Primate: Heresy and schism are destructive for man

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the UOC. Photo: a video screenshot from the YouTube channel of the UOC

Heresy and schism are destructive for man, said the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine in a sermon on the occasion of the day of memory of the Holy Fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils. A video recording of the sermon was published on the YouTube channel of the UOC.

The Primate said that the Holy Fathers of the six Ecumenical Councils overthrew heresies, denounced heretics and helped people to keep the correct understanding of faith. The Archpastor reminded the flock of each of the Ecumenical Councils and of the heresies they condemned.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry warned that heresy and schism lead to the fall of man from the spiritual ship leading to salvation – the Church.

"The Word of God is a double-edged ‘sword’, which can be used to protect yourself if you understand it correctly, and if you understand it wrongly, you can hurt yourself. And they (the Holy Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils – Ed.) taught us to use this 'sword' so that we could defend ourselves with it, not to hurt ourselves," said the Primate.

He called on the flock to read the Holy Scriptures and the works by the Holy Fathers, and to pay attention to the correct interpretation of the Bible and the Gospel by the Holy Fathers rather than interpret the Word of God as they see fit.

The misguided people also use the Scripture and even quote it but misinterpret and try to adjust the Word of God to justify themselves, said His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv. He called the believers to live by faith not just to confess it by words.

"God gives man reason to understand the divine truth and be the son of salvation <...>. A true Christian is not one who confesses God by his mouth alone, but one who obeys God, who entrusts himself to God, who carries out God's commandments. God’s grace rests on such a person and such people are sons of salvation," concluded the Archpastor.

Earlier, the Primate noted that to know God and be free from sin, one must be strong and courageous. “Forcing yourself by the power of your own will to fulfill the strong Sacred God’s Law, to humble ourselves before God. Such a person is strong, and he/she is a real Christian,” the Archpastor emphasized.

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