Introduction
Hidden away in a passage of the Old Testament is a reference to our identity as gods. In one of the psalms of Asaph God declares: ‘for you are gods and children of the most high’. This gives us a very ancient provenance for this teaching and it is worthy of note that in the next line it’s written ‘you shall fall like any prince or ruler’. This is to say that to be an earthly ruler is to be beneath what you truly are – a god. To hold power on earth is to fall from your natural estate.
So, there are voices from the Bronze Age telling us that our nature is not earthly or mortal but we are in fact ‘sons of the most high’ and if our father is God are we not then as He is? The mortality, the barbarity and all that we think of as ‘nature’ is an ‘unnatural’ state. Something that is put onto another nature, another reality. But the consciousness itself, that very life that gives life to all life, is irreducibly divine. The wretched imperfection, the accumulated wickedness of the earth all happens and takes place in consciousness and therefore in the sight of God. There is no thought, word or deed unknown to Him by His nature; even Hell itself exists in the consciousness of it and so Hell is happening to God. He is fully conscious of it and we are on the front line of this appalling narrative.
Beauty, Perfection, Imperfection and Evil
Ideas that the world is beautiful are frankly insane. Our consciousness of the world can be beautiful as it awakens the beauty of the divine by association. We can treasure forms or appearances that may stir in us an awakening of the energy from which we were given our existence. But the fact that our attachment to this ‘beauty’ is born to die is surely a clear warning against over-investing in it. What is essential is that we never lose sight of what stands behind appearance, which is something greater than our life and death, something that transcends time even when it occurs within it. The words of the psalmist (“for ye are gods”) could belong to any time because they refer to our immortal identity. We are gods, whether in ancient Israel, or even when faced with horrors such as the ghastly slave ships of the Americas, or the death camps of the Nazis and so on. Nothing can take it away.. nothing can destroy or reduce it because it’s happening to God and we are his gods. Our consciousness of it cannot be without His consciousness of it.
As to the question ‘Does God know evil?’ – simply answered, Of course! He’s the only one that really does or ever could, because given the imperfection of evil those who are infected by it know it as agents of it. But as to what it is, only the Mind that sees it fully can say. The myths that we are taught regarding the origin and nature of evil (such as the story of Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel) can awaken in us a deeper understanding of evil gifted to us by the ones that came before. But, the origin and role of evil that is outside of earth cannot be known from myths. God Himself knows I am sure but as to the gods I cannot say, for I don’t know it although I have seen it in a terrible vision and know that without Christ it would destroy me.
Christ’s mission
The narrative of Christ’s life can be told as the story of how God woke up his gods. There are many episodes on which I could focus but I choose two. The first is when He is accused of blasphemy, of making Himself to be God. He answers, quoting the Psalm, that we are gods. He understands this teaching from a higher vantage point, for if we are gods then who or what is He? Secondly, on Mt Tabor there occurred the defining moment of contact with the divine when the veil that separates man from God was lifted and the exalted dead, Moses & Elijah, appeared to the exalted living, Peter, James & John. These men are gods and sons of the most High. As to Christ, it is He who makes us gods and it is only through Him that we can truly experience theosis. The totality of God’s power is with Him, the Logos, and our transformation into immortals is completed by the word of the Logos. The sacrifice He made illuminates the world and reaches out in the darkness, to the furthest reaches of consciousness. At this very moment He is awakening His gods.
From an unreported death of a minor provincial figure in a corner of perhaps the mightiest of empires came a movement unlike any other in the history of mankind. Through a group of working men came the power to liberate the unenlightened gods from their slavery. After Christ’s death I can only imagine the despair of His friends – all their doubts and fears must have weighed terribly upon them, but when they witnessed His resurrection and His ascension the enormity of their task dawned on them. The transmission of this message through time is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and other documents. What is clear is that the message, the accounts of the Saviour’s life and His teachings, was accompanied by dynamic power. A contemporary Roman commented that ‘killing the Christians doesn’t deter them as they think themselves divine’. The transmission of Christianity was accomplished by theosis. Those to whom the Word of God came become sons and daughters of God. Then following Christianity through time we see the inspired individuals who brought theosis to others. This is Christianity, becoming a god in Christ. Everything else follows from that. If the god within is not awoken, if the transformative Light is not received then it isn’t Christianity. It is not simply believing something, although one must believe; it is not following a set of moral precepts, although there are precepts to follow: It is becoming a god in Christ. He is human, we are human. He is God, we are His gods. He is the Logos, we are His logoi. Anything which doesn’t have this at its heart isn’t Christianity.
What does it mean to experience Theosis?
Describing theosis from without involves referencing it to what it is like. For example, it’s as if you become a ray of the sun. There are many other descriptions that are evocative but in as much as they do not bring on the experience itself they are insufficient. I often think of the woman of Samaria who Christ asks to bring him water. At some moment in their conversation she changes from arguing with Him to a visionary state in which she sees Him as God. Surely to see the divine you must be lifted into the divine? Christ talked about giving her ‘living water’, which is an exquisite reference. But, even the recording and repeating of His own words does not in itself bring on theosis. The receiving of theosis is by the gift of God Himself (indeed call it grace, although that word has been interpreted in various ways).
Theosis is the awakening consciousness of oneself as a god in Christ, which is given by the God of gods Himself to those He chooses. Theosis is entering into the Light of Christ and in that Light we become light. While on earth we remain in flesh but in theosis our flesh becomes less and our light becomes more. We are permitted to enter the miraculous zones where our consciousness meets the sacred Energy of He who is the Maker of all. He is Life, and He is God and we live in this Life and we are his gods. What isn’t raised in theosis has another outcome. If I fall short and do not receive theosis then may I be written out of the book of life because I’ve seen the ‘non earthly’ dwelling of God’s enemies and it terrified me. Knowing the treasure I had lost, to have consciousness of losing Christ by my own fault would be a torture beyond endurance.
Theosis is in the gift of Christ
Achieving theosis is not something that can be done in a like manner to following a map. As Christ is the Way and theosis is within His gift so it can only occur by His let. Receiving theosis means God has decided that you are worthy of it according to His measure which is beyond mortal sight. This being said, if one seeks the love of another person isn’t it our best hope to pursue that love with everything we’ve got? So it is with God. If your friend loves and desires another person is it best for him to do nothing to win that love? Even if the lover’s strategy is simply to encourage their beloved to come forth by quietly preparing a place worthy of her. So it is with us. We must love ardently and prepare ourselves to be a fitting place for the Glorious One to come to. Our unions with family, friends and partners are the precursors for the Union with God. Part of our preparation is to prepare these unions so that they are worthy of theosis. If our love of those we hold dear is to be saved then it must be made immortal and be included in theosis. The theosis that saves us from death saves that which we love. If we fail to love, forgive, tolerate, understand, sympathize and help then it is as if the structure in which theosis will enter is inexistent. I believe that we need to give these things in order to receive them. The giving of these things is the preparation for theosis for Christ’s plea to us as He faced His terrible death was simply ‘love each other’, and so I’ll take that as the first step one must take on the road to theosis.
False theosis is claiming theosis without Christ, as done by Roman emperors and German philosophers alike. It seems obvious that claiming to be a god is an act of arrogance. If you think yourself a god perhaps you see yourself as above others. Here is the counter intuitive element: Theosis in Christ is true humility and obedience to the Lord. We are obeying His command to be perfect and we are knocking at the door and asking for that which we seek. Furthermore, by openly declaring oneself to be a god in Christ you expose yourself to the enemy that He had to face and thus walk in His footsteps. This enemy sustains the resolute wall of resistance to theosis that is constituted here in the world. You are a god, Christ taught you this. Therefore, in spite of our sins, failures and imperfections we have to confess it: ‘We are Christ’s gods, the chosen people of the living God’. He is our Divine Master and we are His loving servants, and even more. He shed His precious blood so that we may receive His theosis, become gods and thus be saved from the wretchedness of our predicament.
The importance of Prayer
How to achieve theosis? As I have already stated theosis is in God’s gift, therefore I can give no certainty. Given this I’ll share what I can. Firstly pray. However much you don’t feel like it, just do it. If a grumpy muttering of the Lord’s Prayer is the best you can come up with then it’s better than nothing. (It might lead to opening to God what it is you are grumpy about.) Sometimes I converse with the Lord and speak aloud, other times without speaking. At times I try to clear my mind and wait ‘patiently on the Lord’. Tears are much praised by the saints and Christ Himself wept at His prayers. I would counsel anyone to hold very dear the Mother of Our Lord who is ‘Theotokos’. She is absolutely at the core of our theosis. Had she not given her flesh to the Word, the express image of God Himself then how could we be saved and given this immaculate prize? By giving birth to God, into the world of men she gave birth to our salvation. She is our glory and she is the Mother of the gods. I don’t really understand why the Romans had to come up with a complex theory about how God somehow needed to intervene at the moment of her conception; worse still the sullen faced protestants who try and demystify and de-sanctify her. If you don’t adore and delight in her then why bother calling yourself Christian? She is at the very heart of our enterprise. Please, beloved of Christ, Queen of Heaven, accept my unworthy offering of love.
So I place prayer in first place in the quest for theosis. Remember; “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.” I was taught the prayer of the heart as a protection against evil and this is the prayer that once got me out of hell. Simply ‘Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy on me a sinner’. I was taught to put my mind inside my heart and let my love penetrate my thoughts and the thought of my Saviour take root in my love. This can help to quieten the intrusive thoughts and distractions that disrupt prayer. I can at times hear the mocking voices and the attempts to distort my prayers. Words are changed within my soul unbidden, as if they came from me. Vulgarities and ridicule come into the mind but if this happens do not be disheartened. Au contraire, take it as a sign that the enemy seeks to prevent you from experiencing theosis and so take heart! He knows you are precious to God and so seeks to lead you astray. Focus on the name Jesus Christ and they cannot overcome you.
Theosis and earthly life
Once you have arrived at the realization that you are not merely mortal and that your identity is only found when you become a god, comes the task of making sense of your life on earth. There is so much about earthly life that is antithetical to being divine. Each of us can tell a story of suffering and sadness and sin. However, this is the place where God revealed Himself as Jesus Christ and so there must be something of great significance about this benighted planet. The very ‘superessence’ of everything that ever was, is or will be became flesh and blood and walked the earth. The ineffable Power that is above all became a man, a Jewish teacher who opened the eyes of his lost children to their eternal destiny. This is our story, our narrative and it should penetrate everything that we say and do.
I particularly object to attempts to remove the actual agent of our salvation, Christ Himself, from the equation. ‘All you need is love’ goes the song from the mind that gave us ‘imagine there’s no heaven’ or ‘above us only sky’. Then following from that there’s ‘all religions are the same because what really matters is…’, which is a sure way to a sentimental dead end. I do not know who Christ will find worthy to share in His glorious kingdom, to receive His salvation, but I can say that it is His and HIS ALONE to give. Failure to recognise our glorious master and king and lord and judge and saviour as the sole means of salvation may be forgivable, but it is a sin if wilfully done. There is no deification without Him but there are surely immensely powerful forces at work from which no amount of bonhomie will protect you. We all like a good tune but some of that identification with lowlife celebrity culture may well haunt you if you try and take it higher than the earth it grew from.
Next steps
We must consider what needs to be learned to give structure and intellectual defence to theosis. We have published a very brief account of the history of theosis in Christianity and pre–Christian Judaism. For those who wish to engage more profoundly in the intellectual aspect it will be necessary to do some studying and reading. It is also important to have contact with those within the theosis community who can help you on your journey offering guidance and help. I want our project to offer a platform for anybody who wishes to engage with us and contact with someone who holds our core principles should be guaranteed. It is essential that if you wish to engage in the ‘mental fight’ that you are armed. Therefore we will offer a series of courses at different levels for those who wish to participate.
Theosis is Genius
There is an expression that at first seems contrary. Theosis is Genius. To ascribe theosis to what is commonly thought of as exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability is to comingle people and abilities that seem discrepant. Einstein or Beethoven wouldn’t associate easily with union with God and becoming a god in Christ. So in what sense can theosis be genius? The answer can only be that theosis is God’s genius manifest. It is God’s intellectual and creative power that transforms us and so we may participate in and have union with this supreme super genius. God’s transcendence surely transcends any idea we might have of genius but in as much as we can experience His intellect it will manifest as the Highest we could possibly know. By knowing what He, by grace and love, shares with us we will achieve an impossibly high experience of the true and immortal genius possessed only by Him. The relation of God Almighty to worldly manifestations of what we call genius is not clearly known to me. I can only evaluate a person of extraordinary ability by the Light they bring to me. But I am not the measure of these people; their place in the story is not mine to know.
What Theosis means to me
In my life the message of ‘theosis’ was taught to me by Jim Overbeck who has received a ‘face to face’ visit from Christ Himself. When Overbeck tried to process and come to terms with so momentous an experience, which he had at age 27, he began theological investigations and found the correlate to his experiences of the divine in the mystics of Eastern Catholicism. These men, who defended the high reaches of Christian intellect built the faith on the principle of deification. God became man, so that men may become gods. Instead of sons of Gehenna, we may become sons and daughters of God – and thereby gods. What me? an insignificant one amongst billions, mightier than anything in the mortal world? What me? a son of a great Father who will be raised to immortal splendour in the house of my Almighty Lord? What me, a mystery of great and secret love known only to me and my Supreme Lord and beloved? This is my poor and unworthy representation of theosis that if I wrote and thought about for a billion years I could never come close to expressing. We are the gods: wake up my dears, our time is coming.