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 '''Theosis''' ("deification," "divinization") is the process of a worshiper becoming free of ''hamártíahamartía'' ("missing the mark"), being united with God, beginning in this life and later consummated in bodily [[resurrection]]. For Orthodox Christians, Théōsis (see 2 Pet. 1:4) is salvation. Théōsis assumes that humans from the beginning are made to share in the Life or Nature of the all-[[holy]] [[Holy Trinity]]. Therefore, an infant or an adult worshiper is saved from the state of unholiness (''hamartía'' — which is not to be confused with ''hamártēma'' “sin”) for participation in the Life (''zōé'', not simply ''bíos'') of the Trinity — which is everlasting.

The statement by [[Saint|St.]] [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], "The Son of God became man, that we might become Godgod", [the second g is always lowercase since man can never become a God] indicates the concept beautifully. II Peter 1:4 says that we have become " . . . partakers of divine nature." Athanasius amplifies the meaning of this verse when he says theosis is "becoming by grace what God is by nature" (''De Incarnatione'', I). What would otherwise seem absurd, that fallen, sinful man may become holy as God is holy, has been made possible through [[Jesus]] [[Christ]], who is God incarnate. Naturally, the crucial Christian assertion, that God is One, sets an absolute limit on the meaning of ''theosis'' - it is not possible for any created being to become, [[ontology|ontologically]], God or even another god.

For many fathers, ''theosis'' goes beyond simply restoring people to their state before the Fall of [[Adam ]] and [[Eve]], teaching that because Christ united the human and divine natures in his person, it is now possible for someone to experience closer fellowship with God than Adam and Eve initially experienced in the Garden of Eden, and that people can become more like God than Adam and Eve were at that time. Some Orthodox theologians go so far as to say that Jesus would have become [[Incarnation|incarnate]] for this reason alone, even if Adam and Eve had never sinned.

''Theosis'' as a concept is used among [[Methodist]]s Methodists [http://www.frimmin.com/faith/theosis.html] especially in relation to the [[pietism|pietist]] movement and in the distinctive [[Protestant]] doctrine of ''entire sanctification'' which teaches, in summary, that it is the Christian's goal, in principle possible to achieve, to live without any [[sin]]. In 1311 the [[Council of Vienne]] declared this notion, "that man in this present life can acquire so great and such a degree of perfection that he will be rendered inwardly sinless, and that he will not be able to advance farther in [[grace]]" (Denziger §471), to be a [[heresy]]. Instead of theosis, '''sanctification''', being set apart or made holy, is the term that is used more in Protestant theology. Specifically, ''progressive sanctification'' is the term that is used for the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit, whereby an individual is made more holy.

The doctrine of theosis or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exaltation_%28Mormonism%29 deification] in [[Mormonism|The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] differs significantly from the '''theosis''' of Orthodox Christianity. In Mormonism it is usually referred to as ''[[exaltation]]'' or ''eternal life''. While the primary focus of Mormonism is on the [[atonement]] of Jesus Christ, the reason for the [[atonement]] is exaltation which goes beyond mere [[salvation]]. All men will be saved from [[sin]] and [[death]], but only those who are sufficiently [[obedient]] and accept the atonement of Jesus Christ before the [[judgment]] will be exalted. One popular Mormon quote, coined by the early Mormon "disciple" Lorenzo Snow in 1837, is "As man now is, God once was; As God now is, man may be."[http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/basic/godhead/farms_man.htm] The teaching was taught first by Joseph Smith while pointing to John 5:19 of the New Testament, "God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-46).

Of all the Mormon doctrines including [[Plural Marriage (Mormonism)|polygamy]], critics generally deem this doctrine the most offensive or even blasphemous. Some Mormons argue that even assuming mainstream Christianity's definition of God's [[omnipotence]] and [[omnibenevolence]], not only can God exalt mortal man, but God must do so. The argument is that if God is all-powerful, then God is capable of exalting man, and if God is all-good, then God should or must exalt man. They also point to comments by Christ and Psalmists among others that refer to the Divine nature and potential of humans as children of God. Some Mormons also suggest that discussions of theosis by early [[Church Fathers]] show an early belief in the Mormon concept of deification, although they disagree with much of the other theology of the same Church fathers, most notably the doctrine of the Trinity.