You Are gods!

A study in our gender typology
- Part Five -
Post 255

WARNING: IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN A REGULAR READER PLEASE SKIP THIS POST.
The probability of misapplication is simply too great.

I confess over the past several posts I have presented a very diminishing perspective on the female gender Type. While this is uncomfortable, it was not without specific intent. We really think far more of ourselves than we ought to think and it takes a bit of delicate discussion to break that rooted focus (Romans 12:3). Please be careful to remember that the female gender role is simply a representation of the entire bride of Christ including both men and women; we are all in this submissive boat together as we serve our Lord. But because it is the woman who represents our Christian role, by corruption American women have been beguiled generally to cast off their Type and are now super-sensitive that anyone should suggest today’s liberated female mindframe is not good, as it warps our understanding of the Christian roll under Christ. I for one have no problem accepting that I am not on equal standing as my Lord and am delighted that I must not assume his authority or responsibilities to provide for my salvation and continuance (I Timothy 1:12). Truly my salvation in Christ is secure as I am not saved by my works or fail to be saved by my lack of works. I am betrothed to the Lord!

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” Ephesians 2:9.

But neither do I assume in self-centered glory to think I am so special that my foolish disobedient behavior does not damage our secure relationship before the actual wedding. I might still be his bride but a cold shoulder and lonely heart is not a pleasant way to go through married life. 100% of all trouble between my Lord and I is a result of me obsessing about me-and-mine and if I have acquired what I think I should have to make me happy (Philippians 4:11). If only we would learn this simple truth we could all remain literally giddy with love of our spouses and our God. Frankly if I am 100% focused on the happiness of my Lord then he is free to spend a whole lot of focus to delight in seeing that I am happy too (Ephesians 3:17-20, Deuteronomy 18:1-14).

So. Assuming that we actually “get it” now, IN THAT MINDFRAME our Lord has some incredible surprises to delight us as we bask in his magnificent glory bearing his unfathomable name and glory: We really do become one with Christ and there is far more to that truth than mere name-calling!

“I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High” Psalm 82:6.

“What in the world does that actually mean? Surely it must be some analogy or something; it seems like you’re suggesting blasphemy!”
Let’s see how Jesus Christ himself used this Old Testament passage as he spoke to the Jewish religious leaders, ending his statement with:

…“I and my Father are one” John 10:30.
“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God” John 10:31-33.

Now how can we blame them for their conclusion? There is no doubt that Jesus was indeed declaring himself to be God, and yet indeed he was a very real man. But now, these many years removed from the event in question, we believe that Jesus was indeed both man and God and so we judge them as foolish for not believing the man standing before them? Do you who believe Jesus was God actually know the Old Testament passages that guarantee that this particular man was in fact God?
Probably not, yet you believe. It seems apparent then that these Jews were more correct in their rational evaluation than you…. Though you are actually right in your unfounded belief, I wouldn’t call that smart but simply fortunate that your ignorant belief happens to be true.
But how did Jesus respond?

“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” John 10:34.

Who are gods? Obviously those to whom it was written in their law; The Israelites; i.e. the children of God (Psalm 82:6). But Jesus does not simply stop at repeating the law, he expounds on it to drive the point home;

“If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified(37), and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?” John 10:35-36.

Jesus confirmed with these men of faith that this god status of God’s people is the meaning of the passage, and then re-establishes in their minds what they already believe: that the scripture cannot be broken; therefore “God’s people must be gods” in a very real sense. Then with this established understanding and reasoning, Jesus challenges their confused logic that they should stone him for blasphemy because he simply admitted what the scriptures had already declared; that he was at least a god as the child of God, then he steps it up just one more level; he declares himself to be uniquely special among these gods, as one whom the Father had sanctified and sent into the world.

Sanctified 37 hagiazo; from 40; to make holy, i.e. (ceremonially) purify or consecrate; (mentally) to venerate:-- hallow, be holy, sanctify.

With this special status he declares himself to be the Son of God with a capital S.
Suddenly this is not such a leap as they, or we, tend to imagine. If God really declared his people to be little gods because they were God’s children, then one whom he sent sanctified could indeed be the Son of God. But how could they know for sure? Jesus continues:

“If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him” John 10:37-38.

The works; the miracles, the fulfillment of prophecy, the teaching, his life, all show scripturally through the prophets that this is indeed the promised Messiah the Son of God in the express image of God by his works. And they themselves confirmed that the works were true; “For a good work we stone thee not.” But they already had their minds made up and reached out to stone him anyway, not seriously contemplating the prophesied works that validated him (John 10:39, Exodus 5:4, Psalm 28:5, 33:4, 40:5, 86:8, 107:21-31 regarding the disciples in the storm: Mark 4:37-41, Numbers 16:28-30 as a type of the 70AD destruction of the Temple and the Diaspora of the Jews, etc., among many others). A more earnest study will reveal that Jesus’ miracles and works were already typed in the Old Testament in the twin-rut expression to confirm him. And our works likewise validate our own standing with God (James 2:18+26).
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Application:
So getting back on track, God called his people “gods” and Jesus confirmed this was not an analogy. But how are we to actually apply this truth in our temporal reality? Again the scriptures point us back to the marriage relationship to understand it:

“What? know ye not that he which is joined (2853) to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined (2853) unto the Lord is one spirit” I Corinthians 6:16-17.

Joined 2853 kollao; from kola (“glue”); to glue, i.e. (passively or reflexively) to stick (figuratively):-- cleave, join (self), keep company.

Yes this passage is clearly speaking of healthy and unhealthy physical unions in marriage (which science has not yet discovered the accuracy), but that is not actually the primary layer of the point. Jesus was using what they already understood to make a deeper statement: Just as marrying a harlot (as did Hosea) results in great sorrow of heart in this life, and marrying a faithful companion results in a different/better life, so it is, that much more, with our spirits as we join them with God; you partake in whatever comes with the one you join (Romans 6:16, Luke 16:13).

“But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” I Corinthians 6:17.

We truly, and really, and in this life of the temporal flesh, are made one spirit with God when we accept his offer of union. How is this possible?

“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” I Corinthians 6:19.

The topic of the analogy is marriage, when you marry you are not your own but belong to the one you marry… in both directions! (I Corinthians 7:3-4).
Likewise the introduction of the Holy Ghost in our bodies is the evidence of the one-spirit union of marriage to our Lord (Romans 8:9,14). We have this Spirit of God now in our flesh and now we are not our own; we are the bride of Christ! We bear his Name as discussed in previous posts, and in so bearing He is not his own but belongs to us too! He has declared to his “business associates” that our word is His word (Matthew 16:19). Do you understand this?! This is the importance of Simon’s failure to receive the Spirit of God’s name in Acts 8:21. We are not just humans symbolically married to Christ the Son of God; rather we are granted god status by actually being his bride just as Cinderella the poor wretch was granted all the glory of the prince when he married her! What she was is no longer relevant; she is now the princess of the kingdom with all its glory! (*1).
Does she want to lie in bed all day eating bon-bons or go out into her kingdom bringing relief to her people? She can do either and still be the princess (I Corinthians 6:12, 10:23), but the reason the prince married her is because he liked the idea of her servant heart and saw all that she could accomplish with his authority and glory, power and resources. He saw the potential as a perfect match:

“If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”… Philippians 2:1-7.

We always blow-over the most incredible part of this passage to understand the notion of a servant heart, which is of course its intent. But let’s take a closer look at the central part of this in light of our god status topic:

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:…”

Whatever he is about to show us is the mindframe of Christ, and we are to have this very same mindframe ourselves:

“…Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal (2470) with God:…” Philippians 2:5-6.

Equal 2470 isos; probably from 1492 (through the idea of seeming); similar (in amount and kind):--+agree, as much, equal, like.

Are you following this?! Do or do not the Old Testament scriptures, and Jesus Christ himself, and the New Testament apostle writers, tell us that we are indeed to have and should possess the mindframe that we are in the form of God (Genesis 1:26), and it is not robbery to think we are equal with God as gods, his Son’s bride? “Mrs. God Jr.” if you will.

“Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” John 10:34.

Wow! And again I say WOW!
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The Crux:
This is not an easy thing to wear for most; either it will frighten the mind to hide from it or it will be grabbed with both hands to abuse in the power of self-glory. Being a god sounds exciting and liberating but there is an equal degree of responsibility that comes with it. Finish the passage to see the mind that was in Christ that we also need to assume with the title of god.
Ye are gods in the same way that a wife takes the full name of her husband to bear that name from now on just as her husband bears it from birth. She puts off her family name of birth and becomes a member of her husband’s family to take up her husband’s lifestyle. This image Type is again shown in adoption, also used by scripture to explain from a bit different angle this metamorphosis that takes place (Romans 8:23, 9:4, Galatians 4:5, Ephesians 1:5).
But equal in status does not mean equal in position just as a wife though equal with her husband is not her husband. A son when born bears his father’s name just as much as when he is married and has a son of his own, but at his birth there is much about bearing that name that he does not yet know or intelligently access (Hebrews 5:8-9); he is not positionally equal with his father and never will be his father. A son who pretends to be his father is a forger and a usurper, yet a father wants his son to take up his name and carry the next generation on in his spirit of the family name. It’s easy to see this complex meaning in the flesh but somehow confusing when thinking about it spiritually. yet suddenly, it is no longer hard to understand the answer to the common question:

“If there is a God, why is there so much suffering in the world?”

We are the gods of the Creation, of which the Creator gave us dominion (Genesis 1:26), if we want to trouble it, that is our right as gods, if we want to run it the way he suggests, that too is our right to do as gods. We cannot blame God for what we do; the authority is granted to us to run it as we wish… but wisdom will tell us that accountability to God should factor into our decisions (Romans 14:11-12, I Peter 4:5, Matthew 12:36-37, 18:23+, Luke 21:36, Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 3:6, Titus 1:16). The simple but wholly pivotal issue becomes what we choose to do with our godhood. I regret to say that for quite some time now American Christians have parked their Mrs. godhood on the sofa and wailed like infants for God to do their job for them. The results are not God’s fault and it’s not God’s will that America is falling, that is our lazy doing, as if once married, Cinderella’s servant heart became self-absorbed in the luxury of the kingdom, imitating the attitude of her wicked step-sisters. Likewise, it is our job to bring it back from the brink if it is going to get done at all…. Just don’t forget it is the Spirit of God in you that actually provides the success of your doing as you make godlike choices as children of God the King (Deuteronomy 29:9 when considering it’s large context. Practically applied in every day life; Genesis 24:21).

While the world seems to understand, in a small confused but growing way, that humans are indeed supposed to be gods, Christians run in the fear of blasphemy from the idea because the high place has not been utterly torn down (discussed another time in “The High Place”). Twisted concepts like Mormonism and the New Age movement and now Islam, help forward our fears and so we hide from what God has declared while the world boldly misapplies it, in ways I hope to discuss in another work under the title; The Mystery is not the Beast.

In the Garden, Satan told the woman if they ate the fruit they would be as gods (Genesis 3:5), was he right? Yes!...partially. But as is his nature, he presented the truth in a skewed perspective; They were already gods and by eating the fruit they would be reduced to acting as gods rather than fulfilling being gods; their godhood in fact died on the day they ate the fruit just as God promised. This is what Jesus Christ came to fix.
This concept brings us back into proper alignment; Our god-status is always and forever directly connected to our relationship with Him who puts his God Spirit within us. Our god-status is not in conflict with God; rather it is in union with him because it is of him as a husband and bride are one flesh. Depart from God and you depart from godhood (Ephesians 4:30, 5:18-19).
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What’s in a Spirit?
The single factor that differentiates the Cinderella princess from the modern princesses is this new self-focus. The animators themselves call it; “Independence, Proactive, Self-sufficient, Progressive”, and what did they say of Belle? Oh ya; “[By the Operatic music of the first song ‘Belle’] we’re telling you that this girl is different and the town doesn’t really understand her…basically you set up that she wants more than is in this provincial town.” This is vitally important to understand in our quest for true Christianity vs. the illusion of Christianity. The easiest way to clearly see the difference is to go back to Cinderella and see her forgotten nature (Jeremiah 6:16) and then compare it with the “new” princess, not to evaluate which is better, but to see what was-and-is the right way, as opposed to the way that is “right” today.
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(*1) The thing that made Cinderella so at peace with her rags situation of abuse was the faith that she would one day be the bride of the prince. This is hard to sell in a non-religious fairytale but the Christian overlay is the only explanation for her demeanor. She was already promised to the Prince in the hope of faith as a believer, now, in this flesh, patiently waiting only for her physical translation to match her faith (Romans 8:10+23-25).
YOU ARE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST if the Spirit of God resides in you! To study the scriptures with this perspective is to open up doors of new comprehension. You are not helpless wretches still waiting for Christ to save you; you are gods with the authority and power of God residing in you while you are yet a servant;

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me" Philippians 4:13.
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I would not post such a potentially dangerous article if it were not vitally important. The next few posts will show the reason, as we continue to build on this foundational concept.
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