Union with God: An Assessment of Deification (Theosis) in the Theologies of Robert Jenson and John Calvin

If salvation makes a person to become God, then how do we understand the word ‘God’? Audy Santoso assesses Robert Jenson’s notion of deification on three main areas: the concept of God, Christ, and self along with their ramifications. In this comparative study, Jenson’s revisionary metaphysics in his theology opens up an insightful perspective in reading John Calvin’s theology. Discussion on the Supper shows the intricate relation of what these theologians hope for with the practice of our lives in God. The author makes a comparative assessment and integration between the seemingly opposite metaphysics of Jenson and Calvin while keeping the Creator-creature distinction of Reformed theology intact. Jenson says that the end is music, but the author affirms a better way without negating Jenson’s.