Why is grace important in the context of salvation?

Grace is fundamentally important in the context of salvation because it establishes that salvation is not earned through human effort but is a divine gift. Romans 4:16 illustrates that it is by faith that salvation might be by grace. This means that grace secures the certainty and assurance of salvation for God's elect. If salvation depended on works, it would not be certain; however, because it is grace-based, it guarantees that those chosen by God will be saved, as stated in Ephesians 2:8-9, where it emphasizes that we are saved by grace, not of works.