For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Paul is clear, our salvation is a gift. We did not earn it. Why does the world see the church as a group of holier-than-thou people boasting about their moral righteousness? The church should be a group of people who know they don't have any righteousness but have been loved by God anyway. People who deserve nothing but have been given everything. This should cultivate deep humility - we are all great sinners with a great Saviour.