John Wesley never used the term “theosis,” but many Wesley scholars now argue that his doctrine of “Christian perfection” or “entire sanctification” is a distinctively Western, practical re‑articulation of patristic deification.[1][5][7]
## Basic idea
– Theosis in the patristic sense (Athanasius: “God became man so that man might become God”) is about participatory union with God in Christ, such that humans are made truly godlike by grace while the Creator–creature distinction remains.[6][1]
– Wesley’s stated telos of salvation is “holiness of heart and life,” understood as restored God‑likeness and real participation in the divine life through the indwelling Spirit, not merely legal pardon.[5]
## Christian perfection as Western theosis
– Wesley defines Christian perfection as perfect love to God and neighbor, a heart fully oriented to love, not metaphysical absorption into the divine essence.[7][5]
– Contemporary interpreters (e.g., Christensen, Maddox, and the work in Duke’s “Wesleyan Soteriology and Theosis Calmly Considered”) show that Wesley’s soteriology structurally assumes:
– God’s desire for true union with humanity.
– A human telos of real God‑likeness.
– Salvation as participation in the life of the Trinity.[2][5]
## Eastern influences and “hybrid” approach
– Wesley read and mined Eastern fathers (e.g., Macarius, Ephrem, Clement of Alexandria) and consciously appealed to the “primitive church,” taking over themes of participatory transformation and restoration of the image of God.[5][7]
– Recent Wesley studies describe his theology as “hybrid”: he holds Western emphases on original righteousness, guilt, and satisfaction‑atonement, yet integrates Eastern motifs like recapitulation and gradual deification through sanctification.[5]
## How Wesley “domesticates” theosis
– Christensen and others argue that Wesley effectively “democratizes” theosis: instead of an esoteric, mystical ascent by gnosis, he reframes it as growth in love by grace through faith, available to all believers in this life.[1][7]
– Wesley shifts the focus from ontological “becoming god according to grace” to **imitation** and communion—becoming like God by grace in practical holiness—while still speaking of real impartation of holiness, not merely imputation.[7][5]
## Wesley, sanctification, and participation
– Within Wesley’s ordo salutis, justification is necessary but ordered toward sanctification, which has a “therapeutic” aim: healing and transforming the person so that the divine image is renewed and love is perfected.[5]
– In this frame, deification language maps closely onto entire sanctification: by the Spirit’s full possession of the believer—cleansing, empowering, and perfecting love—humans “participate in the Godhead” without crossing the Creator–creature boundary.[2][7]
If you’d like, I can sketch a side‑by‑side table of Eastern Orthodox theosis and Wesleyan Christian perfection for use in a lecture handout.
Sources
[1] John Wesley on Theosis – Michael J. Christensen, ‘Donkey’s Delight’ http://donkeysdelight.
[2] Wesleyan Soteriology and Theosis Calmly Considered – DukeSpace https://dukespace.lib.duke.
[3] Given what seems to be obvious, that John Wesley had ample … https://www.facebook.com/
[4] (PDF) Theosis in the 18th Century Revivals: Wesley and Whitefield … https://www.academia.edu/
[5] On the 250th anniversary of A plain account of Christian perfection http://www.scielo.org.za/
[6] Theosis, Kenosis & Bromhidrosis – Wesley Bros https://www.wesleybros.com/
[7] John Wesley & Christian Perfection: Theosis & Love – Studylib https://studylib.net/doc/
[8] Theosis | The Puritan Board https://puritanboard.com/
[9] Theosis/Christian Perfection – Recent Philosophical Theology … https://www.reddit.com/r/
