Theosis/Union with God (2)

“Jesus Christ, by His Incarnation, life, death on the cross, Resurrection, and ascension, overcame sin and death by recreating and redeeming “our fallen Adamic humanity”—i.e., our actual human nature. This makes it possible once again for human beings to freely choose to truly know God through a real communion with His uncreated energies (grace) through the nous, or spiritual intellect, to be sanctified and to live eternally in a communion of love with the Triune God.” (Dr. Mary S. Ford)

“In terms of divine inspiration, the primary author of scripture is God Himself. Scripture represents God’s ‘oracles’ or sacred words (logia theou, Romans 3:2). The … deepest aspect of the Bible is personal encounter and communion with God. At this level, knowledge about God leads to immediate knowledge of God in His loving presence and power, through prayerful reading and worshipful hearing of God’s word. The overarching purpose of scripture is not the mere conveyance of religious knowledge but rather the personal self-disclosure of and intimate communion with the mystery of God. Scripture is never an end in itself but a sacred road map pointing to a spiritual world; what the Church Fathers called ‘true realities’ (ta pragmata), at the heart of which is the mystery of Christ and new life in Him.” (Theodore Stylianopoulos)

“…to think that you can know your true self through objective analysis and only afterwards turn to God is a category mistake: there is no such self to be known. Absent your purified communion with Christ, there are just the fading echoes of a self, clouded and degraded by passions and demonic influences and complexes. The only version of yourself that is actually knowable, because it possesses a really stable essence, is the self that is firmly anchored in Christ! And talking about that self usually seems to chase the grace away.” (Timothy G. Patitsas)

“As you “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” (Philippians 2:12) as St. Paul recommends, you will polish the image of God within you, and thereby become a living witness of God in the world. If you care to change our world from humanism to godliness, the best way to do so is to change all within yourself that is not yet perfectly in communion with the loving Lord.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)

“The Pharisee kept the days of fasting, gave alms regularly, prayed frequently, and consequently expected rewards; yet he received not only disapproval, but was reprimanded for hypocrisy compared to the publican who humbly asked forgiveness. The intention of him who obeys the Lord's commandments is appropriate communion with God. The attitude of the Pharisee was an external pseudo-piety intended for his own satisfaction and to earn praise. The Pharisee appeared with a "sad countenance, for they disfigured their faces that they may appear unto men to fast" (Matt. 6:16). Hypocrisy destroys even the cardinal virtues. Humbleness and secrecy should be for practicing God's commandments. The Psalmist cries "I humble my soul with fasting" (Psalm 35:13). Jesus Christ condemns any virtue which is observed with hypocrisy, for it leaves no room for humility and repentance.” (Rev. George Mastrantonis)

“We are to become Christlike and Godlike for we humans are created in God’s image and likeness. And we become Christlike in accordance with how God blesses us while taking into account our unique personalities and circumstances. We will not each become Christ-like in the exact same way but will manifest Christ uniquely in our own lives, circumstances and personalities.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’’? (John 10:34) While generally the notion of salvation as theosis is based upon St Peter’s words in 2 Peter 1:4 that we “become partakers of the divine nature”, Christ quotes an Old Testament passage (Psalm 82:6) that indicates God always wished to share His divinity with His human creatures. Theosis, or deification, is thus not an invention of Christians but the fulfillment of the Old Testament. Additionally, Luke’s genealogy for Christ concludes with declaring Adam is a son of God (Luke 3: 38), signifying that all humanity shares in this blessing of being God’s children… Scripture implies that we have to grow into this state of theosis or being ‘gods’ — it is a process that requires synergy between God and humanity. We grow from glory to glory…that growth never ceases. There is no plateau to reach. Theosis is continual spiritual growth in Christ.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh, St. Gregory of Nyssa)

“When we think of theosis, we need to understand that it is primarily about the acquisition of virtue and the dying to vice. This begins on a moral level, but once we begin and attend to ourselves (aka “keep our mind in our hearts” to use St. Thophan’s usual term), the process of theosis is more dominantly a matter of discerning/directing our thoughts (aka “spiritual warfare”). The moral aspect remains, of course, but it is now much more focused on our thoughts leading either to passionate vice or to virtuous action (aka loving God and our neighbor). This is theosis…Theosis is becoming like God. This is manifest as love, for God is love.” (Fr. Michael Gillis)

“Thus, man becomes truly man, that is, he acquires fully his natural identity in relation to God, only if he is united with God—the mystery of personhood is what makes this possible. Theosis, as a way of describing this unity in personhood, is, therefore, just the opposite of a divinization in which human nature ceases to be what it really is. Only if we lose the perspective of personhood and operate with “nature” as such, can such a misunderstanding of theosis arise.” (Metropolitan John Zizioulas)

“We are already in God’s kingdom, but not yet. Our bodies are earthly tabernacles for the glory that we have yet to fully experience. We are in the process of becoming what we are—the divine-human children and household-council of Yahweh…through deification or becoming like God, humanity is given the capacity to share in the uncreated energies of God—His power, purity, light, and goodness.” (Michael S. Heiser, Orthodox Study Bible, Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-30)

“God is actively seeking union with us and has prepared the way to make this salvation possible in Christ. That salvation can happen in an instant (as with the Wise Thief) or it may take a life time of seeking God as we fall away at moments and then seek to return to God in repentance. Whether immediate or long term, the end is the same: we abide with Christ in heaven and He abides in us. We receive the fullness of Christ – all that He is.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“Why did the Lord Jesus become a man, assuming the physical, psychological, and spiritual limits of our human nature from the Theotokos? He desired to join our nature to the Godhead, for we were created for such a union from the beginning, before the fall of Adam. We see evidence of Christ’s humanity present in all four Gospels, whether He is resting at Jacob’s well in Samaria (Jn 4:6), or sleeping on a pillow in the stern of the boat (Mk 4:38), lulled by the waves…We must attend to growing in love and in union with Christ as we become more receptive to His sanctification of every dimension of our life. In comparison with the joy that He is born to bring to the world, our passions and temptations amount to nothing but distractions that keep us mired in misery. The less fuel that we give them, the better.” (Dynamis 10/14/2020, Fr. Philip LeMasters)

“Even if he or she does not consciously worship demons, every sinful thing a person does puts him or her into union with demonic forces…If one is willfully living in sin, he cannot experience union with God….Likewise, whenever he or she does a work that belongs to God—not just “good deeds” or “religious acts” like prayer or fasting but every creative act of beauty, order, love, humility, kindness, and justice—it puts him or her into union with God.” (Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick,  Orthodox Study Bible, Romans 6:1-14)

“There is a reason that St. Seraphim of Sarov says, “Acquire the Spirit of Peace and thousands around you will be saved.” We have, in large part, exchanged the true spiritual warfare of the heart for the ideological struggles of our age. As such, we place ourselves on a level playing field with every secular argument and action. Political temptations abound because we remain within the delusion that things of great value are being established in that process. The delusion is that so long as our goals are noble and stated correctly, the result will be equally noble and correct. St. Paul warns: “For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power.” (1 Cor. 4:20) The power (clearly referenced by St. Seraphim) is not in our arguments but in the quiet victory gained through union with the in-dwelling Christ.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“I know that what lies ahead is a union with the one perfect human being—a union so complete and a light so bright that when it shines on all these sins and hurts, even they will be seen ultimately to be glorious, just as the wounds on His hands and feet are glorious.” (Andrew Williams)

“In Christ, in His incarnation, the Son of God became the Son of Man. In the Ascension Christ shows humanity truly and fully belongs with God in heaven. Christ being fully God and fully human unites heaven and earth. And since Christ descended to the place of the dead and raised them with Himself, He also unites Hades, the place of the dead, with both earth and heaven. All become one in Christ.” (Fr. Ted Bobosh)

“The Resurrection of Christ is the revelation of the goodwill of God, the promise of the final outcome of all things. The world that is being “gathered together in one in Christ Jesus,” is, through His suffering and death (within them), being united to His resurrection. This is the context in which we pray and worship and in which we come to perceive God (with what the fathers describe as the “noetic” faculty). We pray and we listen and we think there is only silence. This itself is the secular perception. Everything around us and we ourselves exist, sustained by the voice of God. Their existence is the eloquence of His good will.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“…how do we reach the state of “union with Christ”? We cannot realize our union with Christ if we are not in union with the church, His Body. The limbs, muscles, and organs of the physical body have no life except as part of the body. So the members of the Body of Christ do not possess the New Life of Christ except as part of His Body. However, when we are one in Christ, we share in the fullness of Christ. The fullness of Christ is the church’s goal, end, and completion. When the church achieves the perfect unity in Christ, there is nothing lacking–nothing in faith, love, and hope; nothing in the inspiration, power, and gifts of the Spirit; nothing in doctrine and leadership, nothing in worship, praise, and thanksgiving. Together in the church, we become the one “perfect man,” and together, we reach the maturity in Christ to which we as the Body of Christ are called.” (Fr. Basil)

“Holy Communion is received unto the remission of sins and life eternal. Through Holy Communion, we enter into the entire economy of salvation from the incarnation of God the Word to His session at the right hand of God the Father. The Blood of the Godman unites God to man and the members of the Church with each other into a single Body, a single life, a single soul. Through communion, we become one with Christ, one with our brother and our sister, one with the Saints, one with the entire Church, in which there is no separation between the living and the dead, for all are then one in Christ Jesus.” (Bishop Alexei)

“Prayer among fellow believers offers intimations of deliverance. Breaks in the barrier clouds come about when we are with others in prayer, even if they are not praying specifically for us at the time. The Holy Spirit has a way of reaching out to us all at once, because we realize at least subliminally that we are one in Christ, and that while we are individuals at worship, our common human nature is being charged with spiritual energy that manifests itself in the form of peace. That emotion need not be articulated; it’s enough to sense the good feeling of warm love from the God in us and surrounding us.” (Fr. Vladimir Berzonsky)

“The Apostle Paul, by using the imagery of rebirth (Galatians 4:19), directs us to consider what it means when Christ is “born in us.” Our emphasis shifts inward toward our spiritual formation and the interior growth that ultimately produces godly thoughts, actions, choices, and words. How does this inner formation occur? To have Christ formed in us, we must enjoy day-to-day contact with Him and engage in regular personal interaction with the Lord.” (Dynamis 9/7/2018)

“All the disciplines, liturgies, icons, candles, hymns, chanting, architecture, writings, Holy Scriptures, and saints’ lives are given by a loving God to acclimate you to His everlasting presence. Let’s embrace all these spiritual tools.” (Father Barnabas Powell)

“...what Christ is and did, the Church represents in the daily liturgical theophany of his saving action so that it can touch our lives. But what the Church actualizes in us radically through its sacramental life must be lived out by us in the exodus of our own pilgrimage.” (Archimandrite Robert Taft, SJ)

“Because Christ united the human and divine natures in His person, it is now possible for us to experience closer fellowship with God than Adam and Eve initially experienced in the Garden of Eden.” (Abbot Tryphon)

“Let us know God, Who commanded us to know Him and allows us to know Him through His Word (Holy Scriptures) and His Grace. Let us attach ourselves to God during this earthly life. He offers us a most intimate union with Himself, and He gives us a certain amount of time to effect that union — our earthly life. There is no other time, except the limited time of our earthly life, when we could unite with Him. If it does not occur during this time, it will never occur at all.” (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)

“This life in union with the Crucified and Risen Christ is the very heart of our existence. We are not so much “moral agents” as “cruciformed persons.” We do not merely “try not to sin,” we are “dead to sin.” For this reason, we say that prayer is the “one thing needful.” Prayer is our actively uniting ourselves to Christ, for apart from Him, “we can do nothing.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“The crisis of the deeper life is the key that unlocks the secret of…transformation. It is the beginning of the exchanged life…the “ Exchanged Life” is Christ living His life through us, rather than our trying to make life work through our own efforts and resources. It is made possible by the believer's union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6-8).” (V. Raymond Edman, John and Joyce Stanley)

“How, then, shall a Christian bear fruit?...there must be a full concentration of the thoughts and affections on Christ; a complete surrender of the whole being to Him; a constant looking to Him for grace.” (Hudson Taylor) “…only total abandonment to God could lead to experiencing God’s fullest blessing…As we embrace His efforts, His gracious work will gradually achieve a total transformation of our being. (V. Raymond Edman, Dynamis 6/14/2018)

“When we know the Lord Jesus and are known by Him, when we have a life-giving relationship with the Him, our heart acquires a new orientation from which good works and virtues naturally develop.” (OCPM 6/14/2017)

“…the foremost issue facing us in this life is the state of our relationship with God…before all else we must seek a deep, intimate relationship with Christ our God, rather than trusting exclusively in worldly knowledge.” (Dynamis 5/7/2015, 4/18/2018)

“It is not what man is seeking, but whom he is seeking, that matters in the end.” (Jonathan Jackson)

“No matter how much we may study, it is not possible to come to know God unless we live according to His commandments, for God is not known by science, but by the Holy Spirit. Many philosophers and learned men came to the belief that God exists, but they did not know God. It is one thing to believe that God exists and another to know Him. If someone has come to know God by the Holy Spirit, his soul will burn with love for God day and night, and his soul cannot be bound to any earthly thing.” (St. Silouan the Athonite)

“In the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees of the New Testament, we see the tragedy of highly educated people who lacked the illumination of the Holy Spirit. All their knowledge was worldly knowledge that would die with them. Christ even told them that they were searching the Scriptures for eternal life but missed who the Scriptures testify about who can grant eternal life that is Christ (John 5:39). It’s the condition of many today who value positions, degrees, advanced degrees, and intellect divorced from the wisdom that is knowing and seeking Christ above all else.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)

“…God’s ultimate treasure – the life in Christ – is available to people from all walks of life…” (OCPM 7/14/2017)

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