Matthew 17:1-9,
18 August 2024, Osaka Church
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
The Gospels tell of the memory of an intense light that literally “struck” three disciples one day.
When Jesus took them to the top of a high mountain, the Lord’s face suddenly shone white and his clothes became as white as light.
The Orthodox Church has seen the pinnacle of human salvation in the Lord’s transfiguration. If humans continue to remain in God’s grace of their own will and continue to receive God’s grace, this is the image of humans being endlessly remodeled and transformed, as is promised to humans.
The Orthodox Church often speaks of “deification of man” (Theosis), or becoming “like God”, but this does not mean that we become non-human, such as angels, much less God. This refers to the “transformation of man while remaining man” that can only be expressed using such “risky expressions,” or even if one uses them, is given as God’s grace. The Holy Apostle Peter says that “we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4).” To use an analogy, it is like iron that is heated by fire and turns red, then glows white. No matter how bright the light it shines with, iron remains iron, just like iron when it is black and cold. In the same way, if people continue to be exposed to the flames of God’s grace, they will be transformed into those who resemble God while remaining completely human. People were created in the image and likeness of God. This is the mission of people, to gradually make visible the image of God that dwells within them, and to transform into those who resemble God infinitely.
Initially, I said that this transformation is given to people as grace when they continue to remain in God’s grace and continue to receive God’s grace.
What does it mean to continue to remain in God’s grace? It is not about practicing alone and immersing yourself in mystical experiences that are called “spiritual.” It is about remaining in the “church” gathering that Christ gathers, in the fellowship between God and man, and between man and man. The church is the world of God’s grace, where God the Father continues to send the Holy Spirit, and where Christ, the Son of God, has been established as His “body” in the midst of this world that is full of hatred and conflict and that man has ruined with his own sin. As we continue to remain in this gathering and continue to receive grace within this gathering, we are gradually transformed into those who resemble God. This is the salvation of man. This salvation, that is, the restoration of man’s original nature and, moreover, the infinite flight to the glory to which man is called by God, is all the grace of God. Except for one thing. That one thing is the free will of each of us to receive the love that God Christ pours out upon us. This will is embodied in receiving Christ’s love in the Eucharist and trying to apply the love of Christ received there within each other. That is why we must continue to remain in the gathering of the church, that is, in fellowship with God/Christ and with each other. It is the love of God Christ that makes gatherings and fellowship possible.
“Love never fails” (1 Cor. 13:8), says Paul. It is this love that transforms us “never fails” and “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). It is the love we receive from God and pour out upon each other. On the other hand, hatred continues to plunge us humans into darkness after darkness. The “eternal hell” that those who end their lives without accepting God’s love and not being reconciled with their neighbors will eventually be thrown into is the very rejection of the endless love “from darkness to darkness” that continues to add more darkness to this darkness.
Will we choose love or hate, will we forgive or retaliate, will we choose kindness to our neighbor in need or will we turn a blind eye to indifference, will we choose solitude or fellowship? This is what determines whether we will begin to take part in the transformation “from Glory to Glory.” While everything is God’s grace, everything depends on the “decision of love” made by each and every one of us.