My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
WHAT IS GODLINESS?
"But you, O man of God, flee these things
and pursue righteousness, GODLINESS,
faith, love, patience, gentleness" [1 Timothy 6:11].
"Now GODLINESS with contentment is great
gain. For we brought nothing into this world,
and it is certain we can carry nothing out"
[1 Timothy 6:6-7].
"For bodily exercise profits a little, but GODLINESS
IS PROFITABLE FOR ALL THINGS, having promise
of the life that now is and of that which is to come"
[1 Timothy 4:8-].
"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to
knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance,
TO PERSEVERANCE GODLINESS, TO GODLINESS
BROTHERLY KINDNESS, AND TO BROTHERLY
KINDNESS LOVE" [2 Peter 1:5-7].
The Holy Fathers of the Church teach that "godliness" is of great significance, signifying a life actively seeking union with God through virtuous living, prayer, and participation in the Mysteries of the Church, essentially viewing the pursuit of godliness as the principal or key purpose of human existence, achieved by imitating Christ and striving to live according to His teachings: they emphasize taht this pursuit requires constant effort, repentance, and reliance on God’s grace. How do we who know Christ grow in our participation in the Divine nature through grace? By the cultivation of a progression of spiritual qualities such as virtue, love, self-control, faith and kindness.
The main points about the Orthodox perspective on godliness: Theosis: The central concept of Orthodox spirituality is "theosis," which means "DEIFICATION" or becoming like God through grace. This is the ultimate goal of the Christian life, achieved by living a virtuous life and receiving the Holy Spirit. While the essence of God is UNKNOWABLE, the Holy Fathers of the Church teach of God’s "UNCREATED ENERGIES" which can be experienced through prayer, repentance, fasting, almsgiving, humility, and virtuous living, allowing for a mystical union with God.
Deification is the ancient theological word used to describe the process by which a Christian becomes more like God. Saint Peter speaks of this process when he writes, "As His Divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness… you may be partakers of the Divine Nature" [2 Peter 1:3, 4). When the Church calls us to pursue godliness, to be more like God, this does NOT mean that human beings then become divine. We do NOT become like God in His nature. That would not only be heresy, it would be impossible. For we are human, always have been human, and always will be human. We cannot take on the nature of God.
Deification (THEOSIS) means we are to become MORE LIKE GOD THROUGH HIS GRACE OR DIVINE ENERGIES. In creation, humans were made IN THE IMAGE and LIKENESS of God [Genesis 1:26] according to human nature. In other words, humanity by nature is an icon or image of deity: The Divine image is in all humanity. Through sin, however, this image and likeness of God was marred, and we fell.
When the Son of God assumed our humanity in the womb of the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, the process of our being RENEWED IN GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS WAS BEGUN. Thus, those who are joined to Christ through faith in Holy Baptism begin a creation process, being renewed in God’s image and likeness. We become, as Saint Peter writes, ‘PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE" (2 Peter 1:4).
Because of the Incarnation of the Son of God, because the fullness of God has inhabited human flesh, being joined to Christ means that it is again possible to experience THEOSIS (Deification), the FULFILLMENT OF HUMAN DESTINY. That is, through union with Christ, WE BECOME BY GRACE WHAT GOD IS BY NATURE–WE "BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD" [John 1:12]. His deity interpenetrates our humanity.
Historically, THEOSIS (Deification) has often been illustrated by the "SWORD AND FIRE" example. A steel sword is thrust into a hot fire until the sword takes on a red glow. The energy of the fire interpenetrates the sword. The sword NEVER BECOMES FIRE, BUT IT PICKS UP THE PROPERTIES OF FIRE.
By application, the Divine energies interpenetrate THE HUMAN NATURE OF CHRIST. Being joined to Christ, OUR HUMANITY IS INTERPENETRATED WITH THE ENERGIES OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST’S GLORIFIED FLESH. Nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ, WE PARTAKE OF THE GRACE OF GOD–HIS STRENGTH, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, HIS LOVE–AND ARE ENABLED TO SERVE HIM AND GLORIFY HIM. THUS WE, BEING HUMAN, ARE BEING DEIFIED.
The ordinary but committed Orthodox Christian understands that the path to theosis is not easily attained. The wish for the ever-deepening union with God cannot be achieved instantly. We, of course believe that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed the powers of sin, and death, and evil once and for all, however, this triumph must be appropriated by each believer in synergy (cooperation) with God the Holy Spirit. Every person is called to unite with the Life-giving Spirit in realizing the fullness of human life in communion with the Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit is the means to theosis Whose task is to incorporate us into the life of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit 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 Christian, the Church is the meeting place between God and His people. The Holy Spirit and the Church are organically linked. In the 2nd 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." We acquire the Holy Spirit through our celebration of the Holy Eucharist and the reception of Holy Communion, through our participation in the Mysteries, through our discipline of daily prayer, and through the practice of fasting, all of which result in a Christ-like life. [Resources: The Orthodox Study Bible and Greek Orthodox Archdiocese]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 