We read in Luke 2:25-32 of a devout man named Simeon, to whom it was revealed by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And upon seeing the young Jesus as He and His family entered the temple, he announced, "Mine eyes have seen Thy salvation..."
Salvation is a person... that person is Jesus Christ.
This is why we must "work out our salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil. 2:12) Because salvation is not something we possess that merely grants a legal pardon from our sins, no. Salvation is Someone in whom we belong. It is participation in a transformative relationship.
As we read in 2 Peter 1:4, our trusting faith in Christ and His promises allow us to participate in the divine nature.
Christ does not ask humanity to imitate holiness from afar, He shares His life so that we can take part in it. It is communal and cosmic. It is relational because we humans become what we behold. (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:29, Colossians 3:10, 1 Corinthians 15:49)
No, it's not about BECOMING God. It is sharing in His life, holiness, love, and immortality as the bride of Christ, who He gave Himself up for, to make us holy and pure. (Ephesians 5:22-32, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 21:2-9)
