神化就是成圣

2012-5-2 11:46

- 耶稣被造论的英中翻译，叫人不敢领教，看看就算了。

- 借着与耶稣联合，也就与神联合，也就间接地神的所有。

The greatest possible blessing: Calvin and Deification

Carl Mosser 
St Mary's College, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JU, Scotland, UK

(以下是节录)

Theosis is described under a number of theological rubrics. These include adoption to divine sonship, participation in God, sharing of divine life, impartation of immortality, restoration of the imago dei, glorification, and consummation of the marriage between Christ and the Church. 

Succinctly, theosis is for believers to become by grace what the Son of God is by nature and to receive the blessings that are his by right as undeserved gifts. (5-2 11:19)

Most boldly, theosis is described as a transforming union of the believer with God and Christ usually, if inadequately, translated as `divinization' or `deifcation'. (5-2 11:19)

The goal of salvation is for the believer to be `in-godded' and thereby made a `god'. (5-2 11:20)

Calvin immediately identifies partaking of the divine nature as that `than which nothing more outstanding can be imagined' (5-2 11:21)

Calvin's implicit reasoning is that God is that than which nothing greater can be conceived, i.e. the greatest possible being. (5-2 11:22)

Therefore, partaking of his divine nature is that blessing than which nothing more excellent can be conceived; i.e. the greatest possible blessing. (5-2 11:22)

As creatures in the image of God humans `ought to be thought the reflection of God's glory'.  Furthermore, being created in the image of God is in some sense `participation in God'. (5-2 11:27)

Christ's accomplishment as Mediator made it such that `all his things are ours and we have all things in him'. (5-2 11:28)

His task was to make children of men, children of God, to make heirs of Ghenna, heirs of the kingdom of heaven. (5-2 11:29)

taken what was ours as to impart what was his to us, and to make what was his by nature ours by grace (5-2 11:30)

we are sons of God, for God's natural Son fashioned for himself a body from our body, flesh from our flesh, bones from our bones, that he might be one with us. (5-2 11:35)

Ungrudgingly he took our nature upon himself to impart to us what was his, and to become both Son of God and Son of man in common with us (5-2 11:35)

the only Son of God, to whom it wholly belongs, has adopted us as his brothers. (5-2 11:35)

This intimate union is not merely union with Christ as human mediator, but with God. In fact, the Word `took upon himself the person and office of Mediator, that he might join us to God'. (5-2 11:37)

In patristic terms, individual believers can be deified because the incarnation of Christ deified human nature. (5-2 11:15)

It is an inestimable privilege of faith that we know that Christ was loved by the Father for our sake, that we might be made partakers of the same love and that forever.' (5-2 11:17)

Furthermore, Christ was loved `that He may unite us along with himself to the Father'. (5-2 11:17)

Calvin denies that believers will ever be united to the divine essence, but they will partake of the divine nature and be changed to be like Jesus. Calvin aptly says of this union: