We live in a culture where more people than ever label themselves as “spiritual-but-not-religious.” Many in this group speak fondly of Jesus and even use some of His teachings to support their beliefs. Unfortunately, their teachings often get twisted to mean something Jesus never meant. One example is their claim that Jesus taught people are divine. But did Jesus really teach that?
Luke 17 and the Kingdom of God
Some may argue “yes” using Luke 17:20–21:
When [Jesus] was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst” (CSB).
The KJV translation, which seems to stick in many people’s memories, puts it differently. Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is within you.” This has led many creative thinkers to express how Jesus was trying to help them realize their own divinity. For this to work, “Kingdom of God” needs to mean something related to “divine nature,” and “within you” needs to mean “your identity.” Even if that wasn’t a stretch, it would be a difficult interpretation to believe in light of everything else Jesus taught.
A closer look at Luke 17
Jesus consistently spoke about entering the kingdom, not the kingdom entering people. This is why most modern Bible translations say the kingdom is “in your midst” instead of “within you.” It’s still a perfectly valid translation of the text itself, but it makes way better sense in context. Jesus is king, expressing God’s rule over the land. He is standing right there among the Pharisees. So God’s kingdom is among them. It’s not something they see (like a giant castle or an army of angels) but something they must recognize through a proper understanding of Jesus.
John 10 and “you are gods”
Another commonly used passage comes from John 10. The Jewish leaders are about to stone Jesus because “you—being a man—make yourself God” (v. 33 CSB). Jesus responds in verses 34–36:
Jesus answered them, “Isn’t it written in your law, I said, you are gods? If he called those to whom the word of God came ‘gods’—and the Scripture cannot be broken—do you say, ‘You are blaspheming’ to the one the Father set apart and sent into the world, because I said: I am the Son of God?
It seems that Jesus’s response is to basically say, “Relax, guys. I know I called myself God, but Scripture says we’re all gods.”
The correct view of John 10 and “you are gods”
Jesus is quoting Psalm 82:6. The passage is difficult to understand, though it’s generally understood that the Hebrew word for “god”—Elohim—is a flexible word that may be used for creatures other than the one true Yahweh God. The opponents of Jesus are ready to stone him because Jesus used the word “god,” of himself, so Jesus responds by pointing out that they haven’t really thought things through.
The Bible and divinity
Scripture is crystal clear that Jesus’s divinity goes far beyond what is true of humanity (Phil. 2:5-11; Col 1:15-17; Hebrews 1:3). God in the Old Testament also makes a clear-cut distinction between himself and humanity (Ps. 9:20, 50:21; Isa. 31:3, 43:10; Exe. 28:1–10). In Acts 12:23, Herod absorbs God’s glory for himself by letting others worship him as God. So an angel struck him down, and “he was eaten by worms and died” (For Herod’s sake, hopefully not in that order).
The Takeaway
There are many teachings in the Bible that elevate the status of a Christian to remarkable heights. We are heirs of Christ (Rom 8:17), we have Christ “in us” (Col. 1:27), and we are even told to imitate God (Eph. 5:1). However, as amazing as these statements are, the dividing line in Scripture between God and his creation is clear – and Jesus is not on the same side of that line as us. Only Jesus—who alone is both human and divine—can be a suitable bridge between us and God.
