What is the point of attaining Theosis?

[Hjalti]

I am genuinenly curious as to what the point of attaining theosis even is. Since Theosis is man letting God work through man and none of the work is actually being done by man, what is even the point of Theosis or man? (In my case specifically: I see myself as unworthy of existing, so what is the point of me trying to climb up the heavenly ladder?)

[Hjalti]

Is the point simply [Beyond comprehension]?

[Krzysztophoros]

You have a false understanding of theosis, if you think theosis means none of the work is being done by man. That is a heresy called Mono-Energism. That idea probably just comes from leftover Protestantism, where you are "Perfectly Predestined to be Once Saved Always Saved" and things like that.

Theosis is literally the only purpose of spiritual life. It is the only purpose of Christ becoming incarnate. Theosis is Christ incarnating as a human, so that human nature itself can be deified through Him, because it became infected with a falling separation from God through the sin of Adam. The entire purpose of his incarnation, is to give us his deified flesh and blood, so that our human nature can extend Christ's deified flesh and blood, to rehabilitate and synergise our will with God's divine will, so that each Orthodox Christian becomes a redeemed portion of creation.

The entire purpose of our spiritual life, is to prepare ourselves to receive Christ's body and blood, to have Christ actually live through us, and synergise our will with the divine will, give up our fallen nature and fallen way of things, and live how Christ has lived.

[Lazarún Zalónir]

You have a false understanding of theosis, if you think theosis means none of the work is being done by man. That is a heresy called Mono-Energism. That idea probably just comes from leftover Protestantism, where you are "Perfectly Predestined to be Once Saved Always Saved" and things like that.

Theosis is literally the only purpose of spiritual life. It is the only purpose of Christ becoming incarnate. Theosis is Christ incarnating as a human, so that human nature itself can be deified through Him, because it became infected with a falling separation from God through the sin of Adam. The entire purpose of his incarnation, is to give us his deified flesh and blood, so that our human nature can extend Christ's deified flesh and blood, to rehabilitate and synergise our will with God's divine will, so that each Orthodox Christian becomes a redeemed portion of creation.

The entire purpose of our spiritual life, is to prepare ourselves to receive Christ's body and blood, to have Christ actually live through us, and synergise our will with the divine will, give up our fallen nature and fallen way of things, and live how Christ has lived.

Do you think Hjalti is becoming slightly Gnostic?

[Hjalti]

You have a false understanding of theosis, if you think theosis means none of the work is being done by man. That is a heresy called Mono-Energism. That idea probably just comes from leftover Protestantism, where you are "Perfectly Predestined to be Once Saved Always Saved" and things like that.

Theosis is literally the only purpose of spiritual life. It is the only purpose of Christ becoming incarnate. Theosis is Christ incarnating as a human, so that human nature itself can be deified through Him, because it became infected with a falling separation from God through the sin of Adam. The entire purpose of his incarnation, is to give us his deified flesh and blood, so that our human nature can extend Christ's deified flesh and blood, to rehabilitate and synergise our will with God's divine will, so that each Orthodox Christian becomes a redeemed portion of creation.

The entire purpose of our spiritual life, is to prepare ourselves to receive Christ's body and blood, to have Christ actually live through us, and synergise our will with the divine will, give up our fallen nature and fallen way of things, and live how Christ has lived.

Thanks for the reply. I thought that good actions only ultimately come from God? Is this mono-energism? What is wrong with once saved always saved? Would it not imply that the saints in heaven can fall if they are not always saved after they have been saved?. I do not believe in predestination in the calvinistic sense, but I believe in free-will and divine providence (God knows all, including what everyone chooses). I know that orthodox believe that Theosis is the purpose of our spiritual life and all of what you said about it I already know, but my question is deeper than that. I am asking: What is the purpose of any of those things? What is the purpose of attaining Theosis despite man seing himself as utterly unworthy of such a task? You just begged the question and regurgitated the orthodox view of salvation instead of critically examining the question and actually answering it.

[Lazarún Zalónir]

You have a false understanding of theosis, if you think theosis means none of the work is being done by man. That is a heresy called Mono-Energism. That idea probably just comes from leftover Protestantism, where you are "Perfectly Predestined to be Once Saved Always Saved" and things like that.

Theosis is literally the only purpose of spiritual life. It is the only purpose of Christ becoming incarnate. Theosis is Christ incarnating as a human, so that human nature itself can be deified through Him, because it became infected with a falling separation from God through the sin of Adam. The entire purpose of his incarnation, is to give us his deified flesh and blood, so that our human nature can extend Christ's deified flesh and blood, to rehabilitate and synergise our will with God's divine will, so that each Orthodox Christian becomes a redeemed portion of creation.

The entire purpose of our spiritual life, is to prepare ourselves to receive Christ's body and blood, to have Christ actually live through us, and synergise our will with the divine will, give up our fallen nature and fallen way of things, and live how Christ has lived.

Thanks for the reply. I thought that good actions only ultimately come from God? Is this mono-energism? What is wrong with once saved always saved? Would it not imply that the saints in heaven can fall if they are not always saved after they have been saved?. I do not believe in predestination in the calvinistic sense, but I believe in free-will and divine providence (God knows all, including what everyone chooses). I know that orthodox believe that Theosis is the purpose of our spiritual life and all of what you said about it I already know, but my question is deeper than that. I am asking: What is the purpose of any of those things? What is the purpose of attaining Theosis despite man seing himself as utterly unworthy of such a task? You just begged the question and regurgitated the orthodox view of salvation instead of critically examining the question and actually answering it.

You are walking the thin line of Gnosticism, stop before you go into heresy!

[eish]

I thought that good actions only ultimately come from God? Is this mono-energism?

I have it that monoenergism is a form of monophysitism. Perhaps we are speaking past each other there.

Goodness does only come from God. The heresy which opposes this idea is Pelagianism. Pelagius and his followers taught--with some small variations--that man is able to choose to do/be good of his own free will without God. St. Augustine wrote against Pelagius and Calvin misinterpreted this traditional teaching as a denial of free will.

The opposite heresy of Calvin--double predestination--really comes from Islam before him. Mohammed, Calvin, and their followers teach that God makes all the decisions. Since God in this heresy decides to send some people to hell and others to heaven, to make some commit sin and others virtue, this would make Him the author of confusion contra 1 Cor. 14.

Christians believe that there must be synergy between God and man. God gives salvation and every goodness, freely, which man can never have of his own. However He does not force Himself on us.

But rather let the Holy Fathers explain the subtleties than myself. What you have asked is the question of Germanus in the Conference of St. Paphnutius, in St. John Cassian's collection:

Where then is there room for free will, and how is it ascribed to our efforts that we are worthy of praise, if God both begins and ends everything in us which concerns our salvation?

...
And so as we know that God creates opportunities of salvation in various ways, it is in our power to make use of the opportunities granted to us by heaven more or less earnestly. For just as the offer came from God Who called him “get thee out of thy country,” so the obedience was on the part of Abraham who went forth; and as the fact that the saying “Come into the land” was carried into action, was the work of him who obeyed, so the addition of the words “which I will show thee” came from the grace of God Who commanded or promised it. But it is well for us to be sure that although we practise every virtue with unceasing efforts, yet with all our exertions and zeal we can never arrive at perfection, nor is mere human diligence and toil of itself sufficient to deserve to reach the splendid reward of bliss, unless we have secured it by means of the co-operation of the Lord, and His directing our heart to what is right.
...

https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf21 ... v.xii.html

What is wrong with once saved always saved? Would it not imply that the saints in heaven can fall if they are not always saved after they have been saved?.

Once saved always saved is a heresy about this mortal life. The saints living in the world right now, are able to fall. The saints in heaven are not. They have chosen to be with Christ eternally, which by the very meaning of eternal means that their decision is now set in stone. This loss of ability to defect is not a lack of free will on their part, but precisely their free choice being exercised.

What is the purpose of attaining Theosis despite man seing himself as utterly unworthy of such a task?

God is the purpose. He is the goal. He is the end of all good desires. If theosis is the person being filled with the Divine Energies (i.e. Divine Operations) then this means per se that the one who aims for theosis aims for all of his own operations to enact the Operations of God. For every act and every thought to be filled with the Mercy of God, the Grace of God, the Justice of God, the Wisdom of God, the Goodness of God, the Love of God, etc. Not because he can in himself be anything approaching those, but because he loves and trusts God and permits God to act through him.

Thus man takes the free will which he has received as a gift from God, and offers it back as a sacrifice to God, and precisely by giving it, receives it all the more. In this he will come to know God, for the Operations of God are themselves God.

Your question confuses me. In light of the above, why would man's unworthiness dissuade him from desiring theosis? To be filled with Goodness, with Love, is all the more desirable given how unworthy we are.