Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace, NavPress, 1991, p. 22.
Grace stands in direct opposition to any supposed worthiness on our part. To say it another way: Grace and works are mutually exclusive. As Paul said in Romans 11:6, “And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” Our relationship with God is based on either works or grace. There is never a works-plus-grace relationship with Him.
Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace, NavPress, 1991, p. 22.