Do We Become Gods? A look at Theosis with Dr. Michael Heiser

Do We Become Gods? A look at Theosis with Dr. Michael Heiser

What does it mean to be partakers of the divine nature, what does it mean to be adopted into the divine family of God, and what is the ontological nature of those who are born again?

Dr. Michael Heiser is back tonight to discuss "theosis". Its Doc Heiser so you should expect that we will discuss 2nd temple Judaism, early church fathers, and the eastern orthodox church.

It's my hope that we can distinguish the early church fathers' doctrine of theosis from the ever-growing heresies found in Morman temple and the "little God Doctrine" sneaking into some word of faith churches.

Is there a baby in this bathwater? tune in tonight at 8:30PM CST and find out.

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WHAT IS THEOSIS???

Excerpts from
Princeton Theological Monograph Series
Theosis: Deification in Christian Theology
The closest English equivalent of theosis is "deification." In Christian theology,
theosis refers to the transformation of believers into the likeness of God. Of course,
Christian monotheism goes against any literal "god making" of believers. Rather, the NT
speaks of a transformation of mind, a metamorphosis of character, a redefinition of
selfhood, and an imitation of God. Most of these passages are tantalizingly brief, and
none spells out the concept in detail.

Deification was an important idea in the early church, though it took a long time for
[theosis] to emerge as the standard label for the process. The term was coined by the
great fourth-century theologian, Gregory of Nazianzus. Theologians now use theosis to
designate all instances where any idea of taking on God's character or being
"divinized" (made divine) occurs, even when the term [theosis] is not used. And of
course, different Christian authors understood deification differently.
It is difficult to define theosis, but not difficult to cite several biblical passages that
strongly suggest a process of heightened reflection of godly nature, which stimulated
Christian deification discourse. The following grouping of biblical passages is meant to
bring out the logical development of the idea:

IMITATION OF GOD:
• Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:48)
• The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works
than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
• Be imitators of God, as beloved children. (Eph 5: 1)
TAKING ON GOD'S NATURE:
• You ... may become participants of the divine nature. (2 Pet 1:4)
• You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you. (Ps 82:6)
• Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'? (John 10:34)
INDWELT BY GOD:
• Truly it is the spirit in a mortal, the breath of the Almighty, that makes for understanding. (Job
32:8)
• The Spirit of truth ... abides with you, and he will be in you. (John 14:17)
• It is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Rom 8:16)
BEING RE-FORMED BY GOD:
• What is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6)
• Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of
God-what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom 12:2)
• Clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true
righteousness and holiness. (Eph 4:24)
BEING CONFORMED TO CHRIST:
• He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory.
(Phil 3:21)
• predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son. (Rom 8:29)
• All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are
being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. (2 Cor 3:18)
• When he [Christ] is revealed, we will be like him. (1 John 3:2)
FINAL DIVINIZATION OF THE COSMOS:
• The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the
sea. (Hab 2: 14)
• The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness, and trust
forever. (Isa 32: 17)
• When all things are subjected to him, then ... God may be all in all. (1 Cor 15:28)
Although some of these passages concern the afterlife or events connected with the
return of Christ, all of them have implications for the present life of believers, suggesting
an ongoing transformation, a progressive “engodding” of the believer, to use the
endearing Old English phrase.

To read more about the history and doctrine of theosis folow the link below.
https://theremnantradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Theosis.pdf
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