Creation, Anthropology, and Theosis in T. F. Torrance
With the author's permission, this post excerpts a paper by Myk Habets, written with AI assistance for the T.F. Torrance Reading Group discussion of chapter one of Habets' book, "Theosis in the Theology of Thomas Torrance." The paper points out that Torrance's understanding of theosis provides a powerful means of expressing the biblical vision of salvation as communion with the Triune God.
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| "Transfiguration of Christ" (artist unknown, public domain via Wikimedia Commons) |
Introduction
The doctrine of theosis has long been associated with Eastern Orthodox theology. In many Western theological circles, especially within the Reformed tradition, it has often been regarded with suspicion due to concerns regarding possible confusion between Creator and creature. Yet Thomas F. Torrance occupies a unique place in modern theology precisely because he sought to retrieve themes traditionally associated with the Eastern doctrine of theosis while remaining firmly rooted within the Reformed tradition. Throughout his writings, Torrance consistently argues that Christians should not reject the concept merely because its terminology appears unfamiliar to Western ears. Instead, they should attend to its theological intention.
The importance of theosis within Torrance's thought has often been underestimated because he rarely develops it as a separate doctrinal locus. Unlike many Orthodox theologians, he does not devote an extended monograph to the subject. Nevertheless, the realities associated with theosis permeate his theological corpus. Terms such as participation, communion, union, adoption, personalisation, humanisation, reconciliation, and transcendental determination repeatedly appear in contexts where Torrance is describing what the Christian tradition has often called deification.
This paper argues that Torrance's theology of theosis begins not with salvation narrowly conceived but with creation itself. Humanity is created for communion with God. The incarnation reveals the purpose for which creation was brought into existence. Redemption therefore fulfils rather than replaces creation. Such an approach reflects Torrance's profound conviction that theology must be interpreted christologically. Jesus Christ is not merely God's response to human sin. He is the revelation of humanity's origin, vocation, and destiny.
The argument proceeds in five stages. First, Torrance's doctrine of creation is examined as the foundation of theosis. Second, the cosmic dimensions of redemption are considered. Third, his teleological interpretation of the image of God is analysed. Fourth, his conception of the humanization of humanity is discussed. Fifth, his understanding of humanity as priest of creation is explored. Finally, a critical assessment is offered before drawing conclusions regarding Torrance's contribution to contemporary theology.
1. Creation as the Context of Theosis
A distinguishing feature of Torrance's theology is his refusal to separate creation from redemption. Christian theology, he argues, must speak simultaneously about God in relation to creation and God in relation to himself. Any attempt to isolate one from the other inevitably leads to distortion. This conviction shapes his understanding of both creation and salvation.
For Torrance, creation is fundamentally a work of the Triune God. Drawing upon Basil of Caesarea, he repeatedly describes creation as originating from the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. The created order therefore bears a trinitarian stamp from the outset. Creation is not the result of necessity or emanation. God did not need the world. Rather, the world exists because of the free and loving will of the Triune God. Creation is contingent existence called into being by divine love.
This trinitarian understanding immediately introduces a participatory dimension into creation. God does not create merely to establish an external relation with a world distinct from himself. He creates that creatures might share, in a creaturely manner, in the communion of love that characterises the divine life. The ultimate purpose of creation is fellowship with God. Consequently, theosis is not an afterthought introduced by redemption but is built into creation from the beginning.
Torrance frequently expresses this insight through his famous assertion that creation is "proleptically conditioned by redemption." The phrase indicates that creation can be properly understood only in light of its fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Redemption reveals the goal toward which creation has always been moving. Christ is not merely the answer to human sin; he is the telos of creation itself. Everything exists through him and for him. The incarnation therefore discloses the deepest meaning of the created order.
Such an approach has important theological implications. It means that Christology provides the interpretive key to anthropology, cosmology, and eschatology. It also means that salvation cannot be understood as a purely remedial activity. Rather, redemption fulfils the purpose embedded within creation from the beginning. Theosis, understood as participation in God's life, therefore belongs to the original intention of God for humanity.
2. The Cosmic Scope of Redemption
Because creation itself is oriented toward communion with God, redemption necessarily possesses a cosmic dimension. Torrance consistently resists reducing salvation to the level of individual religious experience. Human beings are situated within creation, and therefore God's redemptive purpose encompasses the entire cosmos.
Central to this vision is Torrance's conception of redemption as "reordering." Creation was brought into existence according to divine wisdom and order. Sin introduces disorder, fragmentation, and alienation. Accordingly, redemption appears as the restoration and perfection of the order intended by God. Christ's incarnation, life, death, and resurrection inaugurate the reordering of a disordered creation.
This emphasis reflects significant patristic influences. Torrance repeatedly appeals to Athanasius, who argued that the Word who created the world was also the Word who renewed it. The same divine Logos who established creation acts to restore it. Thus redemption is not an external intervention but the continuation and fulfilment of God's creative purpose.
The cosmic dimension of salvation is evident in Torrance's insistence that redemption extends beyond humanity to encompass the whole created order. Creation itself awaits liberation and transformation. Yet Torrance carefully avoids any suggestion that creation becomes divine in essence. Rather, creation remains genuinely creaturely while attaining its intended fulfilment in communion with God. Theosis thus possesses cosmic implications without collapsing the distinction between Creator and creature.
This aspect of Torrance's theology provides a corrective to excessively individualistic understandings of salvation. Participation in God is not merely an inward spiritual experience. It is part of God's comprehensive purpose for the renewal of creation. Humanity's participation in God occurs within a larger cosmic drama aimed at the restoration of all things in Christ.
3. The Imago Dei as Destiny
Torrance's understanding of the image of God forms the centre of his theological anthropology and provides one of the clearest examples of theosis functioning within his theological framework.
Traditional approaches to the image of God have often emphasised either substantial or relational dimensions. Substantive interpretations identify the image with rationality, will, or other human faculties. Relational interpretations locate the image in humanity's capacity for communion. While acknowledging the strengths of both approaches, Torrance ultimately argues that neither adequately captures the biblical and christological character of the doctrine.
His alternative is fundamentally teleological. Jesus Christ alone is the true Image of God. Humanity is created in relation to him and destined for conformity to him. Consequently, the image cannot be defined simply by what humans presently are. Rather, it must be understood in terms of what God intends humanity to become. The image of God points toward humanity's future in Christ.
This christological orientation leads Torrance to describe human beings as "persons-in-becoming." Humanity possesses an eschatological destiny. Human existence remains unfinished apart from conformity to Christ. Jesus Christ reveals both the origin and goal of humanity because he embodies perfect humanity. He is not merely one human among others. He is the true human being.
The Fall does not eliminate this destiny but renders humanity incapable of achieving it through its own powers. The image remains present as vocation and promise. Humanity continues to be called toward communion with God even while remaining estranged from that communion through sin. Redemption restores and fulfils the destiny embedded in creation. Theosis is therefore the realisation of the image of God through participation in Christ.
This approach enables Torrance to integrate creation, christology, anthropology, and eschatology into a coherent whole. The image of God is neither merely an ontological possession nor simply a relational possibility. It is humanity's divinely appointed destiny realised through Christ.
4. The Humanization of Humanity
If there is one theme that distinguishes Torrance's interpretation of theosis from many popular presentations, it is his insistence that salvation should be understood as the humanisation of humanity.
Torrance repeatedly expresses discomfort with certain understandings of deification that appear to imply the annihilation of creaturely identity. He rejects any notion that salvation involves the transformation of human beings into divine beings. Such ideas, he argues, misunderstand both the Christian doctrine of creation and the significance of the incarnation.
Instead, he presents theosis as the fulfilment of authentic humanity. Sin dehumanises. Salvation humanises. The incarnation demonstrates this principle with supreme clarity. In Jesus Christ, divine and human natures are united without confusion, division, change, or separation. Human nature is healed, restored, and perfected through its union with the incarnate Son.
Participation in Christ therefore means participation in perfected humanity. Believers do not cease to be human. On the contrary, they become properly human. This is why Torrance often prefers to speak of personalisation and humanisation rather than divinisation. These expressions emphasise that salvation restores human beings to what they were created to be.
At this point Torrance succeeds in maintaining a delicate theological balance. On the one hand, he avoids reducing salvation to merely forensic categories. Participation in God is real. On the other hand, he preserves the distinction between Creator and creature. Communion with God does not entail ontological absorption into divine essence. Theosis remains participation by grace rather than possession by nature.
This formulation allows Torrance to retrieve the patristic doctrine of theosis while remaining faithful to fundamental Reformed concerns regarding divine transcendence and sovereign grace. The result is a doctrine that is both participatory and christocentric.
5. Humanity as Priest of Creation
The final major element of Torrance's anthropology is his conception of humanity as priest of creation.
Human beings occupy a unique position within the created order because they mediate creation's praise to God. Humanity alone possesses the capacity consciously to recognise, appreciate, and articulate the intelligibility and beauty of creation. As such, human beings function as creation's priests.
This theme sheds light on Torrance's unusual emphasis upon scientific inquiry. Scientific investigation is not merely an intellectual enterprise. It belongs to humanity's priestly vocation. Through science, human beings disclose the order, beauty, and rationality of creation and thereby participate in its praise of the Creator. Scientific knowledge becomes a form of worship because it reveals the wisdom of God expressed within creation.
The idea of humanity as priest of creation also reveals the communal and cosmic implications of theosis. Participation in God is never a private matter. Human beings exist in relation to one another and to the wider created order. Thus communion with God transforms cultural, social, and ecological relationships as well as personal spirituality.
At points Torrance's treatment may appear underdeveloped. His emphasis upon science occasionally overshadows other dimensions of cultural vocation. Nevertheless, the underlying theological principle remains compelling. Theosis entails the restoration of humanity's priestly service within creation. Participation in God necessarily includes participation in God's loving concern for the world.
Critical Assessment
Torrance's account raises several important questions. Significant tensions remain regarding the relationship between humanity's continuing orientation toward God and his strong doctrine of total depravity. Likewise, his notion of creation being conditioned by redemption invites further exploration regarding divine purpose and historical contingency.
Despite these challenges, the strengths of his position are considerable. Few modern theologians integrate creation, anthropology, christology, and soteriology as successfully as Torrance. His theology consistently resists dualisms and fragments that have often characterised Western theological reflection.
Most importantly, his doctrine of theosis provides a participatory framework for understanding salvation that transcends the limitations of purely forensic models without sacrificing Reformed commitments to grace, divine transcendence, and Christological centrality. The result is a powerful theological vision capable of contributing significantly to contemporary ecumenical discussions.
Conclusion
This paper has argued that Thomas F. Torrance grounds the doctrine of theosis in his doctrines of creation and theological anthropology. Creation is oriented toward communion with God. Humanity is created in the image of Christ and destined for conformity to him. Redemption fulfils rather than replaces creation's original purpose.
Within this framework, theosis functions as one of the integrating concepts of Torrance's theology. Participation in God does not imply the loss of creaturely identity but its fulfilment. Salvation is the humanisation of humanity through union with the incarnate Son. Through Christ, humanity participates in the life of God while remaining authentically human.
Torrance therefore demonstrates that theosis is not inherently alien to Reformed theology. Properly understood, it provides a powerful means of expressing the biblical vision of salvation as communion with the Triune God. In this respect, his work remains one of the most significant modern attempts to bring Eastern and Western theological traditions into fruitful conversation.
Select Bibliography
- Colyer, Elmer M. How to Read T. F. Torrance: Understanding His Trinitarian and Scientific Theology. Downers Grove: IVP, 2001.
- Habets, Myk. Theosis in the Theology of Thomas Torrance: The Danger of Vertigo.
- McGrath, Alister E. T. F. Torrance: An Intellectual Biography. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1999.
- Torrance, Thomas F. Calvin's Doctrine of Man. London: Lutterworth, 1949.
- Torrance, Thomas F. The Christian Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1996.
- Torrance, Thomas F. The Trinitarian Faith. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1995.
- Torrance, Thomas F. Theology in Reconstruction. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1965.
- Torrance, Thomas F. Space, Time and Resurrection. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998.