BECOME LIKE GOD—IN BEING OR IN POWER

“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” – Colossians 3:14 “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” – Proverbs 21:21 “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” – Isaiah 1:17 “In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” – Ephesians 1:7 “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” – Ecclesiastes 7:12

Light the way our monthly newsletter welcomes you to the end of August and the beginning of September. No one has seen the true image of God. Whether we talk about scripture or even in mythology, mortals who asked for the true form of a god were either turned away or met unhappy has been said across different stories that either God has no actual form, or that His true visage is something beyond human understanding. It even warns us that one could not expect to see the true image of God and live to talk about it. Light The Way  examines Serpent’s statement to Eve, “…you will be like God.”  Many wonder whether humanity can ascend to a divine status. This question arises from an ancient moment in history: the serpent’s words in Eden, “Then the serpent said to the woman… ‘you will be like God…’” (Genesis 3:4-5). Countless traditions have interpreted this differently, ranging from literal divinization to moral imitation. Exploring the broader scriptural narrative and consistent teachings helps clarify what it means-or does not mean-to “become like God.” “Now the serpent was more devious than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made because he caused Adam and Eve to doubt God’s Word. The Lord had given them dominion over the whole earth and everything in it, but instead of trusting His Word, they listened to that old serpent – called the devil and Satan. They believed an insidious lie that continues to flourish today, “you shall be like God,” – you shall become godlike. Satan led them to believe that instead of being a good and gracious God that wanted the best for His people, He was a malevolent creature who was withholding information that would benefit them greatly. Satan sowed seeds of distrust in their hearts, by telling them “For God knows that in the day you eat from it (the tree of knowledge of good and evil) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Those satanic seeds of doubt and distrust caused Adam and Eve to rebel against God and forfeit their authority over the earth. The moment they sinned; they lost their beautiful innocence and an insurmountable barrier between God and man was erected. Immediately they were imputed with a sin-nature so that the good they wanted to do was impossible and the evil they did not want to do was what they did. The same lie that deceived our first parents has affected every generation of humanity and is still being strongly promoted today in various satanically inspired philosophies, human reasoning, and new age belief systems. They distort the Word of truth and blaspheme the character of God. They twist what is good and present it as evil, while promoting that which is evil and proclaiming it to be good.  The serpent may have deceived Eve, but Adam willingly joined her in her rebellious act and that one terrible sin continues to affect every member of humanity – for we are all born in sin and we are all at enmity with God. Satan approached Eve as an angel of light and promised her enlightenment – but he was in fact a roaring lion seeking to destroy her relationship with God and robbing her of a true knowledge of the Holy One.

BibleRef on what Gen 3:5 means reflects, “The power in the serpent’s temptation was his attack on God’s character and motivations: Don’t obey God because He is neither good nor loving nor trustworthy. The Devil says God wants to rob us of experiencing true power, from gaining full understanding. This assumes that mankind can judge the character of God. That lie continues to drive humans toward sin and away from the good God who loves us. Those satanic seeds of doubt and distrust caused Adam and Eve to rebel against God and forfeit their authority over the earth. The moment they sinned; they lost their beautiful innocence and an insurmountable barrier between God and man was erected. Immediately they were imputed with a sin-nature so that the good they wanted to do was impossible and the evil they did not want to do was what they did. The same lie that deceived our first parents has affected every generation of humanity and is still being strongly promoted today in various satanically inspired philosophies, human reasoning, and new age belief systems. They distort the Word of truth and blaspheme the character of God. They twist what is good and present it as evil, while promoting that which is evil and proclaiming it to be good.  The same attack on the goodness of God and the truth of His Word continues to be promoted today. “Did God REALLY say..?” was Satan’s initial approach in deceiving Eve. And the veracity of God’s Word and the inerrancy of Scripture continues to be denigrated today, its truth ridiculed, and the gospel dismissed. Eve demonstrated a serious lack of knowledge of God’s Word, for she not only misquoted His command but added to what the Lord had said. Instead of submitting to God and resisting the devil Eve was drawn into a conversation with the enemy of her soul, who lied about God’s character and tempted her with hidden wisdom. He falsely accused the Lord of withholding knowledge from man, that would benefit humanity – “God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened” he said, “and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Neverthirsty.org on How can I become like God? Answer, “You cannot become like God. The Bible tells us that an angel named Lucifer once desired to become like God. In response, God threw him out of heaven. In his fallen state we know him as Satan or the Devil. Here is the Bible passage. How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth . . . you said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” (NASB) Isa. 14:12-16. Ezekiel 28:13-14 tells us that Lucifer was a beautiful angel and due to his own pride, he desired to become like God. He was proud. He wanted the glory and power of God. The Bible calls such a desire sin. The Bible also tells us that there is only one God, and there will never be another God, I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides Me. (NASB) Isa. 44:6. God is the first and He will also be the last. There are no other Gods. This message is repeated in Isa. 45:5, 15, 21 and Isa. 46:9. This means that you cannot become a god. There will be no other gods. This means that no Christian has ever become a god, and none will ever be able to become one.

Atticus Belgrave on You Will Be Like God, writes, “Fundamentally, each act of sin stems from a desire to be like God. Whereas God commands that we love our neighbors and our enemies, not loving our neighbors and/or our enemies says that we have a better way, or one that we think is better, than God’s way. As such, we are commanding ourselves and serving our own carnal desires rather than our Lord. We are setting ourselves up as gods, and in doing so setting ourselves up against the One True God. The good news is, for us as Christians, we have reconciliation with God through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:10-11). We can approach His throne, repentant, and find forgiveness. We have One Father and One Lord, and our sin has been atoned for. Though we set ourselves up as gods, God sets us back down as mere men. The bad news is for those who have not been reconciled to God. I submit to you this is precisely what is happening all around us. Psalm 2 warns against those who “set themselves, and… take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed,” (Ps 2:2). This, indeed, is what is wrong with the world. The politician who desires power, to wield worldly authority over his subjects, and to have citizens serve him rather than him serving his citizens. Could this be a desire to be like God? In execution of his agenda, churches are closed, and pastors are jailed. Could he be setting himself against Yahweh and His Messiah?

The everyday citizen who desires information, to know everything about COVID and the world, and thus sits in front of the news all day to fool himself into believing he is now omniscient. Could this be a desire to be like God? In response to this “information idolatry,” as I have heard it said, they cheer at lifeless chapels and jeer at suffering shepherds. Could this be setting themselves against Yahweh and His Messiah? As Christians, we find refuge in this Messiah (Ps 2:12). And as Christians, we can approach Yahweh through this Messiah (Heb 4:14-16). As the world around us looks to set itself up as god, let us humble ourselves before Him and plead on their behalf. Pray for the salvation of those who desire to be like God. Pray that the very One they rebel against opens their eyes to see what judgment such an attitude will incur. The judgment is eternal. So lift up these ignorant sinners before our Great High Priest. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Mat 5:44). If not for Christ, you would be the same way, and perhaps even worse. “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” (Jam 5:16). Covered in the righteousness of Christ, let us lift up our enemies – and God’s enemies – in prayer for their salvation.

Mark D. Roberts on Are We to Be Like God? So, are we to be like God? Yes! And no! Yes and no! Scripture isn’t confused here. Rather, we’re to be like God in some ways, but not in others. We’re to imitate God’s love and forgiveness (Eph 4:32-5:2). But we’re not to aspire to his sovereignty or glory. If we seek to run our own lives, rather than submitting to God’s will, we’re taking his rightful place of authority. We’re trying to be like God in a way we should avoid. Or, if we live for our glory, rather than for God’s glory, we’re being like God in the wrong way. We rightfully imitate God only as we submit to his sovereignty and seek his glory above all. Yet, God created us in his image so that we might be like him in many ways. We are like God when we work, being productive according to God’s command (see Gen 1:28). We are like God when we seek justice, again, following God’s call that we “act justly” (Mic 6:8). We are like God in holiness when we follow God’s instruction to us: “Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy” (Lev 19:2). And we are like God when we love sacrificially. Notice how Ephesians 5 continues beyond verse 1: “[Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children] and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph 5:2).

Mike Riley on You Will Be Like God writes, “Setting The Proper Priorities: All of us were made in the image and likeness of God for the glory of God (Genesis 1:27; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 42:8; 1 Corinthians 10:31). That being the case, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). God must have “first” place in our lives, or “no” place. Anything that comes before God, in essence, becomes God to us (as it has taken the place of God). Therefore, if we leave God out of our lives or put Him in second place, living selfishly, we have become our own god. Perhaps not consciously, or even intentionally, we have succumbed to the temptation of Eve, “Ye shall become as gods.” How   foolish!! Riley then concludes, “Let us be happy and content with the exalted honor and dignity God has placed upon us. Only doubts and thoughts inspired by the devil would make us feel otherwise. Man’s elevated position and dominion are first mentioned in Genesis 1:26-28, but this is dealt with more extensively in Psalm 8. Fittingly the Psalm starts out by drawing attention to God, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.” Then the writer considers man and his favored position (vs. 4-8). Finally in ending the Psalm, lest too much attention has been given to man, he returns to words addressed to God, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!” May we humbly think about our “position” and “purpose” in God’s universe (Psalm 100:3; Isaiah 29:23; Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and respond accordingly . God has so wonderfully created us and placed us in our given domain. Why would we ever in any way try to usurp the position and glory that are His, or even think about doing so? God is the “Creator” (Isaiah 40:28). We are the “creature” (Mark 16:15; Colossians 1:23). God is the “Potter”; we are the “clay” (Isaiah 29:16; Isaiah 45:9; Jeremiah 18:6; Romans 9:20-21). Let us as God’s children (clay) resolve to be more “pliable” in the Potter’s hands conforming our will to His Will (Romans 9:21; Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 1:9-10; 1 Peter 1:13-14), “consecrated and useful to the master of the house” (2 Timothy 2:21 – RSV).

“No matter what has happened to you in the past or what is going on in your life right now, it has no power to keep you from having an amazingly good future if you will walk by faith in God. God loves you! He wants you to live with victory over sin so you can possess His promises for your life today!” – Joyce Meyer; “God said that when we have His joy that our joy would be full or leveled up, in other words that His joy will satisfy us.” – Sahne Callahan “There is no one who is insignificant in the purpose of God.” – Alistair Begg. “God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer;  “There is nothing you could ever do that would change the way God feels about you.” – John Burke.