word-Faith?
Now read the following passages:
Exodus 9:16
"But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.
Isaiah 43:7
Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him."
Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Colossians 1:13-16
13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible,
Revelation 4:11
"You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."
What is the purpose of man according to the Bible?
The Bible tells us what the purpose of man is. We are created to have a relationship with God and our purpose is to glorify Him. I struggle with knowing how much information is enough and how much is too much. There are hundreds of passages that show us what our purpose is, but for readability, I will limit this to a few passages. Let’s begin by looking at Romans 15
5 Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus,
6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.
What is man’s purpose in this passage?
Man’s purpose is to glorify God – not the other way around. It is not only the righteous who glorify God, but also the wicked. Look at Romans 9
17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth."
What is the purpose of men who oppose God?
This passage gives a few insights to help our understanding. First, we are told what the purpose of man is – to show God’s power and declare God’s name. Or in other words, to glorify God. The other insight is that even someone like Pharaoh gives God the glory. In ancient Egypt, the Pharaoh was worshiped as a god and he believed that he was a god. Even though he was at war with God, God used him to magnify God’s own name. We will all glorify God. We will either glorify Him with obedience and praise, or we will unwillingly and often unknowingly be used by God for His purposes.
Who will not glorify God?
We were all created in the image of God for the purpose of reflecting His glory. It is because of sin that we fail to reflect God’s glory. Ultimately God will be glorified, however, His purpose is that our lives be the reflection of His glory and His great name. These passages teach us this truth:
Romans 3
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
1 Corinthians 10
31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Matthew 5
16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Does sin diminish the glory of God, or prevent us from our intended place in glorifying God?
Everything points to the glory of God. If we are in rebellion, God can and will still use us to show His power. If we surrender to Him, we have the honor of fulfilling our intended purpose of being beacons of light that reflect the glory of God to the world. There are so many great passages that I could use here (Ephesians 1:9-12, Luke 4:43, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Revelation 15:4, Micah 6:8 just to name a few).
Are there any passages in the Bible that declare that God replicates Himself?
God’s purpose in creating man is not to recreate Himself in the earth. Not one passage in the Bible remotely implies this false doctrine. God’s purpose for man is to have fellowship with our loving Creator and to reflect His glory and great name.
It all began with one act of pride, “I will be like the Most High”, declared Lucifer. He was once called ‘Lucifer’ which means ‘the bearer of light’. Now the Bible laments his great fall. Now he is called ‘Satan’ which means ‘the adversary’; the ‘devil’ which means ‘slanderer or false accuser’; he is also called the deceiver. His desire was to be like God – not reflect the light and glory of God. He was not light; he was the bearer of light. It is God’s light that made Lucifer shine. It is also God’s light that makes us lights of the world. Since his fall, Satan has echoed the same lie to everyone who will give him an ear. In the Garden of Eden, Satan tempted mankind by saying, “you will be like God”. That same message continues to be echoed throughout the ages. In our modern times the masses continue to be lured into the promise that they will be gods.
Joseph Smith – the so-called prophet of the Mormon Church said: As God is, man shall become.
Shirley McClain proudly declared: I am God. I am God. I am God. I am God.
Jim Jones (the infamous murder of the Jonestown massacre)- You are what Jesus was. Jesus said that every human being was a god. It is written that you are gods. I'm a god and you are a god.
Margot Adler
We are as gods and might as well get good at it. - Whole Earth Catalog
Copeland - You don't have a God in you, you are one.
Read Genesis 3:5. Do these teachers agree with Satan?
Does Satan agree with God?
We expect this deception to be proclaimed from non-Christian religions like the Ladder Day Saints, New Age worshippers like Shirley McClain and Margot Adler, and cultists like Jim Jones. This lie has been broadcast by pagan religions since the fall in the Garden. What is new is that so-called prophets of God are now proclaiming from the pulpits of the Christian church the same message – and the church is applauding. How can Kenneth Copeland say that God is not in you, you are god and the church remain supportive of his teaching? The New Age movement is now within the walls of the church and many of God’s own people do not have enough discernment to recognize this danger. Concerning the last days, Jesus asked a redundant question, “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” The Bible repeatedly warns that there will first be a falling away within the church before Christ returns. Today, we are seeing the church fall from faith while congregations cheer. We were foretold that it will happen, however, we don’t have to be a part of it.
Why do many congregations claiming to be Christian support teachers who preach anti-Christian doctrine?
The truth of God has been abandoned as sensationalism gains its appeal. People would rather be gods than to worship God. According to scripture, the silent church is just as guilty as those who proclaim that you are god and you are the Messiah. Look at this doctrine the Word-Faith movement proudly teaches:
"When you were born again, the word was made flesh in you. Don't tell me you have Jesus. You are everything that He was and everything that He is and ever shall be. The new man...says I am as He is. Don't say I have [Jesus], say 'I AM, I AM, I AM, I AM'". Benny Hinn
The New Age Unity Church teaches an almost identical belief:
He [Jesus] became the perfect example of the God potential in each of us. That is what Jesus was, and is, all about: finding unity with God and thereby discovering the Christ power within. That's what you are all about too. That is what our journey of spiritual rediscovery is all about.
The Quest: A Journey of Spiritual Rediscovery by Richard Jafolla.
"Why you say, 'I am a Christian, you are saying I am a little Messiah walking on the earth. May I say it? You are a little god running around."
Benny Hinn
"We are gods. I am a little god. You are anything that He is." – Paul Crouch
You are everything that He is or will ever be? You are a Messiah? You are a little god? We have heard the Mormons speak; we have heard the openly New Age speak; we have heard the Word-Faith teachers speak. Now let’s hear God speak.
Does the Bible tell us that we are everything Jesus is, was or ever will be?
Why do pagan religions teach that man is divine and equal to God?
Why does the Word-Faith religion teach that man is divine and equal to God?
Let’s begin by looking at Hebrews 2
6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him?
7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And set him over the works of Your hands.
Read Hebrews 1:5-6. On the earth, was Jesus above or below the angels?
According to Hebrews 2, is man above or below the angels?
What is man higher than?
It seems to me that this passage alone should put to rest any claim that man is divine. We know that angels are not gods and this passage tells us that man has been made lower than angels. How can we be everything that God is and be lower than the angels? Hebrews 1 tells us that the angels came to worship Jesus Christ. If Jesus is the object of the worship of angels and we are lower than the angels, how can Word-Faith doctrine say that we are little Messiahs or that when you look at us, you are looking at Jesus Christ? Consider these passages:
Isaiah 43:10: "You are my witnesses," says the Lord, "And My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me."
Isaiah 44:6: "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.'"
Isaiah 45:21-22: "Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together, Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me."
Isaiah 46:9: "Remember the former things of old, for I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is none like Me."
According to scripture, are we a god?
According to scripture, will we ever be a god?
God doesn’t leave any doubt – there are no such things as gods. There is only one God and He has revealed Himself to us through His word. You can’t become a god. The scriptures state, “before Me there was no god formed, nor will there be after Me”. Word-Faith teaches that you are anything that He is, but in the Bible God said, “there is none like Me”. Word-Faith teaches that you are a Christ, but the Bible clearly states that God is the only Savior.
Read Exodus 9:13-14. If there is none like God, can any man be a replica of God?
Look at Isaiah 40:
25 " To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One.
The Bible tells us that God is not a man and that man is not like God. Who can be God’s equal is a redundant question. The answer is no one and nothing. Biblical doctrine says that no one is to be compared to God, but the Word-Faith doctrine teaches a completely different gospel. Here is how this doctrine compares man to God:
Man was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God's presence without any consciousness of inferiority. God has made us as much like Himself as possible. He made us the same class of being the He is Himself. Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God. The Believer is called Christ. That's who we are; we're Christ! - Kenneth Hagan
Read Revelation 1:12-18. Did John (who was in the spirit) feel inferior?
The claim that we are Christ sounds strikingly similar to Jesus’ warning about those who would come in His name in the end times. Look at Jesus’ warnings:
Luke 21
8 And He said: "Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them.
Matthew 24
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: "Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.
Does the Word-Faith doctrine fit Jesus’ warning about false Christ’s coming in His name?
Does the Bible say to follow them but just not the blatant errors in their doctrine?
When we see 10,000 people in an auditorium applauding these teachers, it isn’t hard to see that Jesus’ warning that many will be deceived has indeed come to pass. As we look and see billions of dollars being poured into these ministries by ‘the many’, we can know that we truly are nearing the end. These teachers justify their beliefs by twisting the scriptures. Look at this explanation:
"God does not even draw a distinction between man and Himself. You can never do that in a covenant relationship". – Paul Crouch
Let me ask, ‘why can you never draw a distinction in a covenant relationship’?
Because Word-Faith teachers say so? That is not a legitimate explanation. A covenant is simply a pledge or a will. Even if we concede this issue to the Word-Faith teachers (which the Bible does not allow for), their doctrine is still false. The covenant is not between God and us; it is between God and Himself with us as the benefactors. Abraham benefited from God’s covenant, but He was not allowed to participate in the actual covenant. In Genesis 15, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Abraham and God walked between the pieces of the sacrifice to seal the covenant. God appeared as both a smoking pot and a burning torch. Abraham slept while God sealed the covenant between Himself and Himself.
Now compare this to the cross. Jesus was God in the flesh. The blood was His own and the covenant was between God and Himself with us as the benefactors. God sealed the covenant while the world slept. Everyone was completely in the dark until after the covenant was sealed. Abraham prepared the sacrifice, but God made the covenant. In Jesus’ time, men prepared the sacrifice but God made the covenant. How does this make us equal with God? Clearly it doesn’t. It only shows that grace is not by works, but by faith in what God alone has done for us. We may have the benefit of a relationship because of the covenant, but the covenant is not dependent on us. Thank God the covenant is not between us and God. If it were, it would have been broken the first time man sinned. What good would the covenant be if man’s failure put us back into the same position mankind was put in at the fall in the Garden? God has already showed that righteousness dependent on man has failed. Now righteousness depends on Christ who cannot fail.
Why didn’t God allow Abraham to be a participant in the sealing of the covenant?
Who prepared the sacrifice in the Abrahamic covenant and the covenant of Christ?
Is there any rational reason to say that God’s covenant does not allow Him to draw a distinction between God and man?
Before we move on, I would like to take the time to address a couple of pet verses that Word-Faith teachers use to persuade people that the Bible supports their ‘you are god’ theory. The first passage is Exodus 7:
1 So the LORD said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet.
I won’t spend much time on this passage because the intent is quite obvious. The KJV words it, “I have made thee a god to Pharaoh”. Pharaoh was the highest god in ancient Egypt’s pagan religious world. They had gods for everything. Some gods had higher powers than others. The Egyptians believed that it was necessary to appease all the gods so that their wives could be fertile, their crops would yield harvest, the rains would come in season, and so on. The plagues God sent were specifically targeted against the gods of Egypt. Pharaoh went down to greet the Nile floods and honor this god. God sent Moses to meet him and to turn the water to blood. This was a direct assault against this false god. One of their gods was a frog, so God sent a plague of millions of frogs. Because Pharaoh thought he was a god, Moses was like a rivaling god against Pharaoh. To yield to Moses was to admit before his people that Pharaoh wasn’t the strongest god. God said in Exodus 9:14 that the plagues against Pharaoh’s gods were meant to show that there was none like God. It was not to show that Moses was a god. Moses was not a god. However, to the pagan worshipping Pharaoh he was a god. It was only in Pharaoh’s eyes that Moses was considered divine.
If the Bible acknowledges that people revere men as gods, does this mean the Bible condones this behavior?
Now look at Psalm 82:
1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly, And show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know, nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
6 I said, "You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes."
This passage requires a little more thought, but it is still quite clear. In the context of this passage it is clear that the ‘gods’ are not called so because they are divine, but because they are set up to be judges. God established His leadership to judge and do justice among the people. This has nothing to do with divinity. We know this because God follows up by saying, “You are gods and children of the Most High, but you shall die like men”. Look at the entire context of this passage. God is judging the judges He has ordained because they became arrogant and unjust. In stead of using the power God had given for to defend the helpless and needy, they used it for greed and gain. They afflicted the needy and gave favor to the wicked. Jesus used this same passage against the Pharisees. They thought they were above the people. The passage declares that these ‘gods’ are wicked, without understanding, walking in darkness, have an unstable foundation, and they will die like all men do. This doesn’t sound much like the claims of divinity the Word-Faith and other religions proclaim it to be.
If the Bible calls these ‘gods’ arrogant men who walk in darkness and oppress for greed, what are teachers saying when they point to this as evidence for their ‘godhood’?
There is one last reference to gods I would like to bring to light. Look at Isaiah 41
20 That they may see and know, And consider and understand together, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.
21 " Present your case," says the LORD. "Bring forth your strong reasons," says the King of Jacob.
22 "Let them bring forth and show us what will happen; Let them show the former things, what they were, That we may consider them, And know the latter end of them; Or declare to us things to come.
23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, That we may know that you are gods; Yes, do good or do evil, That we may be dismayed and see it together.
24 Indeed you are nothing, And your work is nothing; He who chooses you is an abomination.
Is God declaring that man is divine? Or challenging the proud to give a reason for why they feel as though they are gods?
Why does God end by saying “You are nothing and your works are nothing”?
If God says, “He who chooses you is an abomination”, what does this say about those who claim to be gods?
In this passage, God is challenging those who call themselves gods. God challenges them, if they are gods, present your case. Show us what will happen in the future. Show us the past. Declare what is to come. What are the purposes of God? They should know since they are gods. God challenges them to show their power since they think they are gods. Then God follows up by saying, “you are nothing; your work is nothing; and he who chooses you is an abomination”. That is a very divisive statement. God declares that anyone who chooses these who claim to be gods is an abomination to Himself, the only true God.
There are only two ways that we can be so-called gods. When we stand in the place of authority that God has ordained us to be, we are gods in the sense that we represent Him. We are nothing, but in His will and by His authority, we are instruments for His purposes. The other way we are gods is found in the beginning of scripture. In Genesis 3:22, God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil”. We are like God in the sense that we know right from wrong. Satan promised Eve that she would be like God. It was a half-truth. She was like God only in that she could identify good and evil. Sin has plagued man every since. If someone claims that we are a god in any other context is a false statement and a false god. Satan’s lie is still the same – you will be like God. Man’s pride believes the lie because he does not want God; rather he wants to be god.
Why do people want to be a god?
Are those trying to become gods in love with God or themselves?
Why does God say that He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble?
In Conclusion:
Look at Romans 1
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man -- and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
If someone proclaims to have special wisdom, does that make them wise?
How do we determine if someone truly has been sent by God?
Will a true prophet draw attention to themselves, or point others to look at Christ?
It is the responsibility of every believer to uphold the truth so that each person can make a clear choice. If someone is deceived, it should be a knowing choice to reject the scriptures. We can’t make people want God, but we can uphold His truth so that people can see what choice they are making.
Exchanged Life Outreach
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