THEOSISTheophan the Recluse
Throughout the history of God's people, it has occurred that successive kings have emerged, influenced by the customs of neighboring nations, leading to the introduction of idol worship in their homeland. Consequently, idols proliferated in the high places, groves, public squares, and even within the temple itself. The people began to serve these idols, neglecting the worship of the one true God. However, when God later appointed a king after His own heart—like Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah—their initial responsibility was to purge the temple, the city, the hills and groves, and the entire kingdom of these idols. In doing so, sin was expelled, and righteousness prevailed. The true God was revered and worshipped in the temple, throughout the city, in the hills, and in the fields.
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God was once again recognized as their visible King.
A similar transformation occurs within us. Each of us represents a small kingdom, with our consciousness and will as the sovereign. The subjects consist of the forces of our existence—body, soul, and spirit. The heart serves as the sanctuary of God within us. When our consciousness and freedom turn away from God, focusing instead on ourselves and the world around us, passions and sinful desires, akin to idols, fill our being. Each aspect of our body and soul may serve a specific idol, resulting in the neglect of God. We might find ourselves serving the cravings of the flesh, such as indulgence, sloth, lust, and distractions like revelry, entertainment, and other things just as the pagans served their deities. In our souls, we may serve vanity, the desire for approval, self-interest, envy, ambition for recognition, and hatred—giving rise to the idols of self-centeredness and hardened egoism, as we comprehensively worship false gods with all our might. This leads to a state of reverence for and aversion to God.
Yet, when God’s mercy intervenes and He sends us the spirit of awe and reverence, our consciousness and freedom—our king—awaken. Turning towards God, it earnestly strives to rid its kingdom of all idols, expelling passions from every power and replacing them with corresponding virtues aimed at pleasing God, dedicating the entirety of one’s life to Him. In our sanctuary, the focus shifts from the self to self-denial and devotion to God. Consequently, instead of passions, our body and soul bear the holy fruits of the spirit: humility, meekness, temperance, purity, love, peace, patience, diligence, and more—all for God's sake, rooted in our total dependence on Him and our duty to align everything with His will for His glory.
In this way, God-centeredness, love for God, devotion to God, and worship of God are restored within us, with God established as the ruler in our lives. Everything objectionable to God—whether large or small, internal or external—is eradicated and destroyed. This marks the enthronement of God within us!