Chancellor of the UOC: There is no Church without apostolic succession
Chancellor of the UOC Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary reminded that we receive salvation in the Church of Christ – in a place where we can participate in the Divine grace, which regenerates us, unites us with God and helps us achieve our ultimate goal – deification. He devoted a sermon to this topic, posted on the bishop's Facebook page.
One of the three important postulates of the Church of Christ, without which it would not be so, is succession, along with catholicity (concilliarity – Trans.) and the Eucharist.
Speaking about succession, we must understand that this is not an abstract concept. The Church is true provided there is the apostolic succession of bishops. If there is no such succession, there is no Church. Only the Apostolic Church maintains the real, physical succession of the ordained.
If there is no chain of succession, there is no Church. Consequently, if there is no Church, there are no sacraments. No sacraments, no Divine grace – no salvation. That is why the Holy Church is so concerned with sacraments and does not recognize the "sacraments" of schismatics and heretics.
It is necessary to bear in mind: in order to preserve an undistorted faith in the Triune God and the Incarnation, it is necessary to be a member of the Church of Christ, while the Church rests on conciliarity, apostolic succession and the Eucharist.
The absence of at least one of the mentioned criteria is a sign that a particular congregation is not the Church of Christ. Where there is no succession, there is neither priesthood nor grace.
If the Canons and Tradition are transgressed, the Catholicity and the Church itself are destroyed, respectively. Finally, if a person does not have a need for the Eucharist, he does not need the Church.
As the UOJ wrote, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reminded that unceasing repentance leads to the victory over sin.
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