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Re: Theosis

Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2016 10:34 pm
by Homer
1. Western: God is just and must punish sin with eternal torment in hell fire.
— Eastern: Sinners are spiritually separated from God and dwell in the hellish fire of their own being.
That statement sounds like the "no-hellers"?

Re: Theosis

Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2016 2:41 pm
by Paidion
That statement sounds like the "no-hellers"?
It sounds to me like a definition of "hell" that differs from that of the Western Church.
I suppose that could be called a "no-western-heller."

Here is a quote from Volume IV — Spirituality of the Orthodox Church in America. It was copied from the following website:
https://oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox- ... n-and-hell
The Kingdom of heaven is already in the midst of those who live the spiritual life. What the spiritual person knows in the Holy Spirit, in Christ and the Church, will come with power and glory for all men to behold at the end of the ages.

The final coming of Christ will be the judgment of all men. His very presence will be the judgment. Now men can live without the love of Christ in their lives. They can exist as if there were no God, no Christ, no Spirit, no Church, no spiritual life. At the end of the ages this will no longer be possible. All men will have to behold the Face of Him who “for us men and our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate… who was crucified under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried . . . ” (Nicene Creed) All will have to look at Him whom they have crucified by their sins: Him “who was dead and is alive again.” (Revelation 1-.17-18)

For those who love the Lord, His Presence will be infinite joy, paradise and eternal life. For those who hate the Lord, the same Presence will be infinite torture, hell and eternal death. The reality for both the saved and the damned will be exactly the same when Christ “comes in glory, and all angels with Him,” so that “God may be all in all.” (I Corinthians 15-28) Those who have God as their “all” within this life will finally have divine fulfillment and life. For those whose “all” is themselves and this world, the “all” of God will be their torture, their punishment and their death. And theirs will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 8:21, et al.)
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Thus it is the Church’s spiritual teaching that God does not punish man by some material fire or physical torment. God simply reveals Himself in the risen Lord Jesus in such a glorious way that no man can fail to behold His glory. It is the presence of God’s splendid glory and love that is the scourge of those who reject its radiant power and light.

Re: Theosis

Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:53 pm
by Jim
Hi, my name is Jim. I am use to visit this site often years ago. I came from a non-denominational chrismatic baptist type of church. I became Eastern Orthodox 4 years ago. There is a lot of information on Theosis and the praxis of the Church in comparison to just a few years ago. I suggest https://preachersinstitute.com/ as a source you can search. Also, http://www.monachos.net/ can be very helpful. The best way of course is to visit an Orthodox Church, it is in the praxis you learn,.