Irenaeus on Theosis
Irenaeus
“
If the Word became a man, it was so men may become gods.
”
Against Heresies, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, page 526, Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1994
Related Quotes
Bathsheba W. SmithWe are called upon by the still small voice, a whispering from our father, to work out our own salvation. Briefly the constructive parts of the plan of salvation are these: What man is, God once was; what God is now, man may become; the glory of God is intelligence. Nothing can be annihilated and no act lost. It is impossible to be saved in ignorance.
CyprianWhat man is, Christ was willing to be – so that man may also be what Christ is. Dwell in expectation of receiving what the Father has granted to the Son.
Joseph F. SmithJesus had not finished his work when his body was slain, neither did he finish it after his resurrection from the dead; although he had accomplished the purpose for which he then came to the earth, he had not fulfilled all his work. And when will he? Not until he has redeemed and saved every son and daughter of our father Adam that have been or ever will be born upon this earth to the end of time, except the sons of perdition.
More from Irenaeus
Do we cast blame on him [God] because we were not made gods from the beginning, but were at first created merely as men, and then later as gods? Although God has adopted this course out of his pure benevolence, that no one may charge him with discrimination or stinginess, he declares, “I have said, ye are gods; and all of you are sons of the Most High.” . . .
How, then, shall he become a God, who has not as yet been made a man? Or how can he be perfect who was but lately created? How, again, can he be immortal, who in his mortal nature did not obey his maker? For it must be that thou, at the outset, shouldest hold the rank of a man, and then afterwards partake of the glory of God.
[T]he Word became flesh 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.
Our Lord Jesus Christ . . . became what we are, so that He might bring us to be even what He Himself is.