Perspective

My last class at ACU officially introduced me to the idea of theosis or deification. The concept is really pretty simple...it involves striving to become more like God. It may sound like a difficult thing to grasp but I'm finding, as I contemplate the whole idea, that it is everywhere in the things I read and hear.
One passage on this subject that comes to mind instantly is Philippians 2:5 and the verses of the early hymn that follow. We hear God saying in Genesis 1:26 that he intends to make humans "in his image". It's pretty easy to recognize Jesus calling all of us to love like he did.
But honestly, the ramifications for our everyday lives is almost beyond comprehension. Don't misunderstand...it's a goal worth pursuing. But the reality of the task is almost overhwhelming. After all, I do have faults...and a lot of them. Perhaps though, I see the quest for God-likeness as next to impossible because I hear it wrong. I'm not supposed to be striving to BE God, just to work toward exhibiting the attributes of God.
Thankfully perfection isn't something that is expected of me (or any of us). Instead, we are simply called to "walk in the light as he is in the light" (1 John 1:7). And when we do that we experience true fellowship with other God seekers as well as with God...purified through God (Jesus) to perfection in his eyes.
Theosis though calls us to a higher standard of thought and action. It asks us to put self aside and make God the focus of our actions. It requests that we allow the Spirit to take us to heights that we had no idea could be reached. It pulls us away from worldly desires and toward service to our fellow occupants of earth and the One that brought us here.
I have no desire to play the role of Pope and speak infallibly in God's place. But I do want to exhibit the attributes of God; love, mercy, kindness, justice; to the extent that I am able to. I do want to make him the driving force in my life as I put myself in the background and him in the spotlight.
I'm still trying to get the full perspective of the concept...but what I see so far, I like a lot. Like David I want to be, "a man after God's heart".