men are not gods

Jesus did not say men were gods.

And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

When Jesus quoted a portion of Psalms 82 that says:
"I said, 'You are gods (Elohim),
And all of you are the sons of the Most High."

He was simply reiterating the point that was being made when it was stated in the first place.

This passage is one of the most commonly used scriptures taken out of context to support Gnostic beliefs. Its meaning in Psalm 82 is not to imply that men are gods, but rather specifically refers to the fact that God has appointed certain men as judges to act in a dignified manner-- such as to be the reflection of God in the responsibilities they have been appointed to discharge.

The word used throughout the Psalm and translated both as 'God', 'gods' and appointed 'judges' is actually the word 'Elohim'. The word is rendered in most translations of this verse as 'gods', although the same word is also translated throughout the Bible as Almighty 'God', 'powers' or 'strong ones'. The word is identical to the usual plural of 'el', which means lesser 'gods' or 'magistrates'.

Unfortunately, many Gnostic-based faiths use this fragment of scripture, and do so out of context, to support the heretical claim of men having the capability of becoming gods, with the intent to render mankind without need for salvation and ultimately, God Himself.

The men of ancient Israel in Psalm 82 had been divinely appointed by God Himself to pass formal judgment upon the matters of their peers and equals in humanity, with the intention of such an appointment being to reflect the image in which they were created-- to be representatives of God's righteous judgment on earth.

At the time Psalm 82 was written, these divinely commissioned men were failing miserably at reflecting His image in their dispensation of justice. Their authority to judge was endowed to them by God Himself, but they were exploiting that authority to judge their fellow men in pride, deceit and neglect.

The Pharisees during the time of Jesus' ministry were no different. Although possessing the divinely appointed authority to judge the case of a matter, they exhibited the same warped sense of error in their judgment of Christ's authority as the men who were being addressed by Asaph in Psalm 82.

In Chapter 10 of the Gospel of John, Jesus quoted this passage to the Pharisees because their judgment was perverse and errant, just as their forefathers had been. The point of His intent was that if their own Law-- which had in effect become their god in lieu of God Himself-- referred to men as 'divinely appointed judges' to be the representatives of God in earthly matters, then they were being hypocritical for acting like total douchebags when He referred to Himself as God's representative, which in this case, His Son.

Should the Pharisees of Jesus' time truly have been reflecting the distinction of 'Elohim' as God's earthly Elohim, then they would have recognized Christ's authority as God Himself, instead of wanting to stone Him for implying such.