RCs consider Faith a "work", and repentance a "work". ALL of them brought to you by God and made possible through His grace which is so extravagant that He even counts the works He does in you as though you had done them and gives you merit for them!
It's the jackass who thinks, "I moiself, by the might of my (in my case) left arm, have gotten for moiself the victory and the merit and all that." The Lord has THAT jackass in derision.
I would probably kiss Balaam's ass, (um, let me rephrase that) or any donkey that just was a donkey, because donkey's are pretty lovable, unless you want them to do something.
But self-inflicted asininity? You only kiss that guy when he wakes up and realizes the ass he's been and wants to stop.
It’s the jackass who thinks, “I moiself, by the might of my (in my case) left arm, have gotten for moiself the victory and the merit and all that.” The Lord has THAT jackass in derision.
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INDEED!