Either works save or God saves us by grace alone. There can be no middle ground here. For grace to be grace it must be alone. We must not let the works of the law infest God's grace and rip its guts out. Works will kill grace. Sometimes we think one little work would be acceptable. However, one little work is like a virus that infects another body and causes sickness and death. The work may seem little, but it un-graces grace.

Grace is alone in a number of ways. First, it is alone in the sense that it is uniquely God's. God "is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love" ( Joel 2:13). Because grace is in God there cannot be more or less of it. It is a specific attribute of God. If he had more or less of it, it would not be a perfect attribute. And he would not be God. For to be God is to have His attributes perfectly and completely. Since grace is an attribute of God that gives a great deal of comfort in our spiritual lives. It is something upon which we can trust and have absolute confidence because in him there is no shadow of turning. He will not suddenly become ungracious toward us, because then he could never have been said to have been gracious.

Second, grace is alone in that it excludes all other things; especially works. What if after receiving a valuable gift from a generous giver I would say, "I realize that I cannot reimburse you for the whole amount of this gift, but perhaps I could give you a small payment for it." In my opinion, this would be even more insulting than attempting to pay for it outright. I would be diminishing the value of the gift as well as failing to recognize the gracious nature of the giver. For a gift to be gift no payment could ever be possible, whether small or large. When I say, "What do I owe you for this?" I am being a cad and acting in an ill-bred way. About that I think we can agree. Yet, despite this, many people think they can say precisely this to God by offering him their paltry works, their best efforts, and other such rubbish. This is treating God like he's a bellhop in need of a tip: "Here, God, this is a little something for you. Aren't you impressed?" Does God really need our tips? The very idea is risible. So even the smallest work is an offense against grace, a return to righteousness by the law, and an insult to God.

Third, grace is alone because God has freely given us all things. Paul says, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things" ( Rm 8:32). When God gives all, there is nothing left to do. There's nothing left to receive. There is nothing greater. There is nothing better. There is nothing you can offer. Hasn't God given us the very best, the highest, and the most when he gave his Son up for us all? How could we ever think that his grace is in any way deficient or in need of our improvement? He has given us the greatest, and therefore we can expect not only the great gifts, but all of the little ones that come with it, therefore our works, no matter how small or large we think them, will never offer anything. They are worthless, so that Christ may be all in all. Grace must remain alone to be grace.