[InChristAlone]

"...Western Christians do not discern between the essence and the energy of God. They say that God is only essence. Since man cannot be deified by means of divine Grace, what purpose does his life have? Only that he becomes morally better. But moral perfection is not enough for man. It is not enough for us simply to become better than before. We have as our final aim to unite with holy God Himself.

Life in Christ is not simply the moral edification of man, but deification, participation in God’s glory, and experiencing of God. This is a mystical union of God and man in the Holy Spirit.

Theosis is a process that has a few stages. And experiences of Theosis are proportional to the purity of man. The more someone is cleansed from the passions, the higher the experience he will receive from God.

With the Grace of God and within our daily struggle against our passions, with humility, repentance, prayer, observance of Gospel commandments, and partaking into the holy Mysteries, we acquire the possibility of union with Him in the present age, and in the age to come." Archimandrite George, abbott of a monastery on Mount Athos, Greece.
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God bless.