Are We Little Gods? The Truth About Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34

Published On: November 19, 2025

“I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you.'” When Jesus quoted this stunning line from Psalm 82, He ignited a controversy that still confuses readers today. Cult leaders have twisted it to claim we’re divine beings in embryo. Prosperity preachers use it to justify “little gods” theology. New Age teachers cite it as proof of our inherent divinity. But what did this verse actually mean—and why did Jesus bring it up at the most heated moment of His ministry?

The Reformed tradition offers a clear, compelling answer rooted in careful attention to Scripture’s own interpretation. When we let the Bible explain itself, Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34 become not a puzzle but a powerful testimony to both the seriousness of delegated authority and the unique supremacy of Christ. Here’s what these passages really teach. And don’t.

UNDERSTANDING PSALM 82 IN CONTEXT

Psalm 82 opens with a courtroom scene: “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgement” (v. 1). This “divine council” sounds mysterious until we read what these so-called “gods” are accused of: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?” (v. 2). They’re commanded to “give justice to the weak and the fatherless” and “maintain the right of the afflicted” (v. 3).

Suddenly it’s clear: these “gods” aren’t divine beings—they’re human judges behaving unjustly. The psalm is God’s indictment against corrupt officials who’ve failed in their calling. And verse 7 removes all doubt: “Nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” Real gods don’t die. These “gods” are mortals who will face mortality’s judgement.

But why call them “gods” at all? Because in Hebrew, elohim (the word translated “gods”) can refer to anyone exercising divine authority on God’s behalf. We see this elsewhere in Scripture. In Exodus 21:6 and 22:8-9, judges are called elohim because they represent God’s justice. When Exodus 22:28 commands, “You shall not revile God (elohim),” it refers to human magistrates. As John Calvin explained, these officials bore the title “gods” only as God’s representatives in their office—a delegated, derivative authority that remained entirely human.

Psalm 82:6, then, is bitterly ironic. God says to these corrupt judges, “I said, ‘You are gods'”—I gave you this exalted role, this godlike authority to administer justice—”but you will die like men” because you’ve abused it. It’s a warning about accountability, not a statement about human nature.

JESUS’ ARGUMENT IN JOHN 10:34-36

Fast forward to John 10. Jesus has just declared, “I and the Father are one” (v. 30). The Jews pick up stones to execute Him for blasphemy: “You, being a man, make yourself God” (v. 33). Instead of backing down, Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6: “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 Scripture cannot be broken—do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” (vv. 34-36).

This is classic rabbinic reasoning—arguing from the lesser to the greater. Jesus’ logic runs like this: If Scripture called corrupt, mortal judges “gods” merely because they held an office representing divine authority, how much more appropriate is it for the One whom the Father Himself sanctified and sent into the world to be called the Son of God?

But notice what Jesus is not saying: He’s not claiming, “See, we’re all gods really!” He’s making a sharp distinction. Those judges were called “gods” by accommodation, as a metaphor for their delegated role. Jesus’ claim is fundamentally different—He is God’s Son by nature, not by office. Just three verses earlier He declared unity with the Father (v. 30), claiming not merely to represent God but to be essentially one with Him.

As Matthew Henry observed, Jesus uses Scripture to demonstrate the reasonableness of His claims. If the term could be applied even to unjust human judges in a limited, metaphorical sense, the Jews shouldn’t be shocked when Christ—who truly comes from the Father—claims divine Sonship. The argument magnifies the distance between corrupt human authority and Christ’s true deity, rather than collapsing it.

WHAT THIS PASSAGE DOES NOT MEAN

Let’s be clear about what Scripture does not teach:

Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34 do not support the idea that we, humans, are or can become gods. They don’t validate Word of Faith theology’s “little gods” doctrine, New Age claims about inherent divinity, or any teaching that we possess divine nature or can progress toward godhood.

The rest of Scripture slams the door on such interpretations. “Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me,” God declares in Isaiah 43:10. Again in Isaiah 44:6: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” The ontological gap between Creator and creature is absolute and unbridgeable. God doesn’t share His divine essence. Neither do we possess a divine spark waiting to be awakened.

WHAT THIS PASSAGE DOES MEAN

So what’s the positive teaching of Scripture?

First, all human authority is delegated and derivative, never inherent. When judges, magistrates, parents, or church officers exercise authority, they’re acting as God’s representatives—stewards, not owners. Their authority is real but borrowed.
Second, those who bear God’s authority must exercise it justly. James 3:1 warns, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.” Psalm 82 thunders the same message: abuse your God-given authority, and you’ll answer to the Ultimate Judge.
Third, Christ’s unique divine nature infinitely surpasses any delegated human authority. Jesus’s argument in John 10 works precisely because the distance between corrupt human judges and the incarnate Son of God is immeasurable.

Finally, there’s a practical application for everyone in authority—whether civil, ecclesiastical, or domestic. You may exercise “godlike” authority in your sphere, but only as a steward under divine scrutiny.

CONCLUSION

When Scripture interprets Scripture, mystery becomes clarity. Jesus’ use of Psalm 82 doesn’t elevate human nature to divine status—it magnifies His own true deity while putting human authority in its proper place.

So no, we’re not gods, not even little ones. But we who’ve been given authority of any sort must exercise it with the trembling awareness that we represent the One who alone is God, and to whom we will give account. That’s both humbling and clarifying.

RELATED FAQs

What do Reformed scholars say about Psalm 82’s “divine council”? Contemporary exegetes like Michael Heiser have explored the “divine council” concept extensively, though they differ on whether Psalm 82 addresses heavenly beings or human judges. However, the Reformed consensus, represented by scholars like Bruce Waltke and Tremper Longman III, maintains the context decisively points to human judges—the accusations of injustice, the command to defend the poor, and especially verse 7’s “you shall die like men” all indicate mortal officials. Even those who see divine beings elsewhere in Scripture agree Psalm 82’s “gods” who “judge unjustly” and “die like men” must be humans exercising God’s delegated authority.

How do Mormons (Latter-day Saints) use this verse, and why is their interpretation problematic? The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints uses Psalm 82:6 and John 10:34 to support their doctrine of eternal progression—that we can become gods ruling our own worlds. Their distinctive teaching, “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become,” fundamentally contradicts Isaiah 43:10’s declaration that no gods were formed before or after the one true God. Additionally, Jesus’ argument in John 10 only works if there’s a categorical difference between the “gods” of Psalm 82 (metaphorically named officials) and His own unique divine nature—Mormon theology collapses the very distinction Jesus was establishing.
What about 2 Peter 1:4 where believers become “partakers of the divine nature”? Doesn’t that make us divine? This is one of Scripture’s most beautiful promises, but it must be read carefully. Peter describes escaping worldly corruption through God’s “precious and very great promises”—the context is moral transformation, not ontological change. Reformed theologian John Murray explained that participating in divine nature means sharing in God’s holiness, righteousness, and character through the work of the Holy Spirit, not acquiring divine essence or attributes like omniscience or omnipotence. We become like God ethically through sanctification, but we never become God or gods in being—the Westminster Shorter Catechism’s language of being “made partakers of his holiness” (Q. 35) captures this distinction perfectly.
Why does the New Testament use Psalm 82:6 only this once? Wouldn’t it be quoted more often if it were important? Actually, the rarity of Jesus’ quotation makes it more significant, not less. Jesus deploys Psalm 82:6 at a specific, critical moment when He’s accused of blasphemy, using a sophisticated rabbinic argument His opponents would have immediately recognised. The passage wasn’t meant as a general teaching about human nature but as a pointed response to a particular accusation—think of it as a focused legal argument rather than a sermon illustration. Moreover, the early church fathers rarely cited this verse precisely because they understood its limited, contextual purpose in Jesus’ defence of His unique Sonship.
Some charismatic teachers say we have “god-like creative power” through our words. Is there any biblical support for this? The Word of Faith movement’s teaching that believers can, like God, “speak things into existence” misunderstands both divine sovereignty and human speech. God’s Word is inherently creative because He is the uncreated Creator (Genesis 1, Psalm 33:9)—when He speaks, reality conforms to His will. Human words, however, are powerful only insofar as they align with God’s will and are empowered by His Spirit (James 5:16 speaks of “effective” prayer, not autonomous creative power). Reformed theology has always distinguished between God’s decretive will (what He sovereignly determines will happen) and human agency; we pray and speak as dependent creatures, never as independent “little gods” commanding reality.

If we’re not gods, why does Genesis 1:26-27 say we’re made in God’s “image and likeness”? Being made in God’s image (imago Dei) is indeed humanity’s highest dignity, but it’s categorically different from being divine. The Westminster Larger Catechism (Q. 17) explains the image consists in knowledge, righteousness, holiness, and dominion—we reflect or represent God as His image-bearers, like a mirror reflects without being the source of light. Ancient Near Eastern cultures used “image” language for kings who represented gods; humanity as God’s image means we’re His representatives on earth, exercising delegated stewardship. Crucially, even bearing God’s image, we remain creatures—Genesis 2:7 reminds us we’re formed from dust, entirely dependent on God’s breath for life.

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