1 edit
Christ is God incarnate and raised.
We as believers are members of the Body of Christ.
We have been deified to that degree already because we are living members of
the Body of God incarnate, raised, and dispensed into our being.
You have been deified in part already by being in Christ's (Who is God) Body.
When Paul persecuted the church in Jerusalem, Jesus knocked him to the ground and said "Saul, Saul, Why do you persecute . . . Me?" .
Some deification had already occured upon the saints in the church in Jerusalem that Paul was persecuting.
The Body of Christ is called "the Christ".
This means some deification in making men God has already taken place.
Yet He is the Head - the Godhead.
The Body is the Body-Christ to the Head-Christ.
Some deification has already taken place then making the Body of Christ with the Head "the Christ"
"For even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ." (1 Cor. 12:12)
That is some people being made God in life and nature and expression already but not in His Godhead. We may choose to not believe it. But that is what the Bible says - "so also is the Christ."
"Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?"
@sonship saidYou are not Christ. His starting position was divine. Yours was not.
Christ is God incarnate and raised.
@sonship said"You are a Christian, are you not?"
@josephw
Man will be glorified. Immortal. Incorruptible. Free from sin and death. Glorified.
Instead of "considering" perhaps you had better reconsider.
Do you mean that no part of you in any sense is God already ?
You are a Christian, are you not?
Does you being a Christian mean that no part of you in any sense can be said to be God?
The devil might ask me if I'm a Christian.
A stranger might ask me if I'm a Christian.
Maybe even Rajk might ask me that.
But after all these years of posting no one in this forum ever asked me if I was a Christian. Go figure!
Do you mean that no part of you in any sense is God already?"
In the strictest "sense", in the biblical "sense", according to the scriptures "sense", God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit live within this body with me. That's what the scriptures teach.
They don't teach however anything about being deified.
You can believe what you want sonship, but you have massaged the text to support the idea of deification.
If that was what the scriptures taught it would plainly say justified, sanctified, glorified and last but not least deified.
It's not there. It's not implied. Not a hint. If it where it would be a long time a major doctrine taught by the church. It's not. Never will be.
I'll not be addressing this issue again till after I bounce the idea off a few mature saints I know.
@sonship saidWhy does that sentence above ring as grammatically wrong to me?
Christians, unless you don't want to believe (1 Cor. 6:17)[/b] you have already been deified in your innermost spirit.
"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."
The oldest manuscripts read, "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit, and is deified." 😶
Notice though the small "s" in the word spirit. If it were capitalized, then that might raise some questions.
"Christians, unless you don't want to believe (1 Cor. 6:17) you have already been deified in your innermost spirit."
So, if a Christian doesn't want to believe it, then they're NOT deified in their innermost spirit? That's just all wrong!
It appears now that "deification" is subsequent to salvation, but if one doesn't want to believe it, then they're a second class Christian.
That's all wrong!
3 edits
Why does that sentence above ring as grammatically wrong to me?
I don't know. Check some other English translations at Bible Hub.
https://biblehub.com/1_corinthians/6-17.htm
"But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit."
The oldest manuscripts read, "But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit, and is deified." 😶
No passage in the Greek NT says Jesus is "sweet and wonderful."
So, we better not believe Jesus is sweet and wonderful ??
Seriously.
Put two and two together.
Your spirit is you.
The Spirit of Jesus is God and Jesus.
How else can we say:
Christ lives in us,
Christ is our life,
For us to live is Christ,
Our life is hidden with Christ in God,
"I am in the Father and you in Me and I in you."
The Lord be with your spirit,
The grace of the Lord be with your spirit,
Grace be with you,
I am buried with Christ,
I am raised with Christ,
I am seated with Christ,
I am baptized into Christ,
I am abiding in the Lord,
Christ is the hope of glory in me,
We are members of Christ,
We are the Body of Christ,
We are the temple of God.
My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,
We're in Christ,
We are to be the Bride of Christ,
We are the habitation of God in spirit,
We are the house of the living God,
One God and Father of all who is . . . IN ALL,
We abide in Christ,
It is not longer I but Christ who lives in me,
etc.
etc.
If you don't want to say we are in the process of being deified we certrainly
can say something less offending yet equally profound - "We are Christians."
4 edits
Notice though the small "s" in the word spirit. If it were capitalized, then that might raise some questions.
Sometimes the editors were not sure to capitalize the S or make the s small.
In this case we have the two spirits mentioned explicitly in Romans 8:16
" The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God." (Rom. 8:16)
Fortunately many great truths in the Bible are repeated in more than just one instance. With the backup of Romans 8:16 we have the confidence that to be united or joined (or one version says cleave) to the Lord Jesus is for the human spirit and the Spirit who is the Third Person of the Trinity to be mingled.
God witnesses with our spirit because we are joined to the Lord as "one spirit".
"Christians, unless you don't want to believe (1 Cor. 6:17) you have already been deified in your innermost spirit."
So, if a Christian doesn't want to believe it, then they're NOT deified in their innermost spirit? That's just all wrong!
I agree that that is wrong.
Not sure why the exclamaition point. Were you expecting me to say if you don't believe it then 1 Cor. 6:17 is not true?
I have every confidence if you don't believe you have started in the process of deification, one day we'll look at each other and exclaim - "Look at us! This is that deification some brothers were talking about."
5 edits
It appears now that "deification" is subsequent to salvation, but if one doesn't want to believe it, then they're a second class Christian.
That's all wrong!
Oh PLEASE don't start reasoning like one of the resident atheists.
If doubt makes us "second class" what Christian among us isn't second class somewhere ? We all need to grow in faith.
This last leap is wrong logic and somewhat (or actually) a BIG STRAWMAN.
Knock it down. It should be easy.
No verse says God is three-one a "trinity."
But what can we say?
He is Father - Son - Holy Spirit.
"Trinity" cannot be found in the Bible.
"Rapture" cannot be found in the Bible.
Even "Substitution" I don't think can be found in the Bible.
The facts of these are surely there though explicit text stating those exact words
are not. This is how I see it Kellyjay.
But we still doubt many things or hesitate on many great and precious promises. It makes a difference though to stand on many of these truths in faith.
4 edits
You can believe what you want sonship, but you have massaged the text to support the idea of deification.
I think it is an excellent idea for you to seek some fellowship with other Christians.
But about the "massaging" charge.
This is not massaging. This is QUOTING.
"Through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world by lust." (2 Peter 1:4)
Now which part of that verse did I "massage?"
@sonship said2 Peter 1:4 is not speaking about deification, despite your attempts to massage it in there.
@josephw
You can believe what you want sonship, but you have massaged the text to support the idea of deification.
I think it is an excellent idea for you to seek some fellowshp with other Christians.
But about the "massaging" charge.
This is not massaging. This is QUOTING.
"Through which He has granted to us precio ...[text shortened]... which is in the world by lust." (2 Peter 1:4)
Now which part of that verse did I "massage?"
@ghost-of-a-duke saidAnd you are in a position to know this how?
You are not Christ. His starting position was divine. Yours was not.
2 edits
Partakers of the divine nature is partaking of a nature which is divine.
Divinity belongs to God.
The atheist doesn't believe God exists.
To him there is no divine and there is no divine nature.
There is no God and no Father God begetting children of God.
How then can the atheist believe that God dispenses divine nature for humans to
become partakers of ?
He cannot.
He cannot also believe that man fell into the sin nature as if to say there was no
fall of man.
Christians, you decide who you want to believe - the Bible or the atheist.
I made my decision.
You make yours.
The bible says the believers are partakers of the divine nature.
@sonship saidI partake in a Sunday lunch. I don't become the lunch.
Partakers of the divine nature is partaking of a nature which is divine.
Divinity belongs to God.
The atheist doesn't believe God is.
How then can the atheist believe that God dispenses divine nature for humans to
become partakers of ?
He cannot.
He cannot also believe that man fell into the sin nature as if to say there was no
fall ...[text shortened]... decide who you want to believe the Bible of the atheist.
I made my decision.
You make yours.