Can man become Perfect Like God?

Question

Is it beyond modern-day comprehension and belief that man can be brought into the abiding harmony with that which is eternal, while still physically alive?

And, is it true, today, that the present church environment is no longer able to support a body of believers of whom it can be said of them that: "outward observances cease to have any value for one whose being is brought into abiding harmony with that which is eternal; he has no wants, no passions; he rests in the contemplation of God, which is and will be his unfailing blessedness.”

Moreover, can we not even relate to the wisdom expressed in the statement of Father Clement of Alexandria when he writes: “The greatest of all lessons is to know one's self. For if one knows himself, he will know God; and knowing God, he will be made like God… and that man becomes God, since God so wills” ?

Now, one can, and might, choose to condemn Clement as a Gnostic heretic who wrote under the guise of Christian orthodoxy -- but then we have Origen to contend with, who tells us that the message at 1 John 3:2 in his Bible read a little differently than ours does today when he quoted the verse: “…it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like God, and shall see Him as He is”.

With regard to our becoming like God, Origen then writes regarding Matt 5:48 that: “…the virtue of man and of God is identical. And therefore we are taught to become 'perfect,' as our Father in heaven is perfect” (Mat 5:48).

Further... If man is a inherent sinner because of the fall of Adam and Eve, then how can a man such as Origen even suggest that “…the virtue of man and God is identical”?

Now, of course, Origen, who was called the “prince of Christian learning”, we know was also condemned by the Emperor Justinian in the year 553 -- so if we choose to permit our thinking and beliefs to be like that of a heathen politician whose manner of thinking anticipated Darwin, we can ignore Origen also.

St. Nazianzen, though, was never condemned. In fact, it is recorded that he was called by the Ecumenical Council of Ephesus “The Great”, and was universally known as “The Divine” -- which is a title he shares with St. John the Evangelist.

St. Nazianzen, in apparent agreement with all the preceding Church Fathers, wrote that when we make ourselves fit vessels for the Lord, the Spirit will reveal to us our true nature, and make “us like God; so that when we have thus become like Himself, God may, to use a bold expression, hold converse with us as Gods, being united to us, and that perhaps to the same extent as He already knows those who are known to Him”.

God Bless!

One last Addition...

In apparent total agreement, the Apostle Paul tells us that we should “therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children” (Eph 5:1 NAS). Yet, if it is true that we are carnal and born in sin, how can we accomplish such a feat? In much the same manner as these other early Christian writers, the disciple Peter expresses this same requirement in our scriptures: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’” (1 Pet 1:15-16 NIV) -- which is very near the commandment of Jesus when he said: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matt 5:48 KJV).

Answer 1

Good question!! I'll tell you what I believe, whether you believe it or not. I do believe we have the ability to become like God. We believe that through the atonement of Christ we have the ability to be forgiven or our sins, and it is like they never happened. Because of this, it could be said that we are sinless before God.

I don't believe in Original Sin. I believe that EVERYONE is help accountable for their own sins, not for what Adam and Eve did. Christ atoned for EVERYONES sins, including Adam and Eve. In so doing, he took away that sin from us.

Through his atonement, "all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel" (article of faith #3).

That being said, we each have to answer for what we have done when we die. We will be judged by the way we lived our lives, and if we used the atonement in our own lives. Without this forgiveness and absolution of our sins, there would be no way for us to become like God.

Christ said in John 17:11,20-23:

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are....

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Christ even asks God to be with the people who believe in Him, so they can become like God and Christ.

For there to be harmony with God, the fundamental truths and beliefs must be the same as what God and Christ believe. If they are changed at all, it isn't in complete harmony, and therefore isn't totally correct. I'm not saying that churches these days aren't right. I'm just saying that it's possible that churches led by men could go a little off what it was in Christs time. I believe that to really know Christ, you have to understand WHY He did what He did, and the reasons they had to be done.

All this bickering about which church is right, or saying that someone is wrong for what they believe to be true won't help anyone out in becoming like God. We have to be more Christ-like, more willing to see the good in people, and to help bring out the good in everyone. In so doing, we learn more about ourselves and we learn the true nature of being Christian, or any other religion for that matter. I think it takes service to learn what we need to change in ourselves. Once we can see what needs changing, it's our responsibility to do the changing, and then to ask God to show us what else we need to change. Life is all about learning and changing, growing. If we are willing to change and grow, we are able to learn what God would have of us, and that will in turn bring us closer to God. It's a never ending circle, and one that I hope to continue as long as I'm alive to do so, and even after death.

I don't think that learning stops once our bodies cease to be. We still have our spirits and our intellegence. We just have to keep on learning. I don't think we can ever learn everything there is to know before death. But, after we will have others who have made the journey to answer our questions and help us continue on the path to become like our Father.

Answer 2

Who is God?

God Is One - Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4
God Is Truth -Psalm 117:2; Jer. 10:10
God is Light - 1 John 1:5
God is Love - 1 John 4:8,16
God Is Infinite - Jer. 23:24; Psalm 147:5
God is All Knowing - 1 John 3:20
God is Everywhere - Psalm 139:7-12
God is All Powerful - Jer. 32:17,27
God is Unequaled - Isaiah 40:13-25
God Is Perfect - 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 139
God Is A Most Pure Spirit - John 4:24
God Is Invisible - 1 Tim. 1:17
God Does Not Have A Human Body - Luke 24:39; Deut. 4:15-16
God Does Not Change - Num. 23:19; Mal. 3:6; James 1:17
God Is Without Limit - 1 Kings 8:27; Jer. 23:23-24
God Is Eternal - Psalm 90:2; 1 Tim. 1:17
God Is Incomprehensible - Rom. 11:33; Psalm 145:3
God Is The Almighty One - Rev. 1:8, 4:8
God Is Most Wise - Rom. 16:27; Jude 25
God Is Most Holy - Isaiah 6:3; Rev. 4:8

The list goes on. No Man can ever be near to what God is.

Answer 3

Nope. This is demonstrable with basic surface logic, without resort to all those words and quotes & stuff.....Perfection like God = flawlessness. This is an atemporal flawlessness; i.e., part of this perfection is the condition of having been perfect always in the past and will continue to be perfect again throughout (& beyond?) all time. Since all humans have at some time now or in their past been imperfect, they can never achieve the atemporal perfection of the Godhood. They would always retain the memory of their previous flaws, while God has no such memories.

Answer 4

Perfect? Yes. Like God? Perhaps. That is the idea behind "theosis" - and - I don't think that Jesus would have said: "Be ye perfect..." unless it was possible.

"For the Son of God became man so that we might become God" was written by Holy Father Athanasios the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria, in De inc., 54, 3: PG, 192B, in his refutation of Arius during the First Ecumenical Council

Some people think that St. Irenaeus of Lyons may have said it before Holy Father Athanasios the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria.

Whoever said it - they were correct.

Answer 5

Wow! I'm impressed with your knowledge of early Christian history.

Um, yes, I believe in the eons of eternity we can become perfect like God (we wouldn't replace Him, but we can be like Him). I just don't think anyone but Jesus will have managed to be perfect in this mortal life - but we should still try right?

Answer 6

Absolutely not. Refer to Isaiah 55:8-9.

Answer 7

Yeah, what Miranda J said.....

To me, that's the greatest miracle that Jesus performed- the Atonement- the paying for our sins that happened in the Garden of Gethsemane. That payment makes it possible for us to repent (Repentance is the process of acknowledging our wrong behavior, apologizing, making reparation, then changing or improving our own behavior.) and be completely forgiven by God of our sins.

That Atonement (at-one-ment?) makes it possible for us to truely become perfect, as God and Jesus have commanded.

Answer 8

You can't become perfect like God, you can always try to lool but you could try 4 a long time since it aint gonna happen !
God is Perfect, Sinless.

God Bless.

Answer 9

Yes...it is possible.

Jesus even said be perfect as God is perfect. Jesus is what we could become. He is to be emulated.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 10

No man! Read the Bible and see for yourself. We are all fifthly, dirty sinners in need of a savior. . Jesus is there when you knock and His door and ask Him into your life. . God Bless!

Answer 11

We are created in the image of God, but were born into sin...snd cannot ever be perfect as he is.