True Humanity

As we think in the next few days about the birth of Jesus the question often comes up about the "humanity" of Jesus and the "divinity" of Jesus. Below is a summary of the "orthodox" perspective on what it means for us to be "truly human". (this is from www.religiousfacts.com)

"For Orthodox theologians, humans were created in the image of God and made to participate fully in the divine life. The full communion with God that Adam and Eve enjoyed meant complete freedom and true humanity, for humans are most human when they are completely united with God.
The result of sin, then, was a blurring of the image of God and a barrier between God and man. The situation in which mankind has been ever since is an unnatural, less human state, which ends in the most unnatural aspect: death. Salvation, then, is a process not of justification or legal pardon, but of reestablishing man's communion with God. This process of repairing the unity of human and divine is sometimes called "deification." This term does not mean that humans become gods but that humans join fully with God's divine life.
The process of being reunited to God, made possible by Christ, is accomplished by the Holy Spirit."

As westerners we tend to think in "transactional" terms (just "getting saved") and then struggle with how we then live our lives. After all, we are "just human". But, but when we look to Jesus...we are called to be like Him and his divine nature. As Christians we want to strive to be "truly human".

2 Peter 1:3-4

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
(from New International Version)