神化（THEOSIS）–救赎的终极目标

神化（THEOSIS）--救赎的终极目标

奥古斯丁在他的教区曾经公开讲过一篇非常精彩的道：

The grace of God came to you and ‘gave you the power to become the sons of God’ (John 1:12). Hear the voice of my Father saying, ‘I have said, you are gods and all of you children of the Most High’ (Ps. 82:6). Since then they are men, and the sons of men, if they are not the children of the Most High,, they are lairs, for, ‘all men are lairs’ (Ps. 116:11). If they are the sons of God, if they have been redeemed by the Saviour’s grace, if purchased with the precious blood, if born again of water and of the Spirit, if predestinated to be the inheritance of heave, then indeed they are children of God. And so thereby are gods. What then would a lie have to do with you? Fro Adam was a mere man; Christ, man and God; God, the Creator of all creation. Adam a mere man, the man Christ, the mediator with God, the only Son of the Father, the God-man. You, O man, are far from God, and God is far above man; between them the God man placed himself. Acknowleddge Christ and by him as man ascend up to God.

（Serm. 81.6, Pg 38.503, NPNF, Augustine of Hippo – 奥古斯丁）

奥古斯丁在这篇道中直截了当的问他的听众个问题：你们1）是不是神的众子？2）是不是救主的恩典赎回来的？3）是不是是从水和灵重生的？4）是不是预定要承受天（国）的？若他们的答案是‘是’，那么他们就是神的儿女。就是神（复数，gods）。那些谎言（否认信徒是至高者的儿子）跟他们又有何干呢？换句话说，凡是否认自己是神的儿女，是神（god）的，在奥古斯丁的眼中，就是说谎的人！我们可以透过奥古斯丁的这篇道看见一个事实，就是：神化教义在古代教会是一个【科普】级别的神学知识。

神化教义的科普性使得教父们使用神化来捍卫基督和圣灵的神性，对抗亚流异端。亚他那修就曾经在《CONTRA ARIANOS》2:7中告诉读者：

他若与一个被造之物联合，或子（Son）不是真神，人就不可能被神化。除非披上的身体那位，从性质而言，就是道，人就不可能被带入神的同在中。。。同样的，除非成为肉身的道的性质是从父而来，也具有父的性质，人就不可能被神化。（For man would not have been deified if he had been united with a creature, or if the Son had not been true God, nor would man have been brought into the Father‘s presence unless he who had put on the body had been his natural and true Words… so also man would not have been deified unless the Word who became flesh had been by nature from the Father and true and proper to him. ）在致撒拉蓬的信中，亚他那修又说：

如果借由有份于灵，我们成为‘神性的分享者’（彼后1：14）；若说圣灵属于非神、被造的性质又是何等的荒谬。这就是为什么那些在他里面，有他内住的人能够被神化。并且，如果他能够神化，无疑他的性质就是神。（If by participation in the Spirit, we become 'partaker of divine nature' (2 Pet 1:4); it would be insane to say that the Spirit belongs to created nature and not to God. For that is why those in whom he comes to dwell are those who are deified. And if he deifies there is no doubt that his nature is of God. EP. SERAP.(致撒拉蓬的信) 1.25)

进20年来，英语基督教世界在与东正教接触后，蓦然发现神化是基督教救赎论不可缺少的一个重要环节，使得西方基督教的各大传统回到自身内部发掘其传统的神化元素。甚至连传统上最抵触神化教义的改革宗，在发现约翰加尔文的彼得后书1：4解经中也承认神化教义后，有神学家如Cannon Murphy大胆的建议改革宗应当把神化教义吸收入改革宗的神学框架中，而建立改革宗的神化教义（Reformed Theosis）
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然而华人基督教界因着传统佛教思想的影响，以及对于正统基督教教义的陌生，有如唐崇荣牧师宣称这个教义是佛教思想，抹杀了神与人之间的分别，将其斥之为异端。或有如黄迦勒宣称神化教义始于亚他那修，是撒旦的思想 。另有如苏民强，宣称‘诗篇八十二篇的正确上下文和领会－绝不是教导人成为神

事实真相为何？请读者们自行比较！