Once again it comes down to how you define works. Do you work for salvation....NO. It is a free gift. But can you lose that salvation by the works you do......YES. You can not say you believe in Christ, but serve satan by sinning on a regular basis without remorse, conviction, or repentance.
Hi,
Here is the issue some do not or just refuse to understand.......free gifts (salvation) can come with conditions (belief, repentance, confession and baptism) and meeting those condtions do NOT earn the free gift.
Naaman healing was by grace but that free gift of grace came with the work of dipping 7 times. So when Naaman dipped he came away clean. So was his healing by grace or did his work in dipping earn his healing?
A very simply, personal example I can give you is about two weeks ago a friend gave me a certificate that entitles the holder of that certificate to a free one large, one topping pizza. I did nothing to deserve that certificate, she gave it to me out of her good grace. If I had done "no works" then I would have
NEVER gotten the free pizza. So I had to do the work of calling & placing the order and then going and getting the pizza. Did those works earn me the free pizza?
No, but they were necessary conditions that came attached to that free gift. Faith only propoents will never "get it" until they understand the simplicity of free gifts coming with conditions. As I sit here and think about it, most all of the free gifts I have received in my life, as this certificate, came with conditions.