Holy Ghost, Agent of Deification

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SPIRITUALITY

 

The Orthodox Church proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In the

Greek language, the word for Gospel is Evangelion which means

literally " the good news. " The good news of Orthodox Christianity is

a proclamation of God's unbounded and sacrificial love for man kind,

as well as the revelation of the true destiny of the human person.

Reflecting on the joyous message of the Gospel, Saint Gregory of

Nyssa wrote in the fourth century: The good news is that man is no

longer an outcast nor expelled from God's Kingdom; but that he is

again a son, again God's subject.

Orthodoxy believes that the supreme treasure which God wishes to

share with us is His own life. Our faith begins with the affirmation

that God has acted in history to permit us to participate in His love

and His goodness, to be citizens of His Kingdom. This conviction is

expressed so beautifully in the prayer of the Liturgy which

says: " You have not ceased to do all things until You brought us to

heaven and granted us the Kingdom to come. "

The initiation of love of God the Father is perfectly expressed and

embodied in the Person and Ministry of Jesus Christ. The whole

purpose of the Incarnation of the Son of God was to restore humanity

to fellowship with God. The great teachers and Fathers of the

Orthodox Church constantly reaffirmed this conviction by proclaiming

that God had become what we are in order that we could become what He

is.

Christ is exalted as our Light and our Life. In His Person there is a

unity of humanity and divinity which each of us is called to share.

In His way of life. there is the model of authentic human life which

we are invited to follow. In His victorious Resurrection, there is

liberation for us from all powers which can keep us from the Kingdom.

Through Christ, then, God the Father has repossessed us and has

called us to be His sons and daughters.

THEOSIS

The fundamental vocation and goal of each and every person is to

share in the life of God. We have been created by God to live in

fellowship with Him. The descent of God in the Person of Jesus Christ

has made possible the human ascent to the Father through the work of

the Holy Spirit. Orthodoxy believes that each Christian is involved

in a movement toward God which is known as theosis or deification.

Theosis describes the spiritual pilgrimage in which each person

becomes ever more perfect, ever more holy, ever more united with God.

It is not a static relationship, nor does it take place only after

death. On the contrary, theosis is a movement of love toward God

which begins for each Christian with the rites of Baptism and which

continues throughout this life, as well as the life which is to come.

Salvation means liberation from sin, death, and evil. Redemption

means our repossession by God. In Orthodoxy, both salvation and

redemption are within the context of theosis. This rich vision of

Christian life was expressed well by Saint Peter when he wrote in the

early pages of his second Epistle that we are called " to become

partakers of the Divine nature. " It was also affirmed by Saint Basil

the Great when he described man as the creature who has received the

order to become a god.

These are certainly bold affirmations which must be properly

understood. The Orthodox Church understands theosis as a union with

the energies of God and not with the essence of God which always

remains hidden and unknown. However, the experience of the Church

testifies that this is a true union with God. It is also one which is

not pantheistic, because in this union the divine and the human

retain their unique characteristics. In this sense, Orthodoxy

believes that human life reaches its fulfillment only when it becomes

divine.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

The ever-deepening union of each Christian with God is not a magical

or automatic process. While Christ has destroyed the powers of sin,

death, and evil once and for all, this victory must be appropriated

by each person in cooperation with the Holy Spirit. Each person is

called to join with the lifegiving and liberating Spirit " in

realizing the fulness of human life in communion with the Father. The

Holy Spirit is the agent of deification whose task it is to

incorporate us into the life of the Holy Trinity. However, the Spirit

always recognizes our human freedom and invites our active

cooperation in perfecting the " image and likeness of God " with which

each of us is created.

Our participation in the life of the Holy Trinity, which we know as

theosis, takes place within the Church. For the Orthodox, the Church

is the meeting place between God and His people. The Holy Spirit and

the Church are organically linked. In the second century, Saint

Irenaeus reminded us of this by saying: " Where the Church is there is

the Spirit, and where the Spirit is there is the Church. " The Holy

Spirit moves through the life of the Church to reveal our common

humanity in Christ and to unite us with the Father. We acquire the

Holy Spirit through our celebration of the Eucharist and the

reception of Holy Communion, through our participation in the

Sacraments, through our discipline of daily prayer, and through the

practice of fasting, all of which result in a Christ-like life.

The Holy Spirit, Who is honored as the Lord and Giver of life, is

manifest in the life of the Church in order to bring our lives to

perfection, and to make us responsible and loving human beings. The

fruit of Worship is the gifts of the Spirit. In his letter to the

Galatians, Saint Paul identified these as: " love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-

control. " Certainly, these are the virtues of a Christ-like life.

They testify to the fact that the love of God and the love of

neighbor are inseparable.

THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE CHURCH

The reality of theosis not only bears witness to the love of God who

wishes to share Him self with us but also expresses a very positive

view of the human person. Orthodoxy believes that each person has an

intrinsic value and importance in virtue of his or her unique

relationship to God. The human person is never seen as being totally

depraved. The " image of God " which can be distorted by sin, can never

be eradicated. Through the life of the Church, there is always the

opportunity for fulfillment. When the Sacraments are administered,

they are always offered to the individual by name. This action not

only reminds us of the dignity of each person but also emphasizes the

responsibility each person has for his or her relationship to God.

While Orthodoxy recognizes the value of the person, it does not

believe that we are meant to be isolated or self-sufficient. Each

person is called to be an important member of the Church. Orthodoxy

believes that one cannot be a Christian without being a part of the

Church. The process of theosis takes place with the context of a

believing community.

To be united with God within the midst of the Church does not mean

that our unique personalities are destroyed. We are not engulfed by

an impersonal force or power. As with all love which is true and

valuable, God's love for each of us respects our personhood. His love

is not one which destroys. God's love is one which reveals, elevates,

and perfects our true selves. By entering into the life of God, we

become the persons we are meant to be.

TREASURES OF ORTHODOXY is a series of pamphlets written for the non-

Orthodox, especially those who are considering becoming members of

the Orthodox Church and who wish to deepen their appreciation of her

faith, worship and traditions. The pamphlets are authored by Fr.

Thomas Fitzgerald, a faculty member of Hellenic College-Holy Cross

School of Theology. The pamphlet titles are as follows:

Copyright: © 1983-1996 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Department of Religious Education