Paul's Concept of Grace in Ephesians 2:5 Concerning Covid-19 Pandemic Vaccination in a Post-Pandemic Nigeria Context

Abstract

Scholars like Martin Luther and Justin S Holcomb among others have written volumes on Grace in the New Testament, portraying Paul as  an apostle of Grace. Consequently, not very much has been written on the doctrine of grace in a post-pandemic era. Therefore, the paper  is interested in Paul's concept of Grace in Ephesians 2:5 and also, examined the outbreak of pandemics in Africa. The covid19 Pandemic is  a global and social phenomenon. Since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic back in  March 2020, the virus has claimed more than 2.5 million lives globally. The pandemic has impacted almost every corner of life, causing  global economies to stall, changing the way we work and interact with our loved ones, and stretching healthcare systems to the limit. The  Nigerian government have been forced to implement harsh restrictions on human activity to curb the spread of the virus. The paper  employs a documentation method for data gathering. Primary data is sourced from the Bible and relevant commentaries, while  secondary data is sourced from the existing published works on the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccination in Nigeria. Therefore, the paper  makes recommendations for the Church cum Christians to follow the guidelines and medical protocols on vaccination despite holding on  to the belief in the doctrine of grace as espoused by Paul.