Theosis: Becoming by grace what God is by nature

"God became man, that man might become god." — St. Athanasius the Great

Theosis (θέωσις) — deification — is the Orthodox vision of salvation. It is not a legal verdict pronounced over us, but the real, gradual, and transforming union of our whole person with Christ by the Holy Spirit.

What theosis is not

• It is not pantheism. We do not become the essence of God.
• It is not a one-time event. It is a lifetime (and more).
• It is not earned. It is the gift of grace, freely received.

What theosis is

• Sharing in the uncreated energies of God (St. Gregory Palamas)
• Growing in likeness to Christ by cooperation (synergy) with the Spirit
• The fruit of the sacraments, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and love
• The reason the Church exists

The saints are those in whom theosis has already begun to shine.