To Be Called Gods

Last updated on: October 12, 2021 at 2:50 am by Henry Karlson

To Be Called Gods 2021-10-12T02:50:28-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ex-InTransit: Moses / Flickr

Grace purifies, illuminates, and perfect those who cooperate with it. Its transformative power is said to deify those who perfectly join with it so that they can be called gods. It is true, they will not be gods by nature, but they will become gods by grace as they participate in and experience the divine nature. This is how and why Moses was said to have become like a god for Pharoah: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I make you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet’” (Ex. 7:1 RSV). Similarly, people can be called gods by the kind of authority they are given, such as we find with those who held positions of power in Israel, but here, those who were called such often were not worthy of the title. The Psalmist, understanding this, ridiculed those who took on the name of gods for themselves while not allowing themselves to be transformed by grace so as to be made worthy of the name :

How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked (Ps. 82:2-4 RSV)

As a god unto Pharoah, Moses promoted justice, demanding the people of Israel to be set free from their unjust bondage. He used the power and authority he had been given for the sake of the people of Israel and not for his own selfish gain. He revealed the glory of God to others through his actions, a glory which elevates the afflicted and judges and condemns those who ignore the plight of the oppressed. Moses had a special experience of God at the site of the burning bush, an experience which transformed him and elevated him beyond all others of his era. He fulfilled the expectations God had for him; he cooperated with grace, and through it, he was able to undermine the systematic structures of sin which hindered the people of Israel from fulfilling their place in salvation history. By promoting the cause of the oppressed over the oppressors, by freeing them from their oppression, Moses did what many of his successors would not do, even though they were to be given grace and authority so that they could continue what he had begun. They were, like him, called to be as gods, to present the glory of God to the world, but they abused their power and authority and so were rightfully mocked by the Psalmist. For they did not understand what the divine nature was like: they thought of it only in the terms of absolute power instead of love; they did not understand that the proper way for the divine nature to be revealed was in imitation of God’s love for the world.

The title of god is not to be used solely for those in position of power, but rather, it is meant to be used by anyone touched by God’s grace and transformed by it. Grace elevates people and gives them an authority all their own, an authority which they are to use to follow after God and like Moses, to use their charism to serve justice, to help the afflicted, to heal the world from the harm it has suffered as a result of sin. Nonetheless, Jesus also showed us that such justice must not be seen as a rigid, legalistic justice which knows no mercy nor forgiveness for those who change their ways. Justice is not truly just if it is not capable of granting forgiveness to those who repent of what they have done. Forgiveness, mercy, and grace are just as much a part of justice as is lifting up those who have been harmed by sin.

Throughout history, there have been special men and women of God, so touched by grace, that people could see grace had transformed them and elevated them so much that the effects of deification was apparent in them. The monastic charism, when properly lived out, gives us many examples of this, such as when St. Macarius the Great was seen to be like a god because of the way he showed mercy to others:

They said of Abba Macarius the Great that he became, as it is written, a god upon earth, because, just as God protects the world, so Abba Macarius would cover the faults which he saw, as though he did not see them; and those which he heard, as though he did not hear them.[1]

Macarius did not deny justice. He promoted it by promoting mercy. He was not interested in gossip, neither in hearing it, nor in spreading it. He showed the work of grace in his life, and it is by his gracious actions towards others he proved how and why he was like a god upon the face of the earth. Those who are one with grace will work for the forgiveness of sins, covering the faults of others, following after Christ who had first forgiven them and covered their sins by his grace.

Christians are called to cooperate with grace so that, through it, it would not be wrong to call them gods upon the earth, for they will live, not for their own selfish desires, not for their own idle pleasures, but to make the world a better place. They will do this by promoting justice in all its aspects (personal and social), even as they will work to overcome the defects of justice found in the world through the healing ministry of grace. Justice must not confused with some sort of nihilistic or retributive justice, rather, justice must be understood as restorative, doing what needs to be done to heal the afflictions caused by sin. Christians should share the grace they have been given with others, forgiving others as they have been forgiven themselves; they should do so, of course, in such a way so as to continue to promote justice and transform the way things are in the world. They will work to eliminate the structures of sin found in society and lift up the oppressed so that the afflicted would receive the justice which they had been denied. If Christians will not do so, then they, like the unjust judges ridiculed by the Psalmist, will rightfully be mocked, because they will have taken on a name and title without taking on its reality upon themselves.

[1] The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. trans. Benedicta Ward (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1984), 134 [Saying of Macarius the Great 32].

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

Previous Post

October 10, 2021

Apologists Must Embrace Charity Not Argumentation As The Foundation Of Their Work

Next Post

October 13, 2021 Engage The Spirit

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz