Once while traveling in Fortaleza, Brazil, my friend and brother,  Marcelo Goulart (who also helped with translation to Portuguese) and I had the privilege of talking to the Geovani, the lady who served us in the hotel we stayed. During the course of our conversation, she had a profound question, one that I could not answer then. She said, if we are sons/daughters of God and Jesus is the Son of God, then aren’t we brothers and sisters of Jesus and in that sense, equal to being ‘God’ ourselves? This is also the notion that some other pantheistic religions have in the world today.

God the creator brought every one of His creation to “the man” (Adam) so that he could give them names. (Gen 2:19). Interestingly, God never named even his most priceless of creation, whom God had created in Imago Dei (the image of God), but simply called him Adam meaning “the man”.  This is profound, we are NOT gods, we are men/women. Jesus, said, whoever does the will of my Father (God) is my brother and sister and mother, but He is the only begotten (God in essence), we are the created (reflections of God the maker, not God ourselves).

Unfortunately, we strive hard to change God’s plan and design by working really hard to make a name for ourselves (present company included).  This was the same desire that the people with a unified language had when they aspired to build the tower that reached unto heaven. They said “Lets build a city and a tower that reaches the heaven and let’s make a name for ourselves”. (Genesis 11:4). For those unfamiliar with this story, God intervened and confused their languages so that they all started babbling (and hence the name Babel) and were thus unsuccessful in their efforts. In God’s design, making a name for God is what he seeks, not making a name for ourselves.

We strive to make a name for ourselves but let us understand that when we seek NOT to be known, God will exalt us if it is in his permissive will. Jesus who made himself of no reputation (Phil 2:7) was given a name above all names (Phil 2:9).