Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
This passage is a gentle reminder of a basic fact of salvation that we must never ever forget. It is quite possible that with the passage of time, and the very routine of doing church, we may forget that it is the grace of God that saves us, and not any good thing we may have done.
Everyone who would pass through the pearly gates when Christ comes would have been saved by grace through faith, without exception. There are those in the Bible, who because of their experience and their understanding at the time, focused heavily on what they did or did not do.
Others have touted their good deeds as the reason why grace and mercy should be granted, and some have enumerated their righteous works in appeals for mercy. As our brethren in Christ, they did so in harmony with their understanding of salvation at the time, and God heard their appeals.
Nehemiah 13:14 Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for the offices thereof.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!