A Hermeneutical Evaluation of Luther’s Sola fide and its relevance to the Doctrine of Salvation in The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Southwest Zone

Abstract

Purpose: The study evaluates Luther’s theory of sola fide and its relevance to the doctrine of salvation in The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Southwest Zone. The doctrine of sola fide typically entails the notion that salvation is through faith only. Unfortunately, in contemporary times, the concept of salvation has suffered much misunderstanding. It has been a subject of much controversy characterised with so much variations and confusion of thoughts in its art of teaching. Materials and Methods: Employing the tool of hermeneutics and critical assessment, the study comparatively examined the theo-linguistic implications of Luther’s sola fide and TACN’s doctrine of salvation. Findings: The study discovers that TACN’s doctrine of salvation shares fundamental similarities but TACN’s doctrine of salvation extends the doctrine of salvation further than Luther’s sola fide by emphasizing the possibility of a Christian losing his salvation. However, it is discovered and argued that TACN’s commitment to the doctrine of sola fide has not been balanced in practice. While the church professes that salvation is attained through faith only, her officials and members are observed to lay significant emphasis on salvation through works. Implications to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study therefore recommends that the church should be consistent in its commitment to sola fide both in doctrine and practice. This can be achieved through consistency in the art of teaching what is believed by the church