Most Christians do not know about the astonishing future that Jesus has waiting for them upon receiving their “resurrected bodies”. Christians will be “partakers of the divine nature” and will be divine as a reflection of Jesus who is, of course, divine. In this post, I will provide ample and explicit proof supporting this statement.
The understanding and discussion of the deification of believers can be a lightning rod that triggers all kinds of reactions from Christians who fear such a belief threatens the Christian doctrine of monotheism, the uniqueness of the Creator, or smacks of idolatry, polytheism or Mormonism. Some of the alarm raised is a matter of semantics. For example, as we read the various passages below we must ask if there is a difference between being “a god” vs being a “son of God” (as believers are said to be many times in Scriptures)? Or what does it mean to “share in the divine nature” vs being divine or being “a god”? How is being “glorified” different than being “god-like” or having “godliness”? Is “godliness” only a moral attribute?
Other concerns are aroused by a lack of careful examination of the passages that provide insights into the absolutely astounding promises made regarding the inheritance of believers at the resurrection! We aren’t going to just be “saved” from the judgement. We are going to be redeemed and restored to our originally intended positions as part of God’s divine family to rule and reign with Him as part of His ruling and administrative council. Let’s take a look at what the Scriptures say regarding these matters.
”His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.“ 2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV
To be a “son” is to possess the very nature of the “father”. Humans don’t give birth to sheep or dogs, they give birth to other humans. In having “sons” God gives “birth” to (creates in His image) deities. These deities or “gods” are created beings whose existence has a beginning. Only Yahweh (“I Am that I Am”) is uncreated and is eternally existent with no beginning and no end! All other image bearers in the spiritual realm are “gods” of various rank. Some of these gods transgressed and rebelled against YHWH (Yahweh or Jehovah) and will be judged.(Read Psalm 82)
Our focus in this article is on the ultimate destiny of human imagers of God who are resurrected from the dead because of their saving faith in Jesus Christ. What do we become when we are raised from the dead? Does the Bible provide any insight or is this matter simply open to speculation? Yes! There are a many passages that are very clear about what we become upon the resurrection..
The passage below provides details about the glorious inheritance awaiting all believers who are adopted “sons” and “daughters” of Yahweh:
”For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.“ Romans 8:14-19 ESV
Paul goes on in Romans 8 to say this:
”For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.“ Romans 8:29-30 ESV
What does it mean to be “conformed to the image of his Son”? A straightforward understanding would be that we will become like Jesus in every attribute including “sharing in the divine nature” as Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:4! It doesn’t mean we ARE Jesus. It doesn’t mean we are ABOVE Jesus. But (at the moment when we are “glorified”) we will be LIKE Jesus in every aspect of His nature: divine (godlike) spirit-man (resurrected, glorified, incorruptible)!
As if to dispel any ambiguity in the mind of his audience, Paul says this to the Corinthians to make sure that it is understood which kind of glory by which believers will be glorified:
”And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.“ 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV
Can this be any clearer? Let’s break it down:
- We are reminded of the time when Moses returned from the mountain and saw God in His glory. Moses’s face radiated so brightly that the people insisted he wear a veil. So God’s glory is the thing that is in view here.
- We “are being transformed”. Into what??
- “…into the same image”. Image if what?? The image of God that produced the same radiance requiring a veil on Moses’ face.
- “from one degree of glory to another” We are going to be glorified “to a whole n’other level”!
We get a glimpse of what this glorious transformation looks like in the account of Jesus being glorified on the “mount of transfiguration”. Three of the disciples witnessed Jesus’s glory manifested as his appearance was transformed through the radiance of bright light:
“And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” Matthew 17:2 ESV
This attribute of brilliant light is also spoken about in the book of Daniel:
“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:2-3 ESV
In the book of Matthew Jesus seems to be referring to the passage in Daniel when he says this:
“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:41-43 ESV
Paul confirms that our bodies will be like Jesus’s “glorious body” when he writes this to the Philippians:
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3:20-21 ESV
And John says that we will be like Jesus when he appears. We read elsewhere in Scripture that Jesus is coming in glory! How then will we be when He appears? Glorious!
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:1-2 ESV
Paul goes into an extensive explanation about our ultimate destiny as believers when Christ returns for us:
“But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15:35-53 ESV
If we don’t believe these Scriptures, perhaps we will believe the great Protestant prophet C.S. Lewis who understood this concept and expressed it compellingly in Mere Christianity:
The command “Be ye perfect” is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) that we were “gods” and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him—for we can prevent Him, if we choose—He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creatures, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to Him perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for. Nothing less. He meant what he said. (Macmillan, 1952, p. 174)
We believers are his brothers and sisters, and co-heirs! Here are some key biblical passages that support this:
- “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12 ESV)
- “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:16-17 ESV)
- “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29 ESV)
- “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21 NKJV)
- “The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21 ESV)
These verses reinforce the idea of believers becoming children of God, co-heirs with Christ, and even sharing in His divine nature and authority.
This truth about the glorification and divination of all believers upon their resurrection should be incredibly exciting, encouraging, and motivating to all Christians. It is a glorious inheritance awaiting all believers. This knowledge should help Christians to live their lives with the dignity and the purpose of eternal royalty on mission for their Eternal King, Yahweh, revealed as one God in 3 “persons”: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus, the Son, is King of kings and Lord of lords.
References:
http://ww1.antiochian.org/content/theosis-partaking-divine-nature