Salvation is a gift, 100% from God and of God. Nothing about us or from us causes, earns, draws out of God, obligates it. You can live a wonderful life, love God, give to the poor, etc. but you don't get salvation because of it. If you did, it would, again, be about works. Salvation is not given to just those types because then it would not be available to all. Prostitutes. Druggies. Alcoholics. They wouldn't have access to it. That is the beautiful thing about it. It is Free. Free in the sense that you don't get it by exchanging something for it. "I'll give you good deeds, my first born, my tithes, my time, in exchange for eternal life." But it is not free in the sense of unconditional.
This may seem like semantics, but it's an important distinction that some get confused. IT IS CONDITIONAL. You get it by faith. That is why everyone has access to it! Anyone can put their faith in God. Not everyone can live a drug free life (on their own) or get rid of habits to live a perfect life (on their own). In fact, no one can. That's one of the points of Christ's ministry and Paul's Roman epistle! But everyone has been given a chance to trust/believe/be loyal to God. You have your whole life to do it. And when you have faith in God, God is still not obligated to give you salvation. But He chooses to! That is why it remains 100% from God, 100% gift. He has made the gift available by faith. We didn't make the conditions, but God has made conditions. You have to accept the gift through faith. "Free" and "unconditional" are two very different things. If salvation were unconditional, everyone would have it. But since it's free and conditional, everyone can have it, because everyone can meet the God ordained conditions. Question is, do you want to?
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