Becoming Like God? The Eastern Orthodox Idea of Deification

If you’ve spent time around Eastern Orthodox theology, you may have come across the word deification (or theosis). It can sound strange, even dangerous. Isn’t it the oldest lie of the serpent — “you will be like God” (Gen 3:5)? Yet the Orthodox fathers insist this is at the heart of salvation. So what do they mean?

At its simplest, deification is the belief that God saves us not just by forgiving our sins, but by drawing us into his own life. We are invited to “share in the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). Athanasius, the 4th-century bishop of Alexandria, put it like this: “God became man so that man might become god.”

But let’s be clear. Deification does not mean we become gods ourselves — independent little deities running around. The fathers always rejected that idea. Only the Triune God is uncreated, infinite, and worthy of worship. Rather, deification means we become by grace what Christ is by nature. We are united to God, filled with his Spirit, shaped into his likeness, so that his life shines through ours.

The Scriptures point us in this direction. Paul speaks of being “conformed to the image of [God’s] Son” (Rom 8:29). John writes, “when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Even now, Paul says, we are being “transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).

So what does this mean for us, practically? Deification isn’t about mystical speculation. It’s about ordinary discipleship. The Spirit and the Scriptures work together to change us from the inside out. As we read the Word, the Spirit illumines it, convicts us, and leads us into deeper obedience. As we pray, serve, forgive, and love, the Spirit makes Christ visible in us. Day by day, we become more patient, more joyful, more holy, more truly ourselves — because we are becoming more like him.

The insight of the Orthodox tradition is that salvation is not just God wiping the slate clean. It’s God bringing us into communion with himself, healing us, and making us radiant with his life. Or as Paul says, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27).