A look at issues where we seem to be putting ourselves above God – recreating Him in our image.
God created everything. Us, our world, the universe we live in, and so many things we can’t even begin to imagine. And yet, it seems we never get over our desire to be at least equal to God, if not better than Him.
“Under God?” is a category for examining the moments when we try to step into God’s place — whether by redefining Him, recreating Him in our image, or using knowledge and power to push past our limits.
From the first temptation in Eden to the ambitions of our technological age, we keep reaching for more than we were made to carry. This space invites reflection on why that impulse is so persistent, and what it means to trust a God who sees the whole picture.
Here’s a real-life example of using advanced technology, not to surpass God, but to learn about God, us, and our interactions. I asked a LOGOS/Faithlife AI Agent a question to get a feel for the biblical sources for this category. Below are my question and its response.
❓ Human desire to be like God
What are the various ways in the Bible that people did things in the same as Adam and Eve when Satan told them “you will be like God”, not only for knowing good and evil, but being like God in any way.
🤖✨ AI Response
The search results reveal a pattern throughout Scripture where individuals and powers pursue divine status through multiple avenues—not merely moral autonomy, but direct claims to godhood and sovereignty.
Satan himself initiated this rebellion, declaring “I will ascend to the heavens” and “make myself like the Most High,” (Isa 14:12–14) establishing the prototype for human rebellion. Satan’s desire for God’s sovereignty caused his fall from heaven, and this identical desire became the temptation he used against humanity.1
Throughout history, human rulers have echoed this ambition in concrete ways. The ruler of Tyre claimed “I am a god” and sat “on the throne of a god,” (Ezek 28:2–9) while another king exalted himself “above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods.” (Dan 11:36) Herod accepted worship when crowds proclaimed “This is the voice of a god, not of a man,” (Acts 12:21–23) an act that brought divine judgment. The man of lawlessness will “exalt himself over everything that is called God” and proclaim “himself to be God.” (2 Thess 2:3–4)
Beyond direct self-deification, the pattern includes constructing monuments to human achievement: the Tower of Babel was built so inhabitants could “make a name for ourselves,” (Gen 11:4) reflecting the desire to establish independent human legacy and authority. Simon the Sorcerer boasted “he was someone great,” (Acts 8:9–10) claiming divine power through supernatural displays.
Theologically, humans became like God in their ability to choose right from wrong, and fallen humanity now claims the sovereign right to define good and evil for themselves.1 Human will and desire for sovereignty replace God’s sovereignty in defining good and evil.1
The eschatological fulfillment appears in the beast, given authority to utter “proud words and blasphemies” and to “blaspheme God,” (Rev 13:4–8) with all inhabitants worshiping it. (Rev 13:4–8) Each instance reflects the core temptation: displacing God’s authority with human autonomy and power.
1 Eddie Karl Baumann, Worldview as Worship: The Dynamics of a Transformative Christian Education (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2011). [See here, here, here.]
A preserved reflection, exploring how Scripture uses leaders like Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar to reveal the spiritual condition of a people—and what that pattern might mean for us today.
When people talk about “one nation under God,” the conversation often jumps straight to politics, patriotism, or personal conviction. But the Bible gives us a very different starting point. Scripture never teaches that any modern nation can become God’s covenant people. Yet it does teach that every nation is already under God’s authority – not because of a ceremony or a rededication, but because God is the Creator and Judge of all the earth.
