Gods Who Die Like Men

All references are to the King James (Authorised) Version

Psalm 82: 6, 7: ‘I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children [sons] of the Highest. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.’

Q What does this passage teach?

A The word here rendered ‘princes’ signifies chiefs or heads.

Adam and our Lord Jesus are the two heads or princes referred to. Both died, but for different reasons Adam for his own sin, Christ as a willing sacrifice for the sins of the world.

The members of Christ’s church, justified by faith, are counted as free from the sin of Adam, and also from the death penalty attached to it, in order that they may share with Christ as joint-sacrificers.

It is as such joint-sacrificers with Christ that the death of the saints is esteemed highly by God: ‘Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints’ (Psa. 116: 15). They fall (die) like ‘one of the princes’ not like the first, but the second Adam, as members of the body of Christ, ‘filling up’ that which remains of the sufferings (afflictions) of Christ, their Head. See Col. 1: 24. The term ‘gods’, or mighty ones, in Psa. 82: 6, are these joint-heirs.

In John 10: 32-36, when answering His critics, Jesus cites Psa. 82:

32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of these works do ye stone me?

33 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.

34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

In a generic sense, ‘gods’ in the Scriptures refers to magisterial mighty ones judges. These are sons of the Heavenly Father, having been justified and sanctified by faith, begotten of the holy spirit, and offered the promise of the divine nature.

A change of dispensation was at hand, because Jesus had now brought ‘life and immortality to light through the gospel’ (2 Tim. 1: 10; emphasis added). Hence His question, ʻ[Why do you say of Me], whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?ʼ [emphasis added]. In other words, Jesus did not claim to be God. Those who insist that He did, unwittingly align themselves with His enemies, who accused Him of blasphemy, a misunderstanding which Jesus corrected.

To sum up: Jesus was the ‘god’, or Logos, the potentate of John 1: 1, who was ‘with’ the Omni-potent. Members of His elect Church became (lesser) gods in the biblical sense sons of the Most High. As such they were promised death-proof existence on the Divine plane as mighty beings, living and reigning with Christ (2 Peter 1: 4).

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