The CCC paragraph 460 and becoming a god

by Matt Slick

I have never heard in all my years of studying Roman Catholicism that it is ever declared that we will become gods.  Such a teaching is, of course, against the Bible (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5) and is held by cults--in particular the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).  So, when I discovered in the catechism of the Catholic Church ( a paragraph that was surprisingly unbiblical, I had to take a closer look.  It is about becoming gods.

I have reproduced the Catholic catechism, with context, so that we might see what is being said.  The supscripted numbers are in the original and represent footnotes which I have likewise reproduced so you can see what they are referring to.


Does the RCC teach we can become gods?  Again, all my research has led me to believe the contrary.  So what is going on here?  Most probably it is saying that Christians, because they partake of the divine nature of Christ by his indwelling us (2 Pet. 1:4), are in a sense "made divine" not by changing our nature but by Christ's indwelling.  This can be the only rational explanation.

However, no such explanation is given in the context of paragraph 460 except to say that we are made "partakers of the divine nature."  The CCC's footnote #78 references 2 Pet. 1:4 which says, "﻿For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent ﻿﻿promises, so that by them you may become ﻿﻿partakers of the divine nature, having ﻿﻿escaped the ﻿﻿corruption that is in ﻿﻿the world by lust." 

Okay, so this makes sense; but the wording of the Catechism is wrong.  We do not become gods.  We do not become godlike.  It should be made very clear that we do not actually become gods as it says in CCC 460. 

Why is this important?

This is important because the Roman Catholic Church has so many other errors in it (i.e., earning salvation, purgatory, indulgences, Mary worship, etc.,) that its potential to move towards even more error cannot be ignored.  Why is there such a profound failure to clarify what is actually meant?  Without a detailed "contextual" explanation, a person could very easily conclude that the Roman Catholic Church is promoting the idea that people can become gods.  This is so important that it should be addressed.  But it is not.  Why?  I cannot say for sure; but perhaps it is because with the present errors of meriting grace and gaining eternal life through our works, we can see an elevation of man and his ability to save himself--with Christ's help, of course.  Who knows what "new" revelations concerning man will be revealed through the Roman Catholic Sacred Tradition.


----------- Footnotes Cited From Original -----------

72 1 Jn 4:9.
73 Jn 3:16.
74 Mt 11:29; Jn 14:6.
76 Jn 15:12.
77 Cf. Mk 8:34.
78 2 Pt 1:4.
82 Jn 1:14.