WEEK TWO:
TOPIC: SALVATION
i. Salvation is by faith( Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrew 11:1-3)
Salvation is the process of being saved from an impending danger especially being saved from hell. In Ephesians 2:8 – 9, the Bible states that, it is “by grace and not by work that man is saved through faith, so that man would not boast.” This implies that by simply having faith, (assurance of hope in God), we are saved from hell.
In Hebrews 11:1-3, the Bible states, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.”
From the foregoing, it is evidently clear that, by having this assurance and conviction of things not seen, faith is enacted and thus, we are saved, in other words, by believing.
ii. Genuine Saving faith manifest through Work. James 2:14-26
In as much as, faith is just by believing and having assurance and conviction of things not seen, it must be accompanied by some actions. James 2: 14 – 26, established the fact that “Faith without Works Is Dead”. The Bible emphatically states that, we must practice what we believe in or what we profess. James gave an illustration that if you see a brother or sister hungry or sick and you just prayed for the person, without doing the needful or giving the person what he or she needs, then that kind of faith is dead and of no effect.
He said the faith that is effective is the one that is accompanied by works and not just by mere words of mouth. He stated that faith, accompanied with work is a step ahead of the demons. In verse 19, he said, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. He said that faith without work is barren and gave example of how Abraham accompanied his faith with works, when he offered his son upon the altar.
His argument is that faith is only active and is made complete by works. In James 11:24, he said a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. He also cited the example of Rahab, who demonstrated the faith she has in the God of the Israelites by protecting the twelves spies when she hid them in her house. James 11:25
He ended his teaching on Faith and works by saying, “As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.” James 11:26. So as a Christian, we don’t just say we believe, we must act what we say. We must show our faith by the things we do. That is the only way our faith can be complete in God.
We can show our faith in the following ways:
1. Join in community service
2. Join in the cleaning of the House of God and in other active service in the church
3. Helping the poor and the needy
4. Taking part in supporting the gospel and also men of God.
Unprecedented 