Before
delving into the primary theme of this post—i.e. the ‘unlikely source’—I would
like to provide an introduction of sorts on the doctrine of deification (also
termed theosis). From the entry under the heading “Deification” in The
Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology (1983) we read:
Deification
(Greek theosis) is for Orthodoxy the goal of every Christian. Man,
according to the Bible, is ‘made in the image and likeness of God’ (cf. Gen.
1.26), and the Fathers commonly distinguish between these two words. The image
refers to man’s reason and freedom, that which distinguishes him from the
animals and makes him kin to God, while ‘likeness’ refers to 'assimilation to
God through virtues' (St John Damascus). It is possible for man to become like
God, to become deified, to become god by grace. This doctrine is based on many
passages of both OT and NT (e.g. Ps. 82 (81).6; 2 Peter 1.4), and it is
essentially the teaching both of St Paul, though he tends to use the language
of filial adoption (cf. Rom. 8.9-17; Gal. 4.5-7), and the Fourth Gospel (cf.
17.21-23). [Page 147 - for more Biblical passages germane to this issue see THIS POST.]
The Catechism
of the Catholic Church under Part One 'The Profession of the
Christian Faith’, chapter two, article 3.I.460 ‘Why did the Word become
flesh?’, had the following to say:
The Word
became flesh to make us "partakers of the divine nature":78
"For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of
man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving
divine sonship, might become a son of God."79 "For the Son of God
became man so that we might become God."80 "The only-begotten Son of
God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that
he, made man, might make men gods."81.
78 2 Pt
1:4.
79 St.
Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 19, 1: PG 7/1, 939.
80 St.
Athanasius, De inc. 54, 3: PG 25, 192B.
81
St. Thomas Aquinas, Opusc. 57, 1-4.
[Libreria
Editrice Vaticana, Eng. 1994 ed. p. 116; Eng. 1997 2nd ed. p.
116 - for additional selections on deification from Catholic authors see THIS THREAD; for dozens of references from the Church Fathers see THIS POST.]
Robert
V. Rakestraw provides an Evangelical perspective on deification; note the
following:
In
one of his letters Athanasius, the fourth-century defender of the faith, made
his famous statement that the Son of God became man “that he might deify
us in himself.”1 Elsewhere he wrote similarly that Christ “was made man
that we might be made God.”2 This is the doctrine of theosis, also known
as deifcation, divinization or, as some prefer, participation in God.3
While
the concept of theosis has roots in the ante-Nicene period, it is not
an antiquated historical curiosity. The idea of divinization, of redeemed human
nature somehow participating in the very life of God, is found to a surprising
extent throughout Christian history, although it is practically unknown to the
majority of Christians (and even many theologians) in the west.
1 Athanasius,
Letter 60, to Adelphius, 4. See also 3, 8 (NPNF, 2d Series 4.575–578).
2 Athanasius
On the Incarnation 54 (NPNF, 2d Series 4.65).
3 A. M.
Allchin entitles his book on theosis Participation in God: A Forgotten
Strand in Anglican Tradition (Wilton: Morehouse-Barlow, 1988).["Becoming
Like God: An Evangelical Doctrine of Theosis", JETS 40/2 (June 1997)
257-269 – LINK.]
Time now
to introduce the ‘unlikely source’ mentioned in the title of this thread: Charles
Taze Russell. Russell was the founder of the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society of
Pennsylvania (1881; incorporated 1884), the related magazine Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of
Christ's Presence (1879), and the movement that became known as the
Jehovah’s Witnesses (the name adopted in 1931). From the first three volumes of his
six volume magnum opus, Millennial Dawn (later renamed Studies in the
Scriptures), we read (all bold emphasis that follows in mine):
If the
masses of mankind are saved from all the degradation, weakness,
pain,
misery
and
death
which
result
from
sin,
and
are
restored to the condition of human perfection enjoyed
before the fall, they are as really and completely
saved from that fall as those who,
under the special “highcalling” of the Gospel age, become “partakers
of the divine
nature." (Millennial Dawn, 1.173)
Notice that this teaches not only that
angelic nature is not the only order of spirit being, but that it is a lower
nature than that of our Lord before he became a man ; and he was not then so high as he is now, for “God hath
highly exalted him,” because of his obedience
in
becoming
man’s willing ransom. (Phil. 2 : 8, 9.) He is now of the highest order of spirit being, a partaker of the
divine (Jehovah’s) nature. (Millennial Dawn, 1.178)
When Jesus was in the flesh he was a perfect human being ; previous to that time he was a perfect spiritual
being
;
and
since his resurrection he is a perfect spiritual
being of the highest or divine
order. It was not until the time of his consecration
even
unto death, as typified in his baptism—at thirty
years
of
age (manhood, according to the Law, and therefore
the
right time to consecrate himself as a man)—that he received
the earnest of his inheritance of the divine nature. (Matt. 3 : 16, 17.) Tlie human nature had to be consecrated to death before he could receive even the pledge of the
divine nature. And not until that consecration was actually
carried out and he had a6lually sacrificed the human nature, even unto
death, did our Lord Jesus become a full partaker of the
divine nature. After becoming a man he became obedient unto death ; wherefore, God hath highly exalted him to the
divine nature. (Phil. 2 : 8, 9.) If
this Scripture is true, it follows that he was
not exalted to the divine nature until the human nature was actually
sacrificed—dead. (Millennial
Dawn, 1.179)
…it is purely of
God's
favor
that
angels
are by nature a little higher than men ; and it is also of God's favor
that the Lord Jesus and his bride become partakers of the divine nature. It becomes all his
intelligent creatures, therefore, to receive with gratitude
whatever
God
bestows.
Any
other
spirit
justly
merits
condemnation,
and,
if
indulged,
will
end
in
abasement
and
destruction.
A man has no right to aspire to be an angel, never having
been invited to that position ; nor has an angel any right to aspire to
the
divine nature, that never having been offered to him. (Millennial
Dawn, 1.189)
None have a right to dictate
to God. If he established the earth, and if he formed it not in vain, but made it to be inhabited
by
restored,
perfect men, who are we that we should reply
against God, and say that it is unjust not to change their nature and make them
all
partakers
of
a spiritual nature either like unto the angels, or like unto his own divine
nature ? (Millennial Dawn, 1.191)
That the Christian
Church,
the
body
of
Christ,
is
an
exception to God's general plan for mankind, is evident from the statement
that
its
selection
was
determined in the divine plan before the foundation of the world
(Eph. 1 : 4, 5), at which time God not only foresaw
the fall of the race into sin, but also predetermined
the
justification,
the
santification and the glorification
of
this
class,
which,
during
the
Gospel
age,
he
has
been
calling
out
of the world to be conformed to the image of his Son, to be partakers
of the divine nature and to be fellow-heirs
with Christ Jesus of the
Millennial Kingdom for the establishment of universal
righteousness and peace.—Rom. 8 : 28-31. (Millennial
Dawn, 1.193)
The conditions
on which the Church may be exalted with her Lord to the divine
nature (2 Pet. 1 : 4) are
precisely the same as the conditions
on which he received it ; even by following
in
his footprints (1 Pet. 2 : 21), presenting
herself a living sacrifice,
as
he
did,
and
then
faithfully
carrying out that consecration
vow
until
the
sacrifice
terminates
in
death.
This
change of nature from human to divine
is
given
as
a
reward
to
those
who,
within
the
Gospel
age,
sacrifice the human nature, as did our Lord, with all its interests, hopes and aims,
present and future—even unto death. In the resurrection
such
will
awake,
not to share with the rest of mankind in the
blessed restitution to human perfection
and
all
its accompanying blessings, but to share the
likeness and glory and joy of the Lord, as partakers
with him of the
divine nature.—Rom 8:17; 2 Tim.
2:12. (Millennial Dawn, 1.196)
Those thus transformed,
or in processor change, are reckoned “new creatures,” begotten
of God, and partakers to that extent of
the divine nature. Mark well the difference between these “new creatures”
and
those
believers and “brethren” who are only justified.
Those
of
the
latter
class
are
still
of
the earth, earthy, and, aside from sinful
desires, their hopes, ambitions and aims are such as will be fully
gratified in the promised restitution of all things. But those of the
former class are not of this world, even as Christ is not of this world, and their hopes center in the things unseen, where Christ sitteth
at the right hand of God. The prospect of earthly
glory, so enchanting to the natural man,
would no longer be a satisfying portion to those begotten
of this heavenly hope, to those who see the glories of the heavenly promises,
and
who
appreciate
the part assigned them in the divine plan. This new,
divine
mind
is
the
earnest
of
our
inheritance of the complete divine nature—mind and body. Some may be a little startled by this expression,
a
divine
body;
but
we
are
told that Jesus is now the express image of his Father's
person, and that the overcomers
will
“be like him and see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2.) “There is a natural [human] body, and there is a spiritual
body.”
(1
Cor.
15
:
44.)
We could not imagine either our
divine Father or our Lord Jesus as merely great minds without bodies. Theirs are
glorious spiritual bodies, though it doth not yet appear how great is the glory, and it shall not, until we also shall share the
divine nature. (Millennial Dawn, 1.200)
At his second
advent he does not come to be subject
to the powers that be, to pay tribute
to Csesar and to suffer humiliation, injustice
and
violence;
but
he
comes
to
reign, exercising all power in heaven and in earth.
He does not come in the body of his humiliation,
a
human
body,
which
he
took
for
the
suffering
of
death,
inferior
to his former glorious body (Heb. 2:9); but in his glorious spiritual
body,
which
is
“the
express
image
of
the
Father's person” (Heb. 1 13); for, because
of his obedience even unto death, he is now highly exalted
to the divine nature and likeness,
and
given
a name above every name—the
Father’s name only excepted. (Phil. 2:9; 1 Cor. 15:27.) The Apostle shows that it "doth
not
yet
appear"
to
our
human
understanding
what
he is now like; hence we know not what we shall be like when made
like
him,
but we (the Church) may rejoice
in the assurance that we shall one day be with
him, and like him, and see him as he is (1 John 3 : 2)—not as he was at his first advent in humiliation,
when he had laid aside his former
glory and for our sakes had
become poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. (Millennial
Dawn, 2.108, 109)
[Our Lord was put to death a fleshly or human being, but was raised from the dead a spirit being. And since the
Church
is
to
be
“changed” in order that she may be like
Christ, it is evident that the change
which occurred in the Head was of a kind similar
to that described as in reservation for the overcomers,
who
shall
be
changed
from
human
to
spiritual nature, and made like him—“partakers
of the-divine nature.” – footnote p. 108]
…we recognize
A.
D.
1881 as marking the close of the special
favor to Gentiles—the close of the “high calling, “ or invitation
to the blessings peculiar to this age—to become joint-heirs
with Christ and partakers
of the divine nature. And, as we have seen, this marks a great movement among the Jewish
people toward Christianity, known as the "Kishenev
Movement."
(Millennial
Dawn, 2.235)
The stopping of the favor
or
''call"
here,
in 1881, is followed, or rather lapped
upon, by the general call of the whole
world to the Millennial blessings and favors upon condition
of righteousness, obedience (not self-sacrifice).
This
however
is
a
lower call, a lesser favor than that which ceased—a call to enjoy the
blessings of the Kingdom, but not to be parts of the anointed,
Kingdom
class.
And
this
change—this stopping of the higher favor and beginning
of
a
lesser
favor—will be little noticed here, now, by reason of the fact that the
great prize of the Kingdom and jointheirship with Christ as partakers
of the divine nature,
has been generally lost sight of in the Church. (Millennial
Dawn, 3.218)
So, during the Gospel age, our Lord has continually,
through
his
mouth-pieces
in
the church, invited all believers to enter into his
service. The full reward, the
divine nature and kingdom glory, was clearly
stated at first, and continually
repeated, though not always clearly understood
throughout the age. (Millennial
Dawn, 3.223, 224)*
And from Zion’s
Watchtower:
"YE ARE GODS."
"I have said ye are Gods; and all of you are children
of the Most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the
princes" [literally heads]. Psa. 82:6.
Our high calling is so great, so much above the
comprehension of men, that they feel that we are guilty of blasphemy when we
speak of being "new creatures"—not any longer human, but
"partakers of the divine nature." When we claim on the scriptural
warrant, that we are begotten of a divine nature and that Jehovah is thus
our father, it is claiming that we are divine beings—hence all such are Gods.
Thus we have a family of Gods, Jehovah being our father, and all his sons being
brethren and joint-heirs: Jesus being the chief, or first-born. (Zion's
Watchtower - December 1881 pp. 2, 3 - Reprints p. 301.)
Many
more examples could be added, but I shall end here for now.
Grace
and peace,
David
*All
six volumes of the Millennial Dawn/Studies in the Scriptures series
can be read and/or downloaded via THIS LINK.
