You are misreading your Bible. The Scriptures are very clear that salvation can’t be both by grace and works because grace is antithetical to works. Scripture tells us that salvation is by grace alone and works are merely the fruit of what God does in us and not the means for meriting eternal life. Grace and works simply cannot mix in any way when we consider the grounds of our justification before the Lord. If works are required, salvation becomes a reward that our Creator is obligated to give us and not a gift that is wholly unmerited by us.
“And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”
-—Romans 11:6
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
-—Ephesians 2:8-10
“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
-—Titus 3:4-7
Amen
And that statement is true - or not -- depending on how one understands Paul's use of "works" in the particular context.
Scripture tells us that salvation is by grace alone.. .
And Catholics agree . . .
and works are merely the fruit of what God does in us
"Merely" here is both unnecessary and perhaps a bit misleading; but, again, Catholics agree that works that are meritorious are so by virtue of God's grace.
and not the means for meriting eternal life.
Here's where things get a bit more complicated and where you have some 'splainin' to do. For example, Paul, following His teacher Jesus Christ, says that eternal life is rendered in accordance with "works."
6 For [God] will render to every man according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. Rom. 2:6-8 (compare Matt. 16:27, 25:31ff).
Paul here clearly draws a direct correlation between "works" and the receipt of "eternal life." The key is understanding how "works" here are differentiated from "works" or "works of the law" as used in other verses.
Grace and works simply cannot mix in any way when we consider the grounds of our justification before the Lord.
To the contrary, unless one "mixes" them on some order, the result is the need to deny or twist beyond recognition verses like the one I just cited. One advantage of Catholic soteriology is I can read verses like this one pretty much directly (just paying heed to proper understanding). I find the "faith alone" crowd has to do backflips here.
If works are required, salvation becomes a reward that our Creator is obligated to give us and not a gift that is wholly unmerited by us.
Unless the reward of eternal life is understood as God simply being faithful to His own promises, rather than creating a type of legal obligation.
Romans 11:6
Ephesians 2:8-10
Titus 3:4-7
Those are great verses of instruction, written to people who were already born again. That had already followed the Lord’s, and his apostles, commands for rebirth. Acts 2:38 is spoken by Peter, but is the direct order of Jesus Christ, as his commissions prove (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16; Luke 24:47; and John 20:23).
And there are several detailed accounts, in Acts, of conversion by the plan ordered by Jesus Christ. You will not find one detailed account of a New Testament conversion in the epistles. You have to go to Acts.
Why do many of you ‘faith without moving a muscle’ folks ignore the Lord’s own words concerning remission of sins? It’s his plan, not anybody else’s.
Please search the scriptures to see if these things be so.
You got that right! :o)