Book Title: Development of Hinduism
Author(s): M M Ninan
Publisher: M M Ninan

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Page 530
________________ ISAVASYA UPANISHAD In Christianity it is the presented as the concept of the "Children of God" - people in whom the Spirit of God resides. In that sense all living has the Spirit of God, because it is the Spirit that gives life. In the genealogy of Jesus Luke ends up as (Luk 3:38) Adam, the son of God. Theosis, (also called divinization, deification, or transforming union) was one of the most important of early Christian doctrines which was probably brought into India by Thomas. When united with Jesus willingly every person transforms himself into the image of the Son of God. "In this way we are all to come to unity in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God, until we become the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself." -Ephesians 4:13 This is the basic Eastern Theology of Theosis - that all creation is within God, and all sentient beings are the Children of God with potentiality to be like Christ himself as we grow in Him. C.S. Lewis got the spirit of it in the following statements. "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship..."-C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory "God said that we were "gods" and He is going to make good His words. If we let Him-for we can prevent Him if we choose-He will make the feeblest and filthiest of us into a god or goddess, dazzling, radiant, immortal creature, pulsating all through with such energy and joy and wisdom and love as we cannot now imagine, a bright stainless mirror which reflects back to God perfectly (though, of course, on a smaller scale) His own boundless power and delight and goodness. The process will be long and in parts very painful; but that is what we are in for."-C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity 174-5 "Morality is indispensable: but the Divine Life, which gives itself to us and which calls us to be gods, intends for us something in which morality will be swallowed up. We are to be remade. ... we shall find underneath it all a thing we have never yet imagined: a real man, an ageless god, a son of God, strong, radiant, wise, beautiful, and drenched in joy." -C. S. Lewis, The Grand Miracle, p. The whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons... From the beginning until now, the entire creation has been groaning in one great act of giving birth; and not only creation, but all of us who possess the first-fruits of the Spirit, we too groan inwardly as we wait for our bodies to be set free. - Rom. 8:19, 22-23 May they all be one, Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me, and I am in you, so that the world may believe that it was you who sent me. I have given them the glory which you gave to me, that they may be one as we are one. With me in them and you in me, may they be so completely one 526

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