Quintessence of Religious Doctrines - Malankarasyriac Voice

73On Salvation and Punishment 145 146Quintessence of Religious DoctrinesCommentThe S.O.C. holds that, the final outcome of judgement wouldbe either eternal salvation and bliss or damnation andsuffering. Regarding the fate of the departed souls until theday of judgement, the S.O.C. does not entertain, the conceptof purgatory, which the Roman Church holds.4. If one turns away from good to evil and if another person doesthe converse thing, the original goodness in the former case andthe original evil in the latter case shall not be remembered. Sucha person, however, will have either eternal punishment or eternalhappiness, depending on the quantum of goodness, that standsto his or her credit.Ref: (a) Ezek. 18:21-24. “If an evil man stops sinning, andkeeps my laws, if he does what is right and good, hewill not die: he will certainly live. All his sins will beforgiven and he will live because he did what isright. Do you think that I enjoy seeing an evil mandie?” Asks the Sovereign Lord. “No, I would rathersee him repent and live. But if a righteous man stopsdoing good and starts doing all the evil, disgustingthings that evil men do, will he go on living? No!None of the good he did will be remembered. He willdie because of his unfaithfulness and his sins.CommentThis is a warning, that as for God, human bargaining orhuman accounting would be of no avail. So, they are told notto turn to evil ways on the confidence that their oncecommendednoble ways would win for them the mercy ofGod or that the good actions which they had performed intheir lives would stand them in good stead.5. The above dispensation of the Lord, who is full of mercy andjustice, generates hope and interest in the penitence. But as theteaching of some that redemption and salvation are the fruits ofgrace given freely by God in accordance with his earlydispensation, which says that every one will have identical justice,renders the God of Justice, into an unjust one.Ref: Lk. 15:17, 18, 19. So he went to work for one of thecitizens of that country, who sent him out to hisfarm to take care of the pigs. He wished he could fillhimself with the bean pots the pigs ate. But no onegave him anything to eat. At last he came to hissenses and said, “All my father’s hired workers havemore than they can eat and here I am about to starve!I will get up and go to my father and say, Father, Ihave sinned against God and against you. I am nolonger fit to be called your son.” Treat me as one ofyour hired workers.” (G.N.B.)CommentA further warning not to capitalise on the infinite mercy ofGod. For the S.O.C. the theory called akaphatastasis or thatGod would grant salvation to all as put forward by the geniusOrigen of Alexandria is not only acceptable but a heresyalso. It was this theory of his, which stood as a bar for Origenbeing canonised by the Church. The S.O.C. holds that God’smercy and justice have to be held evenly in every judgementof His.