Oddly enough, quoting scripture....
***Philippians 2:12 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ****
And completely ignoring the more persuasive argument in Ephesians 2:8,9
For by Grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works lest any man should boast.
When faced with verses like this the CofC always go to the more legalistic passage. Comparing Paul and James, they always take James even though Paul wrote more on the subject.
The 2 passages are not contradictory, as you seem to imply. It is obvious that Salvation only comes through grace extended by God, no one earns anything.
God does require change on our part however. That's the part that many want to ignore.
They desire a Savior but not a LORD, but He is both, and He demands that we obey and bend our will to His.
Far too many people want to 'accept Jesus as their personal Savior' with no expectation that He requires you to surrender to His will and CHANGE.
How would you reconcile these 2 passages? Or are you of the camp that would throw out inconvenient passages that require ACTION on the part of the believer?