@suzianne saidBut making man into God 'is' deification. I mean that's literally what it is. And it's not biblical.
I do not think the term 'deification' should be as scapegoated as it has been here.
"Making man into God" is, yeah, a bad thing. But infusing man with God's essence is sort of a 're-balancing' of what was originally intended for man by God, before Satan got his claws into mankind. Christians believe that Jesus came as a man to Earth to help 'reset' some of the imbalance.
Calling this a 'deification' seems overboard, but not entirely wrong.
I think there may be parallels that can be drawn, though.
Take the phrase "four-in-one". I have shown that becoming the Godhead was certainly not meant.
But that God and the saved become ONE (though God forever retains the noncommunicable Headship) a unity of oneness is seen.
In John 15 you have Jesus Christ as the True Vine. And you have the believers as branches abiding in Him drawing their life from Him. But the vine of Christ and the abiding branches of believers become one organism.
The vine tree consists of the vine and the branches springing out of the vine. Christ and His people here become one organism. It may help some Christians when they think of "four-in-one" to consider the true vine of Christ and the branches abiding in Him and He in them as ONE organic unity - a vine tree.
This is similar to saying there are four-in-one prayed for by Christ in His prayer in John 17.
The true vine - Jesus Christ and the branches abiding in the true vine, the disciples of Jesus, become one organic unit - a vine tree.
The abiding branches do not become the central vine. But the branches become the expansion of the vine. The organism is one organism.
This is similar to our saying Jesus prayed for a "four-in-one" oneness in John 17.
Suppose an assembly had worshippers declaring - Lord Jesus, You are the true vine and we are abiding in You Lord as the branches. Praise the Lord, You and we are one organism!"
The devil would be very scared and displeased to hear that Christians have such a revelation from John 15. He would prefer that they just go do some good things and wait to go to heaven.
But that the true vine of Christ and the abiding branches are one organism? This is terrifying to God's enemy to know Christians are grasping such a truth.
The Christian's warfare is not against flesh and blood. It is against spiritual forces.
These spiritual forces want Christians not to be attached to Christ. They cannot make Christ not be. But they can fight to keep Christ and people very separate.
Christ said the Father is the husbandman caring for the true vine that the abiding branches would bear much fruit.
The true vine of Christ and the abiding branches drawing every bit of their fruitful life supply FROM the true vine form ONE ORGANISM - a vine tree.
"Four-in-one" implied in John 17 is much like Christ and His abiding believers as ONE organic organism bearing fruit for God the Father.
@sonship saidWorshippers declaring anything in an assembly is mouthworship and by itself is useless dead faith, and the Devil loves mouth worship and dead faith, and encourages people to practice it.
Suppose an assembly had worshippers declaring - Lord Jesus, You are the true vine and we are abiding in You Lord as the branches. Praise the Lord, You and we are one organism!"
The devil would be very scared and displeased to hear that Christians have such a revelation from John 15. He would prefer that they just go do some good things and wait to go to heaven.
It is only when this declaration is believed in the heart and translated into righteousness and good works THEN, and ONLY THEN would the Devil be scared because then it is living faith which God hears then justify the believers.
Your doctrine is a convoluted mess created by a fool.
@Ghost-of-a-Duke
Why the words "four-in-one" are not specifically stated I do not know.
But many things which are clearly stated you do not receive.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1) is clearly stated. But you don't receive it.
@sonship saidBecause God does not exist.
@Ghost-of-a-Duke
Why the words "four-in-one" are not specifically stated I do not know.
But many things which are clearly stated you do not receive.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." (Gen. 1:1) is clearly stated. But you don't receive it.
@ghost-of-a-duke saidOk, I'm out, then.
But making man into God 'is' deification. I mean that's literally what it is. And it's not biblical.
I'm not going to waste my time explaining what I mean a thousand times.
@suzianne saidI understand what you meant, but we're discussing what Witless Lee meant and that is very much about man muscling his way into the Trinity. It is not about rebalancing man but making man God. (Which as you say yourself, is a bad thing).
Ok, I'm out, then.
I'm not going to waste my time explaining what I mean a thousand times.