What Is Grace, What Is Works & What Is Not Works

When the Bible says: that we're saved by grace through faith, not by works lest any man should boast; the works the writer is speaking of are works of righteousness. Works of righteousness are good deeds, it doesn't have anything to do with us obeying the word of God. This is why the Bible says we are workers together with Christ. We can't be saved through good deeds, but we are saved through our work of obedience to God. Before the sacrifice of Jesus, we couldn't obey completely, but because of the sacrifice, the gift of the Holy Ghost gives us the ability to obey God the more we yield to him. This is why the Bible says we are being conformed into the image of the Son of God. We are becoming Holy. The Bible says we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. When we renew our minds by reading, reciting and meditating on the word of God, our actions will follow our mindset, this is why the apostle said: I will show you my faith by my works. This is a different kind of works then was mentioned in the other scripture. James is talking about a lifestyle from obeying God through the power of faith, Paul was talking about doing good deeds to your fellow men, which can't save us. It's obedience to the word of God through the power of faith and grace that we are saved. We submit to the word and God gives us the power to follow through.

If we couldn't obey God, the scripture wouldn't have said: be hearers and doers of the word and not just hearers. We are able to obey God through the grace of the Holy Ghost he's given us. We are without excuse.

"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"

The Holy Ghost is a gift. This is why the scripture says how can they hear without a preacher. Let's look at what the scripture is saying in simpler terms: for by the Holy Ghost are you saved

Once we receive the Holy Ghost, it begins to transform our behavior from wicked to righteous. We are transformed by obeying the word of God under the guidance of the Holy Ghost. The Jews have the Law, Christians have the Holy Ghost as our conscience. The Holy Ghost is grace (a form of strength/enablement) and it does the work by guiding us and we work with it by listening to its guidance.