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The motive for the work of the Holy Spirit, the object of the Christian's "progressive spiritual growth", is "intimate fellowship with God the Father and God the Son, above in the heavenlies". [5] As Stanford was apt to exhort believers, "Abide Above – for your life below."
He supports this argument by identifying a distinction between the Son's warm-fellowship with the Father, and his ontological union with the Father. He argues that the Greek Fathers, primarily Athanasius and Cyril of Alexandria were clear that we never share ontological union with God, but only this intimate fellowship.
Relationship differs from intimacy: A permanent relationship with God as Father and the believer as a child begins by faith alone. When someone believes, there is a "new birth" and this spiritual birth cannot be undone. However, the familial relationship does not guarantee fellowship; intimacy with God requires obedience. [88]
Theosis (Ancient Greek: θέωσις), or deification (deification may also refer to apotheosis, lit. "making divine"), is a transformative process whose aim is likeness to or union with God, as taught by the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Eastern Orthodox Church; the same concept is also found in the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, where it is termed "divinization".
A Christian fellowship is a community, social club, benefit society, and/or a fraternal organization whether formal or informal of Christians that worship, pray, cooperate, volunteer, socialize, and associate with each other on the foundation of their shared Christian faith.
Traditional Roman Catholic theology centres the union with Christ in a substantial sense on the unity of the institutional church, past and present. "The communion of saints is the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head."
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If the Church were a result of man's efforts, its failure would cause the founder to accuse the other members, God, and finally himself. However, God has created the church in Jesus Christ, and thankfulness is the only attitude: thankfulness for forgiveness, daily provisions, and fellowship. Thankfulness is the key to greater spiritual resources.