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→Beliefs of Orthodox Christians
Like the Church of Rome, the Orthodox Church does not heed the biblical warning to reject tradition in favour of the Word of God.
Like the Church of Rome, the Orthodox Church does not heed the biblical warning to reject tradition in favour of the Word of God.
=== Theosis ===
Theosis is the belief that Christians can experience a union with God and become like him so much that they participate in the divine nature. Theosis does not mean that they become gods or merge with God, only that they are deified. These Christians are said to not participate in God's essence. Furthermore, this deification does not mean that a person stops sinning or no longer struggles with sin. Instead, theosis is a mystical union with God that proceeds throughout the person's life and culminates in the resurrection of the body. Some have said that this is equivalent to sanctification as taught in the Western churches. <ref>https://carm.org/what-is-theosis</ref>
Verses used to support theosis are . . .
*John 17:22-23, "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me."
*2 Peter 1:4, "For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."
*2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into this likeness (image) with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
The biblical basis for theosis begins however with the creation account in Genesis. Theosis is implicit in the doctrine of the imago dei: humanity being made in the divine image.
*Genesis 1:26, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
The divine likeness implies our calling to be in communion with God, rendering man unique to the rest of Creation. This moves beyond the legal model which focuses more on our external legal or judicial status and good moral behavior – rather than the transformation of our inner nature. As a result of Adam and Eve’s sin the image of God has become marred in us. In the Incarnation God came to restore the imago dei. Salvation as theosis is based on the restoration of the image of God in us which in turn calls for the restoration of communion with God resulting in a change in human nature, i.e., ontological consequences.
To quote from OrthodoxWiki,
''The statement by St. [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], "The Son of God became man, that we might become god", [the second g is always lowercase since man can never become a God] indicates the concept beautifully. II Peter 1:4 says that we have become " . . . partakers of divine nature." Athanasius amplifies the meaning of this verse when he says theosis is "becoming by grace what God is by nature" (''De Incarnatione'', I). What would otherwise seem absurd, that fallen, sinful man may become holy as God is holy, has been made possible through [[Jesus Christ]], who is God incarnate. Naturally, the crucial Christian assertion, that God is One, sets an absolute limit on the meaning of ''theosis'' - it is not possible for any created being to become, [[ontology|ontologically]], God or even another god.''
''Through ''theoria'', the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ, human beings come to know and experience what it means to be fully human (the created image of God); through their communion with Jesus Christ God shares Himself with the human race, in order to conform them to all that God is in knowledge, righteousness and holiness. ''Theosis'' also asserts the complete restoration of all people (and of the entire creation), in principle. This is built upon the understanding of the [[atonement]] put forward by [[Irenaeus of Lyons]], called "recapitulation."''
''For many fathers, ''theosis'' goes beyond simply restoring people to their state before the Fall of [[Adam]] and [[Eve]], teaching that because Christ united the human and divine natures in his person, it is now possible for someone to experience closer fellowship with God than Adam and Eve initially experienced in the Garden of Eden, and that people can become more like God than Adam and Eve were at that time. Some Orthodox theologians go so far as to say that Jesus would have become [[Incarnation|incarnate]] for this reason alone, even if Adam and Eve had never sinned.''
''All of humanity is fully restored to the full potential of humanity because the Son of God took to Himself a human nature to be born of a woman, and takes to Himself also the sufferings due to sin (yet is not Himself a sinful man, and is God unchanged in His being). In Christ, the two natures of God and human are not two persons but one; thus, a union is effected in Christ, between all of humanity and God. So, the holy God and sinful humanity are reconciled in principle, in the one sinless man, Jesus Christ. (See Jesus's prayer as recorded in [[Gospel of John|John]] [http://drbo.org/cgi-bin/d?b=drb&bk=50&ch=017 17].)''
''This reconciliation is made actual through the struggle (''podvig'' in Russian) to conform to the image of Christ. Without the struggle, the praxis, there is no real faith; faith leads to action, without which it is dead. One must unite will, thought and action to God's will, His thoughts and His actions. A person must fashion his life to be a mirror, a true likeness of God. More than that, since God and humanity are more than a similarity in Christ but rather a true union, Christians' lives are more than mere imitation and are rather a union with the life of God Himself: so that, the one who is working out salvation, is united with God working within the penitent both to will and to do that which pleases God. Gregory Palamas affirmed the possibility of humanity's union with God ''in His energies'', while also affirming that because of God's transcendence and utter otherness, it is impossible for any person or other creature to know or to be united with God's ''essence''. Yet through faith we can attain phronema, an understanding of the faith of the Church.''
''The journey towards theosis includes many forms of praxis. Living in the community of the church and partaking regularly of the sacraments, and especially the [[Eucharist]], is taken for granted. Also important is cultivating "prayer of the heart", and prayer that never ceases, as Paul exhorts the Thessalonians ([[I Thessalonians|1]] and [[II Thessalonians|2]]). This unceasing prayer of the heart is a dominant theme in the writings of the Fathers, especially in those collected in the Philokalia.''
According to Robert Arakaki, author at Orthodox Reformed Bridge, ''Many Protestants find the doctrine of theosis dubious despite the fact it is found in Scripture. We read in 2 Peter 1:3-4. This does not mean we participate in God’s essence (ousia). Rather we are transformed into the likeness of Christ through participation in his grace, i.e., divine energies. The footnote commentary in the Orthodox Study Bible for 2 Peter 1:4 reads:''
'''This [Theosis] does not mean we become divine by nature. If we participated in God’s essence, the distinction between God and man would be abolished. What this does mean is that we participate in God’s energy, described by a number of terms in scripture, such as glory, life, love, virtue, and power. We are to become like God by his grace and truly His adopted children, but never becoming God by nature.'''
''The phrase “participate in the divine nature” (NIV) or “partakers of the divine nature” (KJV, OSB) is a translation of: “γένησθε θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως.” [Greek NT] The Greek for “participate” or “share” is κοινωνος (koinonos) which has a range of meanings. It has been used with reference to sharing in glory (1 Peter 5:1), sharing in Christ’s suffering (Philippians 3:10), and fellowship in the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:1). It can have a spiritual/sacramental sense. Participation in a religious service, Christian or otherwise, has definite spiritual consequences. Participation in a pagan sacrifice results in participation with demonic forces (1 Corinthians 10:20) and likewise participation in the Eucharist results in participation in Christ’s body and blood (1 Corinthians 10:16). The emphasis here is on participation, transformation, and experiential change, rather than a judicial declaration of legal status. This distinction is central to the different attitude Orthodox and the Reformed have toward the fullness of salvation in Christ.'' <ref>https://blogs.ancientfaith.com/orthodoxbridge/theosis-and-our-salvation-in-christ/</ref>
Robert Arakaki also remarks that ''The reference to the visible transformation of Moses’ appearance in 2 Corinthians 3:13 points to an ontological transformation, not just behavioral and attitudinal changes. Theosis also has eschatological implications; we find in the Apostle John’s first epistle:''
''Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, '''we shall be like him''', for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2-3; NIV; emphasis added)''
== The Autocephalous Churches==
== The Autocephalous Churches==