Theosis: The True Purpose of Human Life

Theosis The True Purpose of Human Life by Archemandrite George

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is short (86 pages) but powerful. In it, Archimandrite George of the Monastery of St. Gregorios on Mount Athos outlines the process of theosis--union with God through His uncreated Grace. This union, George states, is the true nature and purpose of humankind and the reason why nothing else satisfies the longings of the heart.

Since God is both "essence" and "energies", Jesus' incarnation in the womb of Mary made it possible for us to approach the Trinity through Him--the pure "essence" of God alone being too powerful for us to approach on our own. God's "energies", His uncreated Grace, is what makes it possible for us to be in union with Him.

If the purpose of Christianity (and of life) were merely to make us "moral" people, any of the number of good moral philosophers would have sufficed. Indeed, George states that over focusing on morality in Christianity is one of the main causes for its rejection today.

Instead, Christ's purpose in His birth, death, and resurrection, was to heal the breach that occurred when Adam and Eve turned away from perfect communion with God in the Garden of Eden and shut the door on man's union with God.

In Jesus, "God became man so that man could become a god (i.e. divine)." (St. Anthanasios of Alexandria 295-373 A.D.) Archimandrite George explains that man can never become God Himself. Instead, our purpose is to become like a lamp, illuminated by God, and shining with His light as a lamp is illuminated by electricity.

This book explains in clear and precise detail what Theosis is, how to get there and what it is that gets in our way.

It is available in its complete form on Scribd and also available for download at the Orthodox Christian Information Center.

This is well worth reading for all those who feel the call to something more!


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