Theosis
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THEOSIS: PARTAKERS OF DIVINITY WITH GOD<br />
PROF. M. M. NINAN<br />
The husband and wife in spite of their differences share their bodies - Christ shares his divine dimensions<br />
and the Church shares her material dimensions. The paradise will be regained for the Adamic race and they<br />
will partake of the divinity - remember Jesus shares part of his dimensions with his wife.<br />
or theosis.<br />
This is deification<br />
So, we unite with God through His uncreated energies, and not through His total dimensions. This is the<br />
mystery of our Orthodox faith and life.<br />
<strong>Theosis</strong> process is thus simply the preparation of the bride for the wedding. The traditional stages in the<br />
process of <strong>Theosis</strong> are essentially the preparation of the great responsibility in sharing the divinity of Jesus<br />
in the whole process of redemption.<br />
The theosis of Adamic race is not the end in itself, because it is the beginning of redeeming the total creation<br />
- bringing back the whole body of God to resonance with the will of God.<br />
Romans 8:19-22 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the<br />
creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation<br />
itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.<br />
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.<br />
The reason Adam’s sin affected nature is that God gave humanity dominion over nature (Genesis 1:26-28).<br />
Adam was given the part of the patakers in the creative process as he shared the divine dimension below<br />
that of the Father and Christ and the Spirit. Since Adam was accountable to God to rule the earth and to<br />
tend the garden as a vice-regent under God, his sin affected the natural world for which he was responsible.<br />
Thus, nature became frustrated in its purposes and can no longer be all it was created to be. Decay and<br />
death entered the created world whereby everything goes from order to disorder. This is the curse on the<br />
ground which will be redeemed only when Adam take over his divine function over the creation. Hence the<br />
whole creation is groaning and waiting for the appearance of the sons of God.<br />
Cosmology<br />
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