Could Jesus be “a god”

By: Lorri MacGregor; ©February 2000

Was Jesus God? The Son of God? One of many gods? Is there anything in Scripture that would help us answer these questions? Lorri MacGregor did the research, and presents her findings in this article.

Many persons today deny that Jesus Christ is God. Some are willing to concede that He may be “a god,” but not God Almighty. Some believe that Jesus is the Son of God only, a lesser created personage, forever inferior to the Father God. This is the belief of groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and others like them.

While teaching that Jesus is Jehovah, the Mormons (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) believe that Jesus is one of a plurality of gods, and Jehovah is not the Father. Mormons hope to be gods themselves one day.

Eastern Hinduistic religions which have spread to the West allow for Jesus to be “a god” along with their gurus, and followers also hope to be gods one day.

We therefore turn to the Bible as our reliable guide—the only book that has proven itself to be historically correct—the only book that has accurately foretold events that have proven to be true—the only book God has given to man, “…inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction…” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Let’s let the Bible answer the question “could Jesus be ‘a god’ or is He God Almighty?” According to the Bible, there is only ONE TRUE, ETERNAL GOD by nature. All others are created, and by biblical definition, FALSE.

“Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am GOD, and THERE IS NO OTHER” (Isaiah 45:22).

“Now to the King ETERNAL, immortal, invisible, THE ONLY GOD, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17).

“God is ONLY ONE” (Galatians 3:20).

“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding, in order that we might know HIM WHO IS TRUE, and we are in HIM WHO IS TRUE, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is THE TRUE GOD and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

“You believe that GOD IS ONE. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder… (James 2:19).

So, the Scriptures are clear. There is only one true eternal God. The words ONE, TRUE, ETERNAL indicate that all other gods outside of this one TRUE ETERNAL ONE must be, by biblical definition, FALSE. The other gods are there­fore not eternal, but created by someone.

What about the other Gods?

The Bible acknowledges the existence of other gods, but places them in categories other than the exclusive position of the ONE TRUE GOD. These “gods” are, without exception, CREATED AND FALSE. They are not GOD by nature.

“However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which BY NATURE ARE NO GODS” (Galatians 4:8).

“For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but ONE GOD, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and ONE LORD, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him” (1 Corinthians 8:5,6).

Belief in the ONE TRUE GOD of Scripture has always necessitated renouncing ALL OTHER GODS. The Ten Commandments begin,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME… You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jeal­ous God…” (Exodus 20:2,3,5).

Categories of “Gods” in Scripture

Category 1—Satanic

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

“…the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

It is evident, if we believe Jesus to be “a god,” He would NOT fit this satanic category!

Category 2—Idols

• Carved Idols—

“And he did evil in the sight of the Lord as Manasseh his father had done, and Amon sacrificed to all the carved images which his father Manasseh had made, and he served them” (2 Chron. 33:22).

• Molten Images—

“They shall be turned back and be utterly put to shame, who trust in idols, who say to molten images, ‘you are our gods’” (Isaiah 42:17).

“And do not be idolators” (1 Cor. 10:7).

If we think that Jesus is “a god”, He would NOT fit into the above category!

Category 3—Exaltation of Humans to Gods

“Jesus answered them, ‘Has it not been written in your Law, “I said, ‘you are gods?”’” (John 10:34).

Who were called “gods” by Jesus? It was the judges who ruled Israel before the days of the Kings. These judges had the power of life and death over the people, and were called “gods.”

Were they true gods or false gods? Psalm 82 tells us in verses 1 and 2, “God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?”

Yes, God’s judgment awaited these “men-gods”, who were not behaving in a righteous manner. “I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you will die like men…’” (Psalm 82:6,7).

No exalted man is a true god, but a false one. Do not be deceived by the same lie Satan told Eve in the garden of Eden: “…You will be like God (or, “as gods”) knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

The teaching that any man can become a god is unscriptural. GOD has an exclusive on godship. If we think Jesus is “a god,” we see that we cannot place Him in this category of corrupt men. This concludes the biblical categories of “gods.” Jesus fits NONE of them. Jesus is NOT “a god.”

This is so important because if we have the right Jesus Christ, we are right for all eternity. If we have the wrong Jesus Christ, then we are wrong for all eternity. Do not be misled by groups that downgrade Jesus Christ, while exalting themselves. Jesus is Almighty God manifest in the flesh, nothing less. Why not trust in Him for your eternal salvation, rather than some organization?

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