NEVER in this life will there be full agreement or absence of contradictions regarding God, His role and will. This is one of the reasons I am not much concerned about personal contradictions and do not devote a lot of time and effort to gathering data on them.
Some folks here have done well in explaining that salvation freely given by God is not dependent on any other factor. They also have explained the expectation for, and role of, good works toward others. The free gift is accompanied by an anticipated way of life. Some aspects of that life have to do with "works".
If you want to look the gift horse in the mouth, really LOOK, I believe that your perceived contradictions can be allayed.
