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One with God: Salvation As Deification and Justification (Unitas Books)

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This is another book from the Helsinki Theological School that is finding common ground between traditional Lutheranism, not to be confused with the modern Lutheran trend in the U.S. to go more and more Protestant, and the Eastern Orthodox theological tradition. In particular, this book examines the doctrine of deification (theosis), so prevelant in the East.

The typically Lutheran forensic understanding of justification is called to account as an imbalance of the biblical message. Its history and rise within Lutheranism is detailed, contrasted to Luther's own theology. A clear explination of Eastern Orthodoxy and its emphasis on union with Christ as deification is given. After this, deification in other Protestant traditions is outlined, followed by an attempt (I think a working solution) to restore a more holisitic approach to the doctrine of justification.

THis is an excellent analysis of the subject and should be read by anyone intersted in serious ecumenism, and not the wishy washy rainbow coalition.

This is very helpful for Protestants interested in how our traditional emphasis on justification can be joined with the Eastern approach of theosis. Very hopeful book for the future of a united church.

"..., if our salvation consists in finding ourselves in God, it means finding ourselves to be as God is. But we only do this by being what God is and acting as He acts, which, of course, is impossible without His direct intervention. 'You therefore are to be perfect, even as your heavenly father is perfect... Abide in me and I in you.' " Thomas Merton, The New Man



Prologue to our Union:
"If this book inspires ecumenical and systematic reflection on the doctrine of salvation within and between christian churches, its ultimate goal has been more than achieved." This is what the author and Helsinki ecumenics docent sets, in the Preface, as the goal of his ecumenically probing study. This pursuit of unity is supported by Unitas books, and shared by the Liturgical press, confirming that "Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi."

One With God:
The books title takes the reader to Athanasius philanthropic Christology expressed in the 'Sarx-Logos' Alexandrine sotereology based on the Johannine verse of the union with God in Christ, "And the Word became flesh and lived among us" John 1:14. So he emphasizes the prominence of deification for salvation, affected through the incarnation which starts the role of the Holy Spirit whose grace makes humans participants in divine life. He quotes Cyril of Alexandria who defended the Hypostatic Union, on page 26, "Christ filled his whole body with the life giving power of the Spirit... it was not the flesh that gave life to the Spirit, but the power of the Spirit that gave life to the flesh."
Twenty pages later, in 'Justification and Deification in Martin Luther's Theology, I had to check the footnotes twice, to make sure it was Luther sermon rather than Athanasius, "Just as the word of God became flesh, so it is certainly also necessary that the flesh become word. ... In other words: God becomes man so that man may become God. ... The Logos puts on our form and manner."

Deification, Union and Sanctification:
The ecumenical approach of this study, made this book unique in its coverage. The subjects are varied and linked by a pneumatological soteriology. I have no alternative to selecting some of the Deification issues: in Anabaptism, Sanctification in Methodism, and Union in evangelical theology. In his further pursuit of ecumenical like minded theology, he covers the Lutheran conversations with the and Roman Catholics Orthodox. He even delves "Beyond Salvation,' Christian metamorphosis from Orthodox Pentacostal perspective.

In Search of Consensual Salvation:
In those nine short essays the author exposes the ecumenical thinking on salvation, Union as the soteriological motif, Biblical theology, Becoming Holy, Priority of Love, Human Synergy, Pneumatology grounds of Salvation, Third millennium Soteriology, Soteriology of other Faiths.
"As a Lutheran, I want to say that the Orthodox doctrine of theosis is simply true, that justification by faith theologically presupposes it in the same way that Paul the Apostle reasoned by analogy from the resurrection of the dead to the justification of the sinner." Paul Hinlicky


Theosis: Deification in Christian Theology (Princeton Theological Monograph)
Christ Present In Faith: Luther's View Of Justification

This was a pretty good book. It was useful in breaking down the eastern orthodox doctrine of "theosis" which was something that was completely foreign to me. Essentially "theosis" is the doctrine that by union with Christ Christians are constantly being transformed into a godlike state of being, this is not to say that Christian's become God, but that they come to share attributes of God which are not a part of God's essence. (Theosis is not strictly sanctification.) This is extremely strange, I know. However Karkkainen goes through several joint declarations b/w the Lutheran Churches (all except for Missouri Synod) and the Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Churches and the Catholic Church in which the idea of theosis (deification) and justification do not exclude each other.

The book can be summed up in the following quote from the book: "There is a emerging consensus that the Orthodox idea of the believer's union with God, theosis, regardless of differing language can be compatible with the Western notion of participation in God, an idea that is essential part of the doctrine of justification by faith."

Hi,
Thank You, the book is good. In fact, I'm student in the author's class. He's great.