Becoming Eternal Creators

Reflecting on St Athanasius view of the Imago Dei

Humanity made divine

Athanasius, in his On the Incarnation, famously said, “God became man so that man might become god”. At first, this statement sounds almost blasphemous. How could created creatures such as humanity ever become “god”? Athanasius was not suggesting that we share in His essence or become god as God is God. Rather, he pointed to the mystery that because the eternal Word of God assumed our humanity, our humanity can now participate in His divinity in several ways.

Becoming More Human

The most uncontroversial reading of Athanasius might be to say that when we become more fully human, we become more like God. Jesus Christ is the new Adam who restored humanity. In Him, humanity is now more human – truly human – perfect in love, obedience, and holiness. Through the hypostatic union of divinity and humanity in Christ, what we say about the person of Christ now applies to both the divine and human nature.

Because of Christ we can now say “if you want to know what God is like, look at Christ”. When we pursue Christ, we are becoming more like God, because Christ is God.

Sharing in the Divine Nature

The church fathers called this mystery theosis—our participation in the divine life. As Peter writes, “through His promises you may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). We do not become divine in essence, but we share in God’s grace. The Eastern churches don’t use the language of theosis by God’s grace but rather speak of God’s energies which is the means through which God’s unknowable essence is poured out for us.

In this view, the energies are truly the eternal and uncreated God and we become one with Him. Through participating in His energies (such as love and holiness), in some sense we become eternal and uncreated through participation.

Eternal Creators in the New Creation

A more speculative view of Athanasius involves becoming eternal creators. Since God’s kingdom is not only about saving souls but restoring creation itself. The Spirit draws us into God’s mission to make all things new as His priests. We are not passive recipients of God’s plans but active participants in its unfolding. Just as Adam and Eve were given a vocation to tend the garden, so in Christ we are given the vocation to cultivate eternity in the world. Our work off building God’s kingdom, spreading love and goodness into the world will not be in vain but it will last into the new creation. This creation will last into eternity.

This means that we are not only made eternal in heaven, but in a sense, we are made eternal creators. Every act of love, every work of restoration, every step toward justice and beauty participates in God’s eternal project of new creation.

God became man so that humanity might be restored, glorified, and eternalized. By becoming more human in Christ, we become more godlike. By partaking in His divine nature, we become eternal. And by joining His work of renewal, we become eternal creators, shaping a new creation that reflects God’s glory forever.