Believe it or not, Christianity and the New Age have something in common. Can you believe that? But what could they possibly have in common? The answer is that they both promise that you will "be like God."
Since the dawn of time man has been fascinated by the prospect of being the god of his world. This is why New Age beliefs aren't actually "new" at all -- they are as old as it gets. From ancient kings who thought they were gods and demanded worship, to the popes who believed themselves to be the equivalent of Christ on Earth, to the now very popular New Age movement which espouses ideas like personal divinity, universal consciousness, "little gods" and several other notions - there is nothing really new under the sun.
But wait a minute - did you know that the New Testament promises that we can "be like God" as well?
"For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." --Romans 8:29
As Christians we are promised a rejuvenated conscience and heart once we accept Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior. This moment simultaneously saves us from the future wrath of God and begins the process of sanctification -- of transforming our lives from the inside out so that we can become a new creation.
Put simply, we are being transformed into the image of God we were always meant to be.
But this journey doesn't mean we will get special powers, like omniscience or omnipotence -- it means we will be like the One who created us in His character. We will be fully self-controlled, live forever, fully capable of unconditional love, at complete peace within our spirit and live every moment in gratitude and joy.
What an amazing gift and journey, and truly something "new" in human history.
Man has consistently tried to be like God in a self-serving way by pursuing power and control, and yet this pursuit leads to self-destruction. Today we are editing our own genes, creating artificial life "in our image" and deciding what is right from what is wrong. And yet look at the world around. It's going to hell in a handbasket.
The real way to "be like God" is not following the world's advice but following one perfect person's advice through the Gospel. It is by seeing the truth of His eternal example where we gain a new heart that leads to new things and truly a new way of being. And when the end of this age comes, which it will soon, we are guaranteed an eternity where we will truly become like Him in the most meaningful ways.
There is a way out of this trap but it is not of our own work or effort. It is not of our own pursuit of enlightenment or manifestation or creativity. It is through humility and submission to the words of a perfect being who by His expansive grace decided to share Himself with the world so that we might live and live abundantly.
