Ye Are Gods - Dispelling the Myth

Detractors of the LDS faith often cite Psalms 82:6 and John 10:34-35 and attempt to rationalize these teachings. Typical of this is the "ye are gods" passage found in Psalms 82:6 and cited by Jesus Christ in John 10:34-35. The usual rationalized explanation is that Psalms 82 refers to Israelite judge who by virtue of their position represent God and are therefore referred to as gods in a figurative sense. Christ's reference to this scripture. by their line of reasoning, should be understood to man that if God called wicked judges "gods", how much more appropriate for Jesus to be called God or Son of God. An alternate interpretation explains the use of the term "gods" as an ironic (some even say sarcastic) figure of speech. They point to the statement , "but ye shall die like men" in support of this view.

Although the above explanation seems superficially plausible, they seem to ignore the context of the full Psalm. Psalms 82:1 states:, for example: "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods". (note the similarity to Abr 3:22-23) where God stood among the pre-existent spirits). The interpretation that this passage is speaking of earthly men in contradicted by several facts. First in Comparison to God, it is difficult to see how wicked judges could be considered "mighty". It is also hard to understand at what point God has stood among them to judge. Verse 6 also contradicts the belief that wicked judges are the subject of the discussion. It states: "all of your are children of the most high". Protestant scholars agree this would not be in keeping with the Old Testament use of the term "children of God", which they understood they refer to the righeous [Deut 14:1-2]. Last, irony seems to be totally absent in both of these verse and in Christ's latter use of this passage. Why would Christ use an ironic remark to establish that he was the Son of God when he was being accused of blasphemy? This would only have given those ready to kill him [John 10:39] additional reason to condemn him.

As further proof that the doctrine of deification was originally an accepted biblical teaching, consider the following statements by orthodox Christian saints as quoted by Stephen E. Robinson:

In the second century Saint Irenaeus, the most important Christian theologian of
his time, said

If the word became a man it was so men may become gods
[Against Heresies, book 5, preface]

Indeed, Saint Irenaeus had more than this to say on the subject of deification: Do we cast blame on him [God] because we were not made gods from the beginning, but were at first created merely as men, and then later as gods? Although God has adopted this course out of his pure benevolence, that one may charge him with discrimination or stinginess, he declares, "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of your are sons of the Most High". . . For it was necessary at the first that nature be exhibited, then all that was mortal would be conquered and swallowed up in immortality . . . "But man receives progression and increase towards God. For as God is always the same, so also man when found in God, shall always progress towards God".

Also in the second century , Saint Clement of Alexandria wrote, "Yea, I way the Word of God became a man so that you might learn from a man how to become a god." [Exhortation to the Greeks, (1)] . . . Clement also said that "if one knows himself, he will know God, and knowing God will become like God . . . His is beauty and true beauty , for it is God, and that man becomes like god, since God wills it. So Heraclitus as right when he said "Men are gods, and gods are men [The Instructor, 3:1; see also Clement, Stromateis, p23]

I could go on with Second Century Justin Martyr or Fourth Century Saint Athanasius and a number of other Early Fathers and modern orthodox scholars but I think you get the point. Although the summary of comments by the first Fathers and other respected Christians is admittedly incomplete, it nevertheless shows that the doctrine of deification was accepted and taught since the very beginning of the Church. The fact that theologians and saints from Justin Martyr to C.S. Lewis (not quoted in this article) in the Twentieth Century considered it an "orthodox" doctrine, makes it somewhat ironic that those who now call themselves "orthodox" Christians have labeled this doctrine as heretical.

For Further Quotes see Darrick Evenson, The Gainsayers, pp 49-57