What the Bible says about God creating man in His own image, pt. 5

GOD IS NOT A MAN
Some cults teach that God was once a man, and obtained Godhood. However, the Bible clearly teaches against such a false idea. Numbers 23:19 declares, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”

The Bible declares that God has existed from everlasting, Genesis 21:33, “Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.” Psalms 93:2 declares, “Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting.” God has always existed, Psalms 90:2 declares, “Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

The Bible does not teach that God is a man. However the Bible does teach that God became a man and dwelt among us in the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The following passages teach that God would become a man and dwell among us. Isaiah 9:6-7 declares, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” Matthew 1:20-23 declares, “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.’ So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’" II Corinthians 5:19 declares, “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” And I Timothy 3:16 declares, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” All these passages clearly teach that God indeed became a man and lived among us.

Jesus himself referred to Himself as the Son of Man and the Son of God, John 3:14-17, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” In using the title Son of Man, Jesus was identifying Himself with mankind and also declaring Himself to be the Messiah prophesied of by Daniel, Daniel 7:13-14, “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, one like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”

MAN IS NOT A GOD
There are those within the so-called “Faith Movement” that teach that since man was created in the image of God, men are in reality, little gods. The often refer to themselves as “little gods.” One even went so far to say that, “When you see me, you see Jesus.”

They often quote John 10:34 and Psalms 82 in an attempt to justify their position. Let’s look at these two passages and see if we can understand there meaning. In John 10:31-37 John declares, “Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?’ The Jews answered Him, saying, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your law, 'I said, You are gods"'? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'? If Jesus was not the Son of God His words would have been blasphemous. However, since He is the Son of God His words are true and just. Jesus question was simple and straightforward: If God called human judges "gods," then why should they stone Him for applying the same title to Himself?

Lets look as Psalms 82:1, “God stands in the congregation of the mighty; He judges among the gods.” Notice that it is God who calls human judges “gods.” They were called this by God because as judges they held in their hands the power of life and death. Instead of dispensing justice in equity and righteousness, they had perverted justice and taken bribes. They thought of themselves as “gods.” However, as we read on we see what God thought of them, Psalms 82:6-7, “I said, ‘You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High. But you shall die like men, And fall like one of the princes.’” Clearly they were mere men who thought that they were gods but were not. Men are not “little gods,” nor will they ever be gods. This was the lie that began in the garden and is being perpetuated by many in the so-called “Faith Movement.” Those that teach that they are “little gods” are at the least mistaken and at the worst, liars seeking to deceive others. They never were gods and they never will be gods.

CONCLUSION
God made man in His own image reflecting some of His own characteristics. God was not once a man, for there were no gods before him and there will be no gods after Him. Additionally, to see God in a person is not their attaining a status as a “little god,” but rather is only possible as they allow the Holy Spirit to conform them to the image of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:29 declares, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” And I John 3:2 declares, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

It is only in Jesus Christ whereby we can have forgiveness of sins and be conformed into the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.