Theosis throughout the Church - Holy Spirit or Human Nature?

[HatGuy]

Hi guys,

I'd love to hear opinions on this article - My Plea: Recognize Theosis

The reason why comes in the form of a question.

Question: Do you think 'theosis' pops up in different forms throughout Christianity, and throughout the ages, because the Holy Spirit is the one behind it?

Or, the opposite - because humankind always tends towards it? (or worse, the devil sows it)?

Also, what do you think of his review of Cooper's work?

I used to always take the former view, but after repeated attempts from different directions (and I'm talking years now, not months or weeks) it seems to me it always produces the same anxiety.

There is more context which I'm happy to give.

I'm posting in this forum for a reason - I kind-of think the other Lutheran bodies here would give me a pretty stock-standard Evangelical answer to the question of theosis.

 

[Aussie Pete]

Hi guys,

I'd love to hear opinions on this article - My Plea: Recognize Theosis

The reason why comes in the form of a question.

Question: Do you think 'theosis' pops up in different forms throughout Christianity, and throughout the ages, because the Holy Spirit is the one behind it?

Or, the opposite - because humankind always tends towards it? (or worse, the devil sows it)?

Also, what do you think of his review of Cooper's work?

I used to always take the former view, but after repeated attempts from different directions (and I'm talking years now, not months or weeks) it seems to me it always produces the same anxiety.

There is more context which I'm happy to give.

I'm posting in this forum for a reason - I kind-of think the other Lutheran bodies here would give me a pretty stock-standard Evangelical answer to the question of theosis.

Interesting. I've never heard the term before. The Bible seems pretty clear to me on this subject. God's intent is to make us like Christ - in this life as well as perfecting us in the next. We are partakers of the divine nature, as He (Jesus) is, so are we in the world, God has glorified those He justified.

We were created in God's image. God did not do this by accident. Yes, Adam blew it big time. God's great salvation is not just to keep us from going to hell. It is to transform His people into the likeness of Christ.

Those who are born again have something that Adam never had. We have eternal life, which is only in Christ.

There is zero cause for boasting. It is all an undeserved gift from God.

 

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Interesting. I've never heard the term before. The Bible seems pretty clear to me on this subject. God's intent is to make us like Christ - in this life as well as perfecting us in the next. We are partakers of the divine nature, as He (Jesus) is, so are we in the world, God has glorified those He justified.

We were created in God's image. God did not do this by accident. Yes, Adam blew it big time. God's great salvation is not just to keep us from going to hell. It is to transform His people into the likeness of Christ.

Those who are born again have something that Adam never had. We have eternal life, which is only in Christ.

There is zero cause for boasting. It is all an undeserved gift from God.

What the East would call "Theosis", the west; particularly Lutherans would call "Sanctification".

 

[Aussie Pete]

What the East would call "Theosis", the west; particularly Lutherans would call "Sanctification".

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[JM]

I recently ordered a copy of Dr. Cooper's work Christification after reading Letham's work on the Trinity. Our idea of God, how we approach God, I believe is key to how we understand theosis. I do prefer Dr. Cooper's term Christification because it places emphasis back on Christ, but anyway... The Orthodox seem to place the cart before the horse so to speak by placing our justification IN our sanctification, rather than our sanctification flowing out from our justification and union with Christ. The East and West have different ideas of the Trinity and I don't think we can dismiss that especially when dealing with theosis.

Yours in the Lord,

jm