Is Salvation By Grace, Faith Or Good Works?

Fellow Ghanaians, today is Sunday, 18th October 2015 and I deem it necessary to write to you about an important topic in religion that I feel is part of the reasons why our society is so rotten today despite the fact that almost 95% of us are said to have one religion or the other according to the 2010 population and housing census. Is salvation achieved by Grace, Faith or Good works?

I put it to you that it is by all of these that you can achieve salvation. This is because it is through good works that you can show your Faith and it is your Faith that will lead you to do good works. And it is when you have faith that God’s grace can be upon you to be saved. Don’t be deceived anymore! Read your religious books and don’t let people’s greed lead you astray. I am a Christian, a Catholic for that matter and so I will use the bible to explain my point and I am certain that similar things are contained in the other religious books. My belief is that we all serve one God just that we disagree on how to worship or serve HIM.

In the New International Version (NIV) of the bible, James 2:24 says “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone”. The New Living Translation (NLT) says “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone” The English Standard Version (ESV) makes it even simpler by saying that “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” This is self explanatory as it is in plain text and no other interpretation can be put to it.

Now let go to Ephesians 2: 8-10:
NIV: ⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—⁹not by works, so no-one can boast. ¹⁰For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

NLT: ⁸God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God, ⁹Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

ESV:⁸For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Putting these verses in James and Ephesians together, I am sure I have convinced you why the conclusions I made above.

God says true wisdom comes from HIM and read the following to fully understand why we are where we are as Africans today.

NLT: James 3: 13-16: “If you are wise and understand God's ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will truly be wise! But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don't brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil.” With this, I can tell you on authority that you cannot be saved without good works. It is deceit and manipulation if you think otherwise!

Isn’t this the case of Ghana and Africa today? Allan Hope the Jamaican Rastafarian better known as Mutabaruka in his work titled People’s Court Part II said “you have twisted the bible to suit white supremacy” but I want to add that the Preacher man in Africa has twisted and misinterpreted the Bible to suit his black greed. Mr. Preacher man, REPENT! A word to the wise, we Northerners’ say, “is in the north”. I rest my case for now. Have a holy Sunday and go out there tomorrow to do good for country and above all God!

I hope someone is listening and now convinced!
I shall be back!!
Charles Ayuune Akurugu
[email protected]