I don't believe we can earn God's grace because he gave it to us as a gift.
Grace is an interesting term.
I accept the defintion that: grace is the divine help or enabling power given through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, allowing individuals to be forgiven, strengthened, and ultimately saved.....but they do have agency in the matter.
Without the Atonement of Jesus Christ, there is no hope. He did for us what we COULD NOT do for ourselves which is satisfy the laws of justice. He did that and converted our debt into one we can pay through repentance. A decision to be baptized is a committment. It is more than a sign. We covenant to obey his laws and we are expected to do so. When we fall short, he stands there ready to forgive us on conditions of repentance (which some would call a "work").
We are offered the gift. We don't have to accept and some do not. But to feel the effects of that grace we do have to accept that gift.
I do believe we can lose God's grace by giving it away.
Again, in my world we accept it through a process of drawing closer to him on a daily basis by keeping his word and feeling more of his spirit.
This is a lifelong process. Paul explains that the church (and it's elements) are given for the "perfecting of the saints". That "perfecting process is not completed in this life, but it can certainly be advanced". Our ultimate objective is to attain unto the "stature of Christ".
11 And he
gave some,
apostles; and some,
prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some,
pastors and
teachers;
12 For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
The parable of the ten virgins emphasizes that while all ten waited for the bridegroom, only those who were prepared for a potential delay were welcomed into the kingdom which supports my belief that we can lose God's grace.
I would agree.
The parable of the talents shows that those who produced more with what they were given received the same praise ("Well done, good and faithful servant") as those with less, showing it's not the work that earns God's grace.
While the amount produced isn't material to me, they both doubled their masters money. So I don't read to much into that. What I do read is that they were given opportunity and they went to work. They accepted the gift, as it were an made more of themselves in doing so. The last servant didn't lose it....he never had it. It was offered to him. He didn't accept.
There is no getting away from the fact that two of them went to work with what was given them. One didn't. That work is useless without the Atonement. By the same token, the Atonement could not have effect on the final servant (I am sure God wanted to save him, but he can't deny justice....just like I am sure he cried (as described in apocraphyl writings) when he destroyed the world with the flood
The parable of the sheeps and goats describes Jesus’ final judgment, where he separates people into two groups based on their treatment of the needy and vulnerable showing that we can lose God's grace.
Actual responses to human situations are what dictated his response to the different groups.
But the most important thing to know about this, is that it is God's grace that produces the good works.
This is the big hangup I get into with people. Those who accept God's grace (according to my Evangelical friends) are "saved". It's a digital switch. But they also admit that those good often do not show up automatically, nor does their attitude always conform with what they think it should be. They admit to "morphing" as time goes on as they do more and grow closer to God.....again understanding that works alone simply will never get the job done. The Savior is essential.
So, is accepting the gift a gradual daily process or is it a one time thing.
Is losing it a gradual process.....or is it digital also?
I would contend that is instruction to be perfect (Matthew 5:48) which some will say means be"whole" wasn't an idle commandment. And nobody I know admits to being perfect or "whole".
So if anyone wants to be successful, they only need to seek God's grace and success will follow.
You don't just seek....you have to recieve......
I think these parables teach that there are consequences for not doing so.
How you do so seems straightforward to me as I consider his commandments in the Sermon on the Mount and other teachings in the New Testament.
And James may be summing up both our positions in his statement:
14
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath
faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a
brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily
food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye
give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so
faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my
faith by my
works.
.
