For By Grace Through Faith - Ephesians 2:8-9

There is a long fought and continuing enmity between the opposing views of salvation - works or grace. However there need not be, because the bible is crystal clear on the spiritual mechanics of the subject. There is no doubt, no enigma, no riddle, no mystery to the manner by which men are saved. It is by the grace of God that we are granted our salvation . . . and grace alone.
There is no accounting system for our good works. Forgive the pun, but it doesn’t ‘work’ that way. There is no one in heaven with a calculator, keeping a running tab of all our works, good or bad. Even our good works are seen as something detestable unless done in the light of our faith in God. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." - Isaiah 64: 6
The Covenant of Works was the first covenant between God and man. Adam failed to live up to his end of the covenant. But God’s love for us would not leave us without remedy. He formed a new covenant with us, still based on ‘good works’, but those of Jesus Christ, not our own. Christ lived the perfect life. Something we could never manage to do. No amount of our own human good works can ever replace the atonement Jesus Christ’s sacrifice provided for us.
This gift of salvation thru Christ comes to us by way of God’s grace. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.
" - Ephesians 2:8-9 It is for this reason that our current covenant with God is called a Covenant of Grace. Christ provided the perfect life; our duty is to believe in Him. If we do, and only if we do, we will receive our inheritance of salvation, bought and paid for by the blood of our Lord and Savior. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." - Romans 10:9 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." - Romans 10:13
If our good works were all that was required to provide us with eternal security there would have been no need for the death of Christ. His death would have been a merit-less waste. But there is yet more to this saving faith that many persist in denying. We must, upon accepting Christ as our savior also accept Him as our Lord. In doing so we must then through our good works evidence the fact that Christ indeed lives within us. And if Christ lives within us we cannot fail to heed His command - "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. - Matthew 4:17 You see how crucial Jesus saw repentance? To the end of His earthly ministry He preached the idea that without true repentance there would be no salvation!
This erroneous concept that we can do as we like as long as we don’t hurt one another is about universalism, tolerance, and inclusion. It is the "wide gate" Christ warned us about. The place where everyone is gathering because there is so much room - "Come’on in, no repentance necessary; everyone is welcome." This is truly the road to perdition. "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." - Luke 13:3
No, your works are mere evidence of the grace of God and your faith in Christ; but if you have no faith in the Christ of holy scripture, your works are worthless. May God always bless and keep you.