For starters, no one is saved by good works. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not of your yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works lest any man should boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do(EPH 2:8,9)
If we are saved by Grace through faith, that grace will result in good works. In other words it is the grace of God that will lead us to do what God requires of us. There is nothing that we can do to earn our Salvation. Jesus did it all. If it wasn't for Jesus Christ we all still would have been dead in our sins. One thing that amazes me greatly is that how some people or some Religions like the Catholic faith, try to get to God and earn their salvation by works. The bible is very clear on Salvation.
(EPH-2:8, 9)8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(GAL3:2-5)2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
(GAL5:4-5)4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
(ROM 11:6)6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
ROMANS11:3(NIV) and if by Grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, Grace would no longer be grace. Basically if we try to earn our salvation or get to God by our works, that is no longer Grace but it is works. -GAL 5:4-5, you who are trying to be justified by the law you have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from Grace. But by faith we eagerly await through the spirit the righteousness for which we hope.
Ephesians 1:13 - In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,
Romans 3:28 - For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law.
Grace- faith and works, work together in a believer. We can not claim that we are Christians but have no good deeds. Just like James said faith with out works is a dead faith (James 2:17) (Hebrews 10:24)
But this is not the works that lot of people are getting confused with. This is not works that will get us saved or right with God. Like I mentioned at the top- Gods grace will lead us to do good works by faith and by grace, not works to get to Grace and to God. Millions of people have got this totally wrong. They have works but yet have no faith and try to get to God by works. That is an impossible thing to do. Even if you had faith + works even that can't earn your salvation. One thing a person has to understand is that we are saved in an instant by faith by grace, after that as we grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus he will lead us unto all good works. If we are trying to earn our salvation by our good works, it is like saying to God - thank you very much for dying for us on the cross but that is not sufficient for me so I will try to get to You by my works. How do you think God would feel??? Why don't you try to answer that question.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9, NIV).
"You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Gal. 5:4).
This is a common error in the cults. Because they have a false Jesus, they have a false doctrine of salvation. (Read Rom. 3-5 and Gal. 3-5).
you cannot add to the work of God. Gal. 2:21 says, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!" (NIV)
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin" (Rom. 3:20).
Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law" (Gal. 3:21).
However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom. 4:5).
My prayer to all the deceived Christians and to those that think they are saved but actually are trying to get to God by their own deeds is that God will help all so that people would see the truth and so that people would follow the truth instead of the false views that is spreading around like fire. I pray that all the body of Christ would get in the Word of God and study the word of God, so that we would be the light in this dark world. Satan has blinded the eyes of millions of people so they will not see the truth of God. So what is our job? We ought to pray to God, so that God will use us in ways that is unimaginable for the human eyes. And be witnesses of the truth. Also pray for the Roman Catholic Church so that the truth will be revealed to them thorough the word of God.
Cheap Grace?
According to the Bible a man is saved by Gods Grace at the time when we acknowledge Jesus Christ as the only hope to life on earth and the way to heaven. When we repent from our sins and embrace Christ as our only Lord and savior, we are saved in that instant. Lot of people say that than if we are saved by Grace and that we can not loose our Salvation, than why not go and sin. I would like to clarify one thing, If any person that claims that he/she is a believer but yet looks for an opportunity to sin, and uses the term "once saved always saved" I would suggest for that person to examine if he/she is really in the faith(2 cor 13:5). By no means salvation by grace or once saved always saved is a license for any one to sin.
Rom 6:1-151 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the sinful body might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For he who has died is freed from sin. 8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. 9 For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. 13 Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. 15 What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
1 John 3:9 9 No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God.
By simply reading this couple of verses you get the picture that we born again believers are called to purity and holiness. We are not called to live preversed and immoral lives but to be holy for our Lord himself is Holy. We need to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ and he will sanctify us daily and conform us into his image.
We are to walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:16 - But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.