Okay, can you tell me WHY you think our works gain us, or keeps us our salvation?
Blue, I've repeated it so many times, I just can't anymore.
It's the difference between JUSTIFICATION and SANCTIFICATION.
It would take a Whole study. It can't be done here correctly.
Please look it up somehow. Even Google would be ok for this. But read some different links.
Here it is quick:
JUSTIFICATION is a work of God. Totally of God. We come to Him, repent and He, totally from grace, forgives us and welcomes us into His family. We are saved. Ephesians 2:8
SANCITIFICATION is a cooperative work between us and God. WE must also do our part to become more and more in line with how God would want us to be. This could be called works. GOD does NOT do this all by himself. It requires action on OUR part.
If God did EVERYTHING,, we'd be like little puppets that He just pushes around. He gave us free will. We are to exercise that free will and CONTINUE to behave as though we want to be saved. You said yourself that denying God can cause loss of salvation. This is true. We deny God also when we don't obey Him.
I'm not talking about SINNING. We sin every day. Forget about that. We're covered by the blood of our Lord.
I'm talking about BEING the way He would want us to be. Mathew 5, the beatitudes. And I'm talking about DOING the things He would want us to do, or continue to do the ones we're doing but with the right attitude, do them as to God (for God).
Jesus Himself said we are to follow his commandments. I've listed so many. In one post I listed about 15 verses.
I just gave Grace John 15:14. He even speaks about cutting off b ranches and burning them.
What I'm saying is that we do our works OUT OF LOVE. I agree. But they need to be done, NO MATTER WHAT.
It's a change of life, an internal change. Jesus demands this, He demands that we obey.
We're helped by the Holy Spirit to obey. GOD DOES NOT DO EVERYTHING FOR US, as if we were puppets.
Whether we feel this love or not, we still have to do what is right.
Works do not save us.
But they keep us saved.
Justification
Sanctification
check out Philippians 3:12 and Colossians 1:21