Grace is a gift and gifts can't be earned, so grace is incompatible with works done for the purpose of earning a wage (Romans 11:6), however, works can be done for any number of purposes that are compatible with gifts, which is also why there are many verses that connect grace and works. For example, in Psalms 119:29-30, he wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, and he chose the way of faith by setting it before him, so this has always been the one and only way of salvation by grace through faith. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to walk in His way that he and Israel might know Him, in 1 Kings 2:1-3, God taught how to walk in His way through His law, and in John 17:3, eternal life is knowing God and Jesus, which again is salvation by grace through faith.
Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4), so while we are no required to have first obeyed God's law in order to earn it as a wage, living in obedience to it through faith in Jesus is nevertheless intrinsically the content of the gift of him saving us from not living in obedience to it. For example, honoring our parents is intrinsically part of the gift of Jesus saving us from not honoring our parents. In Ephesians 2:8-10, we are new creations in Christ to do good works, so while Paul denied that we can earn our salvation as the result of our works lest anyone should boast, doing good works is nevertheless intrinsically the content of the gift of being saved from not doing good works. In Titus 2:11-13, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so we are not required to have done those works first in order to become saved as the result and we are not required to do those works as the result of having first been saved, but rather God graciously teaching us to do those works is itself the content of His gift of saving us from not doing those works.
The content of a gift can itself be the experience of doing works, such as giving someone the opportunity to drive a Ferrari for an hour, where the gift requires them to do the work of driving it in order to have that experience, but where doing that work has nothing to do with trying to earn the gift of the opportunity to drive it as a wage. Likewise, the content of God's gift of eternal life is the experience of knowing Him and Jesus and God's law is the gift His instructions for how to have that experience, not for how to earn it as a wage.
Our salvation is from sin (Matthew 1:21) and sin is the transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4), so while we are no required to have first obeyed God's law in order to earn it as a wage, living in obedience to it through faith in Jesus is nevertheless intrinsically the content of the gift of him saving us from not living in obedience to it. For example, honoring our parents is intrinsically part of the gift of Jesus saving us from not honoring our parents. In Ephesians 2:8-10, we are new creations in Christ to do good works, so while Paul denied that we can earn our salvation as the result of our works lest anyone should boast, doing good works is nevertheless intrinsically the content of the gift of being saved from not doing good works. In Titus 2:11-13, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so we are not required to have done those works first in order to become saved as the result and we are not required to do those works as the result of having first been saved, but rather God graciously teaching us to do those works is itself the content of His gift of saving us from not doing those works.
The content of a gift can itself be the experience of doing works, such as giving someone the opportunity to drive a Ferrari for an hour, where the gift requires them to do the work of driving it in order to have that experience, but where doing that work has nothing to do with trying to earn the gift of the opportunity to drive it as a wage. Likewise, the content of God's gift of eternal life is the experience of knowing Him and Jesus and God's law is the gift His instructions for how to have that experience, not for how to earn it as a wage.
It says we have been saved. It is a completed act.
In this sense, As paul said here and in Romans 4 and titus 3 and other areas. This gift of salvation this gift of rescue, this gift of being made safe, or as scripture said, put in a place of rest, because we have ceased from trying to work to earn Gods favor and be restored with him, a work that was impossible to do..
This is the point at which we are adopted. and made a child of God. this is where our christian walk begins
All the works come after this moment, They are a result of salvation. If we are still trying to work to receive the grace of salvation. we have missed the point of the gospel to begin with. And we will fail to be saved. because we have yet to fully repent and trust God
In Proverbs 3:5-7, we have a choice between leaning on our own understanding of right and wrong by doing what is right in our own eyes or trusting in God with all of our heart to correctly divide between right and wrong through obeying what He has instructed in all of our ways and He will make our way straight. God is trustworthy, therefore His instructions are also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7), so the way to trust God is by obediently trusting in His instructions and it is contradictory to think that we should trust in God for salvation, but not in what He has instructed.
Anyone who thinks this just proves they have not really repented. And do not really trust God to begin with.
They may have belief, but that belief has not moved to actual saving faith
Likewise, in Matthew 4:15-23, Jesus began his ministry with the Gospel message to repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand, which was a light to the Gentiles, and God's law was how his audience knew what sin is, so repenting from our disobedience to it is the way to trust the Gospel.
In Genesis 18:19, God knew Abraham that he would teach his children and those of his household to walk in His way by doing righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to him all that He has promised. In Genesis 26:4-5, God will multiply Abraham's children as the stars in the heaven, to His children He will give all of these lands, and through His children all of the nations of the earth will be blessed because Abraham heard God's voice and guarded His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. In Deuteronomy 30:16, if the children of Abraham will love God with all of their heart by walking in His way in obedience to His commandments, statutes, and laws, then they will live and multiply and God will bless them in the land that they go to possess. So the promise was made to Abraham and brought about because he walked in God's way in obedience to His law, he taught his children and those of his household to do that, and because they did that. So obedience to God's law is the way to trust Him, to trust the Gospel, and to trust in the promise that He is making.
In Genesis 18:19, God knew Abraham that he would teach his children and those of his household to walk in His way by doing righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to him all that He has promised. In Genesis 26:4-5, God will multiply Abraham's children as the stars in the heaven, to His children He will give all of these lands, and through His children all of the nations of the earth will be blessed because Abraham heard God's voice and guarded His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. In Deuteronomy 30:16, if the children of Abraham will love God with all of their heart by walking in His way in obedience to His commandments, statutes, and laws, then they will live and multiply and God will bless them in the land that they go to possess. So the promise was made to Abraham and brought about because he walked in God's way in obedience to His law, he taught his children and those of his household to do that, and because they did that. So obedience to God's law is the way to trust Him, to trust the Gospel, and to trust in the promise that He is making.
You can not read eph 2: 8-9 about how we have been saved. and add works.
That is a false gospel. and rejects the grace of God.
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