In this profound theological lecture, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains the phrase “partakers of the divine nature,” clarifying the common misunderstanding around it. He affirms that it does not mean sharing in God’s divine essence or His unique attributes but sharing in holiness and divine work by grace.

🔹 The Correct Interpretation

The phrase comes from 2 Peter 1:4: “That you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
The Pope explains that this does not mean participating in the divine essence, which would imply multiple gods, but rather sharing in the divine life and holiness through grace.

🔹 The Impossibility of Sharing in Divinity

He affirms that God’s attributes—such as omnipresence, infinity, omniscience, and almighty power—cannot be shared by humans, for they belong to God alone. Man remains a limited creation; only God is eternal and uncreated.

🔹 True Meaning of Participation

Participation takes two forms:

1. Partnership in Work: as St. Paul says, “We are fellow workers with God,” meaning that God works with and through us.

2. Participation in the Divine Image: man shares in God’s moral likeness—holiness, purity, and love—not in His essence.

🔹 Adoption and Sonship

The Pope distinguishes between adoption and real sonship. Christ alone is the “only-begotten Son” because He is of the Father’s essence. We are adopted children by grace and love, not by nature—called God’s children out of His kindness, not because we became divine.

🔹 The Word “God” in Scripture

He clarifies that “god” does not always mean divinity. In Exodus, God told Moses, “I have made you a god to Pharaoh,” meaning “a master.” Likewise, in Psalm 82, “You are gods and sons of the Most High” refers to leaders or rulers, not to beings sharing in divinity.

🔹 Sanctification and Deification

When the Fathers speak of “deification,” they mean the renewal of human nature and the restoration of the divine image lost through sin—not that man becomes God in essence. Christ “deifies” man by restoring him to holiness and making him like His image, not by sharing His Godhead.

🔹 The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit dwells in believers as grace, not as a hypostatic union. This is why man can grieve or quench the Spirit. It is a sanctifying presence, not an essential union like the one between divinity and humanity in Christ.

🔹 Humility before God

His Holiness concludes that, regardless of grace or holiness, man remains a servant of God. Even the righteous in heaven are called “good and faithful servants.” The believer does not become God but remains a sanctified human made in God’s image and filled with His grace.

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