The doctrine of deification or theosis is typically associated with the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Indeed, the language of participation in the divine nature as a way to understand salvation often sounds like strange music in the ears of Western Christians despite passages like 2 Peter 1:4 where it appears. However, recent scholarship has argued that the theologies of some of the most prominent figures in the history of the Western church, including Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Wesley, share more in common with deification than has been acknowledged. In this volume of IVP Academic's New Explorations in Theology series, theologian James Salladin considers the role of deification in the theology of another well-known Western theologian: Jonathan Edwards. In addition, he reflects upon the question of how Edwards's soteriology compares with the rest of the broader Reformed tradition. Here, we discover how Edwards's theology affirms what it means for sinners to be brought into the hands of a loving God.
"Does God save us by working outside of us and helping us accept that external work? Or does he save by drawing us into his very being so that we participate in his inner life? James Salladin argues that Jonathan Edwards taught a version of the latter and so is one of the great theologians teaching what the Eastern Orthodox call theosis. All Christians and scholars interested in divinization and its relation to the Reformed tradition will want to read this clear and engaging study."
Gerald McDermott, coauthor of The Theology of Jonathan Edwards
"One of the most important contributions Jonathan Edwards made to Christian theology was his claim that fallen human beings are destined to become partakers of the divine nature on a journey into God that is everlasting. But what does Edwards mean by this puzzling idea? Drawing on the wealth of recent research in this area, James Salladin provides his readers with an answer that is both intellectually satisfying and heartwarming."
