He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that man ... might become the son of God.
Irenaeus Of LyonsRead
But we do now receive a certain portion of His Spirit, tending towards perfection, and preparing us for incorruption, being little by little accustomed to receive and bear God
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the gradual process of spiritual growth and preparation for a higher existence.
Irenaeus of Lyons speaks to the transformative journey of the soul, suggesting that as individuals receive divine guidance, they are being equipped for a state of incorruption and perfection. This process is not instantaneous but occurs gradually, as one becomes more aligned with the divine nature through experience and acceptance of God's presence in their lives.
In practice
In a sermon on personal development, one might quote this to illustrate the importance of spiritual growth.
He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that man ... might become the son of God.
For where the church is, there is the Spirit of God, and where the Spirit of God, there is the church and all grace.
The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God.
It is not necessary to seek the truth among others which it is easy to obtain from the Church; since the apostles, like a rich man [depositing his money] in a bank, lodged in her hands most copiously all things pertaining to the truth.
The glory of God is the human person fully alive.
Perhaps, in retrospect, there would be little motivation even for malevolent extraterrestrials to attack the Earth; perhaps, after a preliminary survey, they might decide it is more expedient just to be patient for a little while and wait for us to self-destruct.
Bourgeois society stands at the crossroads, either transition to socialism or regression into barbarism.
Nothing human is finally calculable; even to ourselves we are strange.
But still, everything is for Jesus; so like that everything is beautiful, even though it is difficult.
There was not a single Negro slave owner who did not know dozens of Negroes just as capable of learning and efficiency as the mass of poor white people around and about, and some quite as capable as the average slaveholder. They had continually, in the course of the history of slavery, recognized such men.
The history of the world is the record of the weakness, frailty and death of public opinion.
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