Conditional Salvation

[Butch5]

Well mine harmonizes too. And our works do not save us. Justification by works actually goes against "by grace through faith".

Now I will bet you bring up James but James talks about our works being shown by our faith. James does not tell us our works save us in any way. If we have faith in God it will be shown by our faith.

The only way you can make salvation or justification by our "good works" harmonize is by reading Scripture with a preconceived idea that our "works" can save us.

With the Ephesians passage you justified your thinking by saying Paul was talking about the law. Law or no law I'll say again...Works is works no matter how you justify it.

And I'll bring up this point also...how are we sanctified? Only the Holy Spirit working in our lives can sanctify us. Our works don't sanctify us either.

Your position works are works, stands against the teaching of Paul and Jesus. I already posted Rom 2 where Paul said those who continue in well doing are seeking eternal life. Jesus told the disciples to "strive" to enter the narrow gate.

You mentioned James, he is not saying faith produces works. He said, faith without works is dead and asks rhetorically. can that save? If faith without works is dead and cannot save, then it must be that works must be present before that faith is alive and able to save, thus works precede salvation. James say, I will show you my faith out of my works. If his faith comes out of his works then the works must exist before the faith can come out of them.

 

[Butch5]

I gave you scriptures. From Romans 1 and 10. Even the Saints of old trusted in this very same thing, as seen in for example Jeremiah 23:6. The pharisees thought they were naturally good and that their free will efforts in law keeping would make them become righteous. They failed. And Jesus told them why, they were vile sinners. If they failed, then how much more would not a gentile fail? A very goofy and pathetic failure it would be. And too many are jumping in on that losing bandwagon. Better drop such plans and start trusting in Christ instead.

Those passages didn't say anything about conditions for salvation. I already gave a passage where Jesus told the disciple if their righteousness didn't surpass that of the Pharisees they would not enter the kingdom. That's a condition. Jesus said,

25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses1." (Mar 11:25-26 NKJ)

If one doesn't forgive others they won't be forgiven by God, thus they won't be saved. So, forgiveness is a condition also. There are quite a few conditions that must be met.

 

[elf3]

You see here is the problem. I don't believe a single word you said. Show me Biblical proof.

I mean you say Christ didn't die for me as an individual?

I have to cooperate with God first? God doesn't come after? But then you say it is "the work of God that someone believe". Does God work first or do I cooperate first? That's confusing.

Now you say "God created man to be in a mutual synergistic relationship for an eternity". But then you say "man is indeed of control of his eternal destiny". Ok again confusing...is it mutual or are we in control?

You say we need to contribute our faith but doesn't Eph 2:8 say our faith comes from God?

Can you see you own contradictions in what you just wrote.

First of all you do not in any way explain your contradictions that you have written. Easy way out...dont answer!

elf3,



The following all deal with Christ's work of reversing the fall of man. They are all Incarnational. Gen 3:19, Rom 11:32, Rom 5:6-10, 12, 18, I Cor 15:12-22, I Cor 15:52-54, Col 1:20, John 6:39, Rom 3:23-25, II Cor 5:18-19, Heb 2:9, Heb 2:14-17, I Tim 4:10 II Tim 1:10, I John 2:2, John 4:42, I John 4:14.
They all relate to Christ's work through His Incarnation and resurrection. They have nothing to do directly with the salvation of a believer, and what a believer does cannot effect or affect what Christ accomplished for the world/mankind.

Acts 13:39, Rom 3:20, Rom 3:28, Rom 5:1, Gal 2:16, I Cor 6:11, Gal 5:4, Phil 3:9

Rev 14:12, 17, Ii John 6, I John 5:2, I John 3:22, 24, I Cor 7:10,

Justification/reconciliation by Christ see the first quoted section above.
For our persona salvation through faith, see the immediate above texts as well as John 12:25, Mark 8:34, I Tim 6:111-12, I John 3:24-25, John 3:15,16.

The texts above apply here as well. Man is called to be a follower, a doer not an inanimate object.
Phil 2:13-16, Heb 13:21, James 1:22-23, James 2:22, James 4:8.

Second I bet you didn't expect someone to read all these did you?

First you give a list of verses that you say "nothing to do directly with the salvation of a believer". Well let's see if you can find the verses you list that actually do deal with the salvation of a believer.

Second I NEVER said anything close to "by our works we are saved" (you added that to my words )

Third if, as you have said, "there is no personal salvation" (paraphrase) then how are we saved? Are we ALL saved as one big group?

 

[BradC]

Gal 5:4 "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified (present tense) by the law; ye are fallen (aorist tense; indicative mood) from grace."

In writing this epistle "unto the churches of Galatia" Paul says the ones who were trying to justified by the law "are fallen from grace"
THe present tense of the verse shows that some had actually fallen from grace. The aorist tense show they were already fallen and the indicative mood is a statement of fact, that is, the falling had already, really occurred.

Logically, one cannot fall from God's grace unless he was first in God's grace.

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Heb 6:4,5 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,"

The Hebrew writer is referring to those that are Christians.

Heb 6:6 "If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

The KJV, RSV along with some other versions added the first word "if" in an attempt to show the possibility of a Christian falling away. But the word "if" is not in the original texts.

The literal translation of the verse better reads "and having fallen away". The aorist tense shows the falling away has actually happened to some and not just a possibility.


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2 Pet 2:20-22 "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."

Peter refers to Christians that have escaped the pollution (defilement, influence of sin) of the world though the knowledge of Christ (Heb 10:26). The Christians can become "again entangled". Logically one must be out of the entanglement of the pollution of this world for him to become "AGAIN" entangled. One cannot always be entangled and become "AGAIN" entangled.

"and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning".
If they were lost before becoming a Christian and now lost on the latter end, why then is being lost in the end worse than being lost at the beginning? After all, lost is lost. The latter end is worse for in the begiinning before becoming a Christian they sinned in ignorance but after coming into the knowledge of Christ they obeyed the gospel and became a Christian. Yet being lost in the end is worse for they are lost having had the knowledge of Christ but simply now do not care they are lost and are unwilling to do anything about their lost conditions. At the beginning they were willing to do something about their lost state, but in the end they have no concern now for their lost state. As those in Heb 6:6, after becoming Christians but now fallen away in the end, they now have no concern about their salvation seeing they continue to put Christ to shame and continue to crucify Him.

"But it is happened unto them"
The verb 'happened" is perfect tense, indicative mood. Perfect tense shows it has happened, not possibly could happen but as a matter of fact (indicative mood) did happen where they actually, really are "again entangled" and have "turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them."


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Heb 3:12 "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God."

"take heed" a warning. No sense in warning about something that cannot, will not happen. The warning itself implies it can happen.

"brethren" Christians

"lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief," Unbelief is from the heart.

"departing from the living God" one cannot depart from God if he were never with God.

The following is your conclusion and it is a false bewitching and evil statement on your part because it has nothing to do with the truth or the work of grace that saves the soul instantly through faith unconditionally.

'Logically, one cannot fall from God's grace unless he was first in God's grace.' You have no idea what that statement you made even means!

The work of grace is the conviction of the Holy Spirit to bring us to Christ and to fall from that work of conviction and to go back and be justified by the law is being moved away from grace. It does not mean that one loses their salvation nor is salvation conditioned upon the act of going back to the law. The Galatians were being lied to after they had been justified by grace and they were being persuaded to go back to the law because their hearts had not been established in grace yet. That's why Paul called them 'foolish' (unintelligent and unwise).

Seabass, you need to forsake your doctrine on this and learn all over again from someone who can teach you grace and truth that we have in Christ by faith and not through some system of conditional justification based of human effort.

 

[newbirth]

The following is your conclusion and it is a false bewitching and evil statement on your part because it has nothing to do with the truth or the work of grace that saves the soul instantly through faith unconditionally.

'Logically, one cannot fall from God's grace unless he was first in God's grace.' You have no idea what that statement you made even means!

The work of grace is the conviction of the Holy Spirit to bring us to Christ and to fall from that work of conviction and to go back and be justified by the law is being moved away from grace. It does not mean that one loses their salvation nor is salvation conditioned upon the act of going back to the law. The Galatians were being lied to after they had been justified by grace and they were being persuaded to go back to the law because their hearts had not been established in grace yet. That's why Paul called them 'foolish' (unintelligent and unwise).

Seabass, you need to forsake your doctrine on this and learn all over again from someone who can teach you grace and truth that we have in Christ by faith and not through some system of conditional justification based of human effort.

if we are saved by grace and we fall from grace are we still saved? if we are still saved it means we are not saved by grace...the scripture does not say moved away from grace....it says fallen from grace...

 

[tribesman]

Those passages didn't say anything about conditions for salvation. I already gave a passage where Jesus told the disciple if their righteousness didn't surpass that of the Pharisees they would not enter the kingdom. That's a condition.

And I gave you passages that proves that the only righteousness that God accepts is His own dito. Our own righteousness is but filthy rags before Him as written in Isa.64:6. So, the only way that "our" righteousness can be acceptable to God is that we possess God's righteousness through Christ Jesus. Thus we are accepted in the beloved. Not through any other means, including faith plus our own effort in law keeping.

Jesus said,

25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses1." (Mar 11:25-26 NKJ)

If one doesn't forgive others they won't be forgiven by God, thus they won't be saved. So, forgiveness is a condition also. There are quite a few conditions that must be met.

There are no such conditions. A christian forgives others because he has been forgiven all by God. That is a fruit of him being saved and humbled by God. Not a work he does in order to hopefully, at best, meet a standard much enough to merit salvation.

You confuse condition with fruit.

 

[elf3]

Your position works are works, stands against the teaching of Paul and Jesus. I already posted Rom 2 where Paul said those who continue in well doing are seeking eternal life. Jesus told the disciples to "strive" to enter the narrow gate.

You mentioned James, he is not saying faith produces works. He said, faith without works is dead and asks rhetorically. can that save? If faith without works is dead and cannot save, then it must be that works must be present before that faith is alive and able to save, thus works precede salvation. James say, I will show you my faith out of my works. If his faith comes out of his works then the works must exist before the faith can come out of them.

You have taken both Romans 2 and James out of context.

 

[elf3]

Your position works are works, stands against the teaching of Paul and Jesus. I already posted Rom 2 where Paul said those who continue in well doing are seeking eternal life. Jesus told the disciples to "strive" to enter the narrow gate.

You mentioned James, he is not saying faith produces works. He said, faith without works is dead and asks rhetorically. can that save? If faith without works is dead and cannot save, then it must be that works must be present before that faith is alive and able to save, thus works precede salvation. James say, I will show you my faith out of my works. If his faith comes out of his works then the works must exist before the faith can come out of them.

Oh and my James reference is James 2:14-26

 

[elf3]

Read Romans 4. Tell me how Abraham was justified.

 

[Cassian]

First of all you do not in any way explain your contradictions that you have written. Easy way out...dont answer!

point out the contradictions. They may be contradictions to your personal interpretation but they are not contradictions of scripture.

Second I bet you didn't expect someone to read all these did you?

Absolutely, you asked for them. They were all inferred in my comments. Any Christian would have understood throughout history what I was saying. After all, until the reformation there was only one True Gospel, and it had a unified meaning and still does. However, since that time within the Protestant milieu there are many, thousands of variations.

First you give a list of verses that you say "nothing to do directly with the salvation of a believer". Well let's see if you can find the verses you list that actually do deal with the salvation of a believer.

Including them has nothing to do with the work of Christ, His Incarnation and resurrection. This discussion originated because a poster was confusing the difference between what Christ accomplished and the reason or purpose of why He saved the world.

All the texts that deal with our faith, being a follower, abiding, doing His will is about one's personal salvation. One's personal salvation was made possible by reversing the fall. Why do you think Christ was needed in the first place?

Second I NEVER said anything close to "by our works we are saved" (you added that to my words )

Never stated it. Must by part of your misunderstanding.

Third if, as you have said, "there is no personal salvation" (paraphrase) then how are we saved? Are we ALL saved as one big group?

Never stated that either. Your misunderstanding again. Actually, it just the other way around.
Christ saved us as part of His created order. He saved the world from death and sin. Defeated Satan by defeating death and sin. It is because Christ did this that each individual can again respond to God's call to join with Him in an eternal union which we do by and through faith.

 

[crossnote]

Those passages didn't say anything about conditions for salvation. I already gave a passage where Jesus told the disciple if their righteousness didn't surpass that of the Pharisees they would not enter the kingdom. That's a condition. Jesus said,

25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses1." (Mar 11:25-26 NKJ)

If one doesn't forgive others they won't be forgiven by God, thus they won't be saved. So, forgiveness is a condition also. There are quite a few conditions that must be met.

Yup, Jesus gave a condition all right, a condition of perfect righteousness that no man except One has met.

 

[elf3]

point out the contradictions. They may be contradictions to your personal interpretation but they are not contradictions of scripture.

Second I bet you didn't expect someone to read all these did you?

Absolutely, you asked for them. They were all inferred in my comments. Any Christian would have understood throughout history what I was saying. After all, until the reformation there was only one True Gospel, and it had a unified meaning and still does. However, since that time within the Protestant milieu there are many, thousands of variations.

Including them has nothing to do with the work of Christ, His Incarnation and resurrection. This discussion originated because a poster was confusing the difference between what Christ accomplished and the reason or purpose of why He saved the world.

All the texts that deal with our faith, being a follower, abiding, doing His will is about one's personal salvation. One's personal salvation was made possible by reversing the fall. Why do you think Christ was needed in the first place?

Never stated it. Must by part of your misunderstanding.

Never stated that either. Your misunderstanding again. Actually, it just the other way around.
Christ saved us as part of His created order. He saved the world from death and sin. Defeated Satan by defeating death and sin. It is because Christ did this that each individual can again respond to God's call to join with Him in an eternal union which we do by and through faith.

Maybe I did misunderstand you if I did I'm sorry. Maybe I misread some of your posts I'm sorry. If I didn't misread or misunderstand...I'm sorry. I am not going to argue in a circle.

 

[elf3]

Your position works are works, stands against the teaching of Paul and Jesus. I already posted Rom 2 where Paul said those who continue in well doing are seeking eternal life. Jesus told the disciples to "strive" to enter the narrow gate.

You mentioned James, he is not saying faith produces works. He said, faith without works is dead and asks rhetorically. can that save? If faith without works is dead and cannot save, then it must be that works must be present before that faith is alive and able to save, thus works precede salvation. James say, I will show you my faith out of my works. If his faith comes out of his works then the works must exist before the faith can come out of them.

Now I could maybe understand taking one or two verses out of context but when you take an entire chapter..well that's different. Your set in your own understanding. Like I just told cassian I am not gonna argue in a circle.

 

[BradC]

if we are saved by grace and we fall from grace are we still saved? if we are still saved it means we are not saved by grace...the scripture does not say moved away from grace....it says fallen from grace...

This might help with your understanding.

 

[newbirth]

This might help with your understanding.

View attachment 90145

brother if you reject Christ he will reject you...if you deny him he will deny you...God is not withholding grace it is they who are not receiving it....we have to continue in his goodness....
Romans 11:22
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.

 

[Butch5]

And I gave you passages that proves that the only righteousness that God accepts is His own dito. Our own righteousness is but filthy rags before Him as written in Isa.64:6. So, the only way that "our" righteousness can be acceptable to God is that we possess God's righteousness through Christ Jesus. Thus we are accepted in the beloved. Not through any other means, including faith plus our own effort in law keeping.

The passage from Isaiah is out of context. Isaiah is interceding on Israel's behalf when he says, 'our righteousness is as filthy rags.' God didn't say that Isaiah did and he was speaking of Israel, not Christians.

There's also nothing in Scripture about us possessing God's righteousness, we supposed to be come the righteousness of God, we don't possess.

I gave you the words Jesus Himself who said He only spoke what the Father told Him and He told the disciples that if their righteousness didn't surpass that of the Pharisees they would not see the kingdom of God.

20 "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5:20 NKJ)

These are the words of Jesus, you can take His word or that of men, the choice is yours.

There are no such conditions. A christian forgives others because he has been forgiven all by God. That is a fruit of him being saved and humbled by God. Not a work he does in order to hopefully, at best, meet a standard much enough to merit salvation.

You confuse condition with fruit.

I'm not confusing anything, Jesus was pretty clear in that statement.

14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Mat 6:14-15 NKJ)

He's not talking about fruit, He indicates that if they forgive they will be forgiven, if they don't they wont be forgiven. This was spoken to the disciples. That is a condition, the word "if" introduces a condition.

 

[Butch5]

Now I could maybe understand taking one or two verses out of context but when you take an entire chapter..well that's different. Your set in your own understanding. Like I just told cassian I am not gonna argue in a circle.

That's sounds like an easy out to me. You said, 'works are works, but you never made a case from Scripture to prove it. You claimed I was wrong about works, yet you didn't refute my argument. I gave you Scripture that plainly states that there were Jews telling Paul's converts that they had to be circucised and keep the Law on Moses in order to be saved. You quoted Ephesians 2, yet in the very passage you quoted, the works Paul is talking about are the works of the Mosaic Law.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
(Eph 2:8-22 NKJ)

Here we see why Paul said they weren't saved by works, it's because Christ abolished the Mosaic Law.

Notice Paul said, 'not of works lest any man should boast.' Who boasted and what did they boast of? The Jews boasted and Paul chastised them for it.

17 Indeed1 you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,
18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
22 You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you1," as it is written. (Rom 2:17-24 NKJ)

It was the Jews who boasted and they boasted in the Law. In Eph 2 Paul said that they were not saved by works so that no one could boast because Christ abolished the Law. It's pretty clear that that is what Paul is talking about.

 

[Butch5]

Yup, Jesus gave a condition all right, a condition of perfect righteousness that no man except One has met.

Where would I find that in Scripture?

 

[Butch5]

Read Romans 4. Tell me how Abraham was justified.

That's not the only passage on justification. You can't take one passage and not the others that deal with the same subject. Read James 2 and tell me how Abraham was justified. You can't just take one passage and come to the truth. You quoted a passage in which Paul is arguing that a person is saved by faith and not the works of the Law (Mosaic)

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:20 NKJ)

So, Paul is addressing an issue of being justified by faith verses the Law. James on the other hand is addressing good works,

NKJ James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"
4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself1," you do well;
9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery1," also said, "Do not murder2." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your1 works, and I will show you my faith by my2 works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-- and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead1?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness1." And he was called the friend of God.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
(Jam 2:1-24 NKJ)

James is addressing a different issue than Paul was. James is speaking of good deeds, such as caring for the poor etc. Also notice that James is speaking of being judged by the law of Liberty, not the Law of Moses, which is the subject of Romans 3-4.

 

[elf3]

That's sounds like an easy out to me. You said, 'works are works, but you never made a case from Scripture to prove it. You claimed I was wrong about works, yet you didn't refute my argument. I gave you Scripture that plainly states that there were Jews telling Paul's converts that they had to be circucised and keep the Law on Moses in order to be saved. You quoted Ephesians 2, yet in the very passage you quoted, the works Paul is talking about are the works of the Mosaic Law.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-- who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands--
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
21 in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
(Eph 2:8-22 NKJ)

Here we see why Paul said they weren't saved by works, it's because Christ abolished the Mosaic Law.

Notice Paul said, 'not of works lest any man should boast.' Who boasted and what did they boast of? The Jews boasted and Paul chastised them for it.

17 Indeed1 you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,
18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law,
19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
22 You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you1," as it is written. (Rom 2:17-24 NKJ)

It was the Jews who boasted and they boasted in the Law. In Eph 2 Paul said that they were not saved by works so that no one could boast because Christ abolished the Law. It's pretty clear that that is what Paul is talking about.

That's not the only passage on justification. You can't take one passage and not the others that deal with the same subject. Read James 2 and tell me how Abraham was justified. You can't just take one passage and come to the truth. You quoted a passage in which Paul is arguing that a person is saved by faith and not the works of the Law (Mosaic)

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Rom 3:20 NKJ)

So, Paul is addressing an issue of being justified by faith verses the Law. James on the other hand is addressing good works,

NKJ James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,
3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool,"
4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?
7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself1," you do well;
9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery1," also said, "Do not murder2." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your1 works, and I will show you my faith by my2 works.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe-- and tremble!
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead1?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness1." And he was called the friend of God.
24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
(Jam 2:1-24 NKJ)

James is addressing a different issue than Paul was. James is speaking of good deeds, such as caring for the poor etc. Also notice that James is speaking of being judged by the law of Liberty, not the Law of Moses, which is the subject of Romans 3-4.

When I get the time I will show you Biblically that we are saved by grace through faith not by our works.