Jesus Christ, the Icon and the Logos of God
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
In St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he writes - "... the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4). The Greek word here for "image" is "eikon" and it is used also in Colossians 1:15 referring to Jesus Christ: "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."
The Apostle John wrote - "No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18); in other words, Christ has revealed or made known to us the Father. Jesus Christ said to His disciple Philip - "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father!" (John 14:9). Moses had to put a veil over his face because he had seen just the backside of God. But God the Father, Who formerly could not be seen by human eyes, has now been revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
In 2 Cor. 3:18 we read - "But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image [eikon] from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit." Again, the Apostle of John wrote - "The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw His glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
So Jesus Christ is also the Logos - the Word of God. Several New Testament texts testify to this fact: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to The Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw" (Revelation 1:1-2); "He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13); "From his mouth comes a sharp sword..." (v. 15); "...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is The Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17); "...there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water by The Word of God" (2 Peter 3:5b).
From "Logos" we have the English word "logical" or "rational" - it is the Logos Who makes life make sense, Who gives meaning and purpose to life and the universe: "And He [Christ] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17).
How can we apply this to our life? The basic idea of deification or theosis is "partaking" or "sharing" as expressed in 2 Peter 1:3-4 – "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
The Greek root koinos is found both here and in 1 Corinthians 10:16b-17 – "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body, for we all partake of that one bread." So our communion (Gr. "koinonia") is a partaking (Gr. "koinonia") of the divine nature, the body of Christ. St. Peter continues in 2 Peter 1:5-8 to list the many virtues that flow from this koinonia.
In St. Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he writes - "... the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4). The Greek word here for "image" is "eikon" and it is used also in Colossians 1:15 referring to Jesus Christ: "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."The Apostle John wrote - "No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18); in other words, Christ has revealed or made known to us the Father. Jesus Christ said to His disciple Philip - "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father!" (John 14:9). Moses had to put a veil over his face because he had seen just the backside of God. But God the Father, Who formerly could not be seen by human eyes, has now been revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
In 2 Cor. 3:18 we read - "But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image [eikon] from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit." Again, the Apostle of John wrote - "The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw His glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
So Jesus Christ is also the Logos - the Word of God. Several New Testament texts testify to this fact: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to The Word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw" (Revelation 1:1-2); "He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13); "From his mouth comes a sharp sword..." (v. 15); "...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is The Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17); "...there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water by The Word of God" (2 Peter 3:5b).
From "Logos" we have the English word "logical" or "rational" - it is the Logos Who makes life make sense, Who gives meaning and purpose to life and the universe: "And He [Christ] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together" (Colossians 1:17).
How can we apply this to our life? The basic idea of deification or theosis is "partaking" or "sharing" as expressed in 2 Peter 1:3-4 – "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
The Greek root koinos is found both here and in 1 Corinthians 10:16b-17 – "The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body, for we all partake of that one bread." So our communion (Gr. "koinonia") is a partaking (Gr. "koinonia") of the divine nature, the body of Christ. St. Peter continues in 2 Peter 1:5-8 to list the many virtues that flow from this koinonia.
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In Genesis, we learn that mankind was created in God’s image and likeness. Adam and Eve could walk with and enjoy intimate fellowship with God. But when they sinned, this likeness and fellowship (koinonia) were lost. Fallen mankind continues to bear the image of God but not His likeness. Christ’s incarnation, partaking of our human nature, then His death and resurrection all allow us to begin the process of restoration, partaking of His divine nature and fellowship with Him.
Note the word “allow”: Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection do not force us or make all mankind to automatically partake of the divine nature – that would be universalism. Rather, these divine acts permit us to become "God's fellow workers" (Gr. "synergoi"), as St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:9: we cooperate with Him to accomplish His will, the restoration of all the cosmos. This cooperation with God is called synergy. It is our free choice, our decision to become coworkers with God or not. Many are called but few are chosen: we must choose to answer the call.
One of the main differences between the eastern and western theological understanding is that the Greeks [Orthodox] focus more on deification and the Latins [Roman Catholics] focus more on redemption. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 St. Paul, however, wrote - "But of Him [the Father] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." Here we see the two seemingly different concepts combined: sanctification or holiness (hagiasmos), together with redemption or deliverance (apolutrosis). God the Father's eternal plan is for Christ Jesus, the Sophia and Logos from God, to become both our redemption and our deification or sanctification.
How is it that deification can be identified with sanctification? We have several stories from the lives of those saints who pursued theosis to the point that they actually glowed with the glory of God: The story of St. Seraphim of Sarov is a wonderful example of the peace of God and theosis. Sanctification is becoming a saint, becoming holy, by spending time in the presence of God. St. Paul reminds us – "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14) If one wants to see the Lord, he must pursue hagiasmos – theosis.
So what we have in 1 Corinthians 1:30 is not opposing concepts, but rather a process: from receiving the Sophia – Logos, the seed implanted in our hearts, to the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to our account, to the redemption that actually releases us from the power of sin, to the sanctification or deification that transforms us into the likeness of Christ – the divine nature. We see this same process in verse 18b – "...to us who are being saved [a process] it is the power of God." This is the process of being restored back into the likeness of God as in the original creation. Too often in western theology the emphasis is almost entirely on salvation as a one-time event of receiving the seed of the Logos and being accounted as righteous, but it ends there without actually becoming righteous, being sanctified and deified.
This process is not merely a "second blessing" or a "Pentecostal experience" that is peddled by televangelists. Pursuing holiness is like running a long-distance race, as St. Paul described it – "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).
In that chapter St. Paul describes the chastening of the Lord that comes to genuine sons, but it is "for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful..." (vv. 12:10b-11a). This is synergy, working together with God: it’s no picnic! It is a struggle, an endurance race, it requires physical discipline and spiritual muscle training. St. Paul uses the analogy of strengthening hands that hang down and wobbly knees (v. 12). Let us run the race!
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Christ is among us! He is and ever shall be!
Note the word “allow”: Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection do not force us or make all mankind to automatically partake of the divine nature – that would be universalism. Rather, these divine acts permit us to become "God's fellow workers" (Gr. "synergoi"), as St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:9: we cooperate with Him to accomplish His will, the restoration of all the cosmos. This cooperation with God is called synergy. It is our free choice, our decision to become coworkers with God or not. Many are called but few are chosen: we must choose to answer the call.
One of the main differences between the eastern and western theological understanding is that the Greeks [Orthodox] focus more on deification and the Latins [Roman Catholics] focus more on redemption. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 St. Paul, however, wrote - "But of Him [the Father] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." Here we see the two seemingly different concepts combined: sanctification or holiness (hagiasmos), together with redemption or deliverance (apolutrosis). God the Father's eternal plan is for Christ Jesus, the Sophia and Logos from God, to become both our redemption and our deification or sanctification.
How is it that deification can be identified with sanctification? We have several stories from the lives of those saints who pursued theosis to the point that they actually glowed with the glory of God: The story of St. Seraphim of Sarov is a wonderful example of the peace of God and theosis. Sanctification is becoming a saint, becoming holy, by spending time in the presence of God. St. Paul reminds us – "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14) If one wants to see the Lord, he must pursue hagiasmos – theosis.
So what we have in 1 Corinthians 1:30 is not opposing concepts, but rather a process: from receiving the Sophia – Logos, the seed implanted in our hearts, to the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to our account, to the redemption that actually releases us from the power of sin, to the sanctification or deification that transforms us into the likeness of Christ – the divine nature. We see this same process in verse 18b – "...to us who are being saved [a process] it is the power of God." This is the process of being restored back into the likeness of God as in the original creation. Too often in western theology the emphasis is almost entirely on salvation as a one-time event of receiving the seed of the Logos and being accounted as righteous, but it ends there without actually becoming righteous, being sanctified and deified.
This process is not merely a "second blessing" or a "Pentecostal experience" that is peddled by televangelists. Pursuing holiness is like running a long-distance race, as St. Paul described it – "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1).
In that chapter St. Paul describes the chastening of the Lord that comes to genuine sons, but it is "for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful..." (vv. 12:10b-11a). This is synergy, working together with God: it’s no picnic! It is a struggle, an endurance race, it requires physical discipline and spiritual muscle training. St. Paul uses the analogy of strengthening hands that hang down and wobbly knees (v. 12). Let us run the race!
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Christ is among us! He is and ever shall be!
(Linked to www.Hosken-News.info of 24 Aug. 2019.)
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