Is Aeon Life Earned by Grace or Works?

We have verses that talk about aeon life, about salvation by grace. On the other hand, we have guidelines, laws, and rules of conduct addressed to Christians.
Why did God give us the rules of faith if salvation is earned by grace?
Before we get to the conclusions, let’s look at selected verses that talk about grace and selected verses that describe the principles of faith.
Verses about grace:

“For you are saved by grace (5485) through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works (2041), so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9.

„But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, attested by the Law and the Prophets. The righteousness of God is through faith in Yeshu Christ to all who believe, since there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are justified freely by His grace (5485) through the redemption that is in Christ Yeshu. God presented Him as the mercy seat by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His restraint God passed over the sins previously committed. God presented Him to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and justify the one who has faith in Yeshu. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By one of works? No, on the contrary, by a law of faith.” – Romans 3:21-27.

“Now if by grace (5485), then it is not by works (2041); otherwise, grace ceases to be grace.” – Romans 11:6.

The word 2041 érgon means:
biblehub.com:
• (from ergo „to work, to achieve”) – work or an employee who achieves something, an act, an action.
• Strong’s: act, action, work, effort (as effort or occupation); implicitly, act – deed, action.
Paper dictionary:
• business, paid work.
• work as art, a product of the mind,
• what someone undertakes, an undertaking,
• deed, act, something done, work.
Verses about the principles of faith

Command to apply the law of love:

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to Him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” – Matthew 22:36-40.

The commandment to believe in the name of Christ:

“Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son, Yeshu Christ, and love one another as He commanded us.” – 1 John 3:23.

Command to participate in the Memorial:

“So Yeshu said to them, „Truly I tell you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day, because My Flesh is true food and My Blood is true drink. The one who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the Bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your ancestors ate — and they died. The one who eats this Bread will live forever.” – John 6:53-58.

What is grace?

“For you are saved by grace (5485) through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift — not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Yeshu for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:8-10.

“For the grace (5485) of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Yeshu Christ. He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works. Proclaim these things; encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” – Titus 2:11-15.

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Yeshu Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” – Romans 5:1-2.

Rules of Grace

Just as we have principles of faith, we also have principles of grace. Just as there is no one commandment, no single rule of faith, there is no single rule of grace.
• First principle of grace: God can save anyone He wants.
• The second principle of grace: faith is needed – „we have access to this grace by faith”.
That is: we believe in God the Father, we believe in His Son Yeshu, we believe in the principles of faith that God commanded us to apply. Paul writes: grace comes through faith. Also, by faith, Lord Yeshu promised paradise to the thief.
• Further principles of grace are:

“For the grace (5485) of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age” – Titus 2:11-12.

What do we have in the next principles of grace?
Acquiring knowledge, analyzing the Scriptures, understanding how the world works, implementing God’s principles, justice:
• live justly,
• live according to God’s rules,
• reject worldly ideas, religions and principles.
These principles include working on yourself and helping others.
So what are works/work for God? The Scripture says:

“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21.

We are to store up treasures in heaven. Treasures include our thoughts, words and deeds, Biblical values such as love, which we show every day. Our work and our deeds can also be a treasure.
Scripture informs us that works/work is our debt:

“Now to the one who works, pay is not credited as a gift (5485), but as something owed. But to the one who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited for righteousness.” – Romans 4:4-5.

One can be saved by faith alone: the example of the thief on the cross.
But… if the thief had not died, Lord Yeshu could have advised him as He advised others:

“After this, Yeshu found him in the temple and said to him,“See, you are well. Do not sin anymore, so that something worse doesn’t happen to you.” – John 5:14.

This is what He advised the healed person to do. He said something similar to a woman caught in adultery:

“Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” – John 8:11.

Let’s Summarize

1 – We have salvation by grace.
2 – Faith is required for grace, which means there is a condition.
3 – For salvation itself, we do not need knowledge or work, only faith.
4 – However, when we live and function on earth after receiving the gift of faith, we must implement the principles of faith. Laying up treasures in Heaven and working for God will help us keep our faith high and earn salvation by grace, knowing that we sin.

Author: Robert Brzoza

Translator: Hubert Brzoza