God's grace is free, but it didn't come cheap, for Jesus.
Jesus voluntarily sacrificed everything, including his own life, so that he could save us from the condemnation sin placed on us.
God said we don't have to earn his favor. We already have it.
He also said salvation cannot be earned. It is a free gift, upon our willingness to receive it. God's grace is a free gift from him, but we have to open our heart to receive him and his gift. That way, we're showing Him that we really want Him in our hearts and lives.
The Bible’s answer is that our good works come after we have been saved; to put it another way, good works or deeds, are a natural response to God’s love, first given to us. The Bible talks about salvation as being a transformative event:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2nd Corinthians 5:17
When Jesus forgives us of our sins, he not only forgives us; he remembers them no more! Therefore, we become a new creation, thanks to Christ. We start living a new life in Christ, having turned from our old way of life and sinning, to a brand new life and beginning, with Christ. We also inherit eternal life in heaven with him, and sin cannot condemn us anymore [Romans 8:1]. By the grace of God, our sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus.
"And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:18
God said we don't have to earn his favor. We already have it.
He also said salvation cannot be earned. It is a free gift, upon our willingness to receive it. God's grace is a free gift from him, but we have to open our heart to receive him and his gift. That way, we're showing Him that we really want Him in our hearts and lives.
The Bible’s answer is that our good works come after we have been saved; to put it another way, good works or deeds, are a natural response to God’s love, first given to us. The Bible talks about salvation as being a transformative event:
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2nd Corinthians 5:17
When Jesus forgives us of our sins, he not only forgives us; he remembers them no more! Therefore, we become a new creation, thanks to Christ. We start living a new life in Christ, having turned from our old way of life and sinning, to a brand new life and beginning, with Christ. We also inherit eternal life in heaven with him, and sin cannot condemn us anymore [Romans 8:1]. By the grace of God, our sins have been washed away by the blood of Jesus.
"And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:18
