Are we saved by grace alone or by our works?

Question

Thoughts.

Answer 1

Ephesians 2:8-9..."For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast".
Works follow naturally as evidence of salvation, not to obtain it.

Answer 2

Are we saved by Grace alone.. No.

Talk about a free ride..
I dont believe people can mess up. and its ok.
We have Gods Grace, we will be saved.

Thats a cop out .. taking no responsiblity for your actions.

I Actions are louder than words, hence the word we do for others, dose count. We have mercy within us.. If we share it around then mercy will be given to others.. Hence it is spread by us the people in our actions.
Not sitting on our butts .. hopping to be saved.

Get out there and help.

Answer 3

Well the Bible teaches that Christ's grace makes possible forgiveness from sins, but after we have been forgiven we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling before the Lord. We learn that we are judged by our works and that the Lord will not save those who merely say unto Him Lord, Lord, but those that DOETH the will of his father in heaven. The doctrine that we are magically saved by grace comes from uninspired men (none of whom were prophets) attempting to interpret the Bible without the assistance of the Holy Ghost or revelation from God. It is a false doctrine. It would be more accurate to say, 'For it is by grace that we are saved, AFTER ALL WE CAN DO.'

Answer 4

Dear Advocate,
We are saved by grace alone unto good works.

Edit: Looking at my own life and the things that I did that I thought were "good" were not the same as the works I have been doing since I've been born again. They don't even come close. They aren't even in the same universe. And I never would have done them before I was born again.

I was at the center of my good works before I was born again.
Now Christ is at the Center of my life and that makes all the difference!

Answer 5

by grace alone through faith
works are the evidence of saving faith..not the cause of the saving

works is the fruit fruit
faith is the root

Answer 6

Nelor is right. We are saved by God's mercy and grace but obviously if we are saved we will also have good works. Faith without works is dead.

Answer 7

Grace.

Answer 8

Grace.

Answer 9

We are saved by grace alone. Recall that in Acts 16:31 the jailer asked Paul and Silas how to be saved. They responded, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." The jailer believed and immediately became saved.
Close to 200 times in the New Testament salvation is said to be by faith alone - with no works in sight. Consider the following:
John 3:15 tells us that "everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
John 5:24 says, "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life."
In John 11:25 Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."
John 23:46 says, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness."
John 20:31 says, "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
If salvation were not by faith alone, then Jesus' message in the Gospel of John - manifest in the above quotations - would be deceptive, stating that there is one condition for salvation when there are allegedly two - faith and works.
I must emphasize that we are saved by faith for for works. Works are not the condition of our salvation, but a consequence of it We are saved not by works, but by the kind of faith that produces works.

Eph 2:8-10 God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this: It is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Answer 10

To me grace presumes forgiveness and no judgment so there would be no need for being "saved". However, I do believe it is our actions that define who we are be it in the eyes of our fellow humans or a higher being.