We are saved by grace, it is God's unmerited favor, there is nothing we can do too receive it, not even having faith. John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." you have to be born again to see the kingdom of God, so a person would never see the need to have faith or place it in Christ for salvation, because they can not see the kingdom of God or a Paul puts it in,
I Corinthians 2:13-14 "These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
No one can see or understand the kingdom while they are died in their trespasses, until they are bornagain or made alive. How do we become born again or made alive in Christ?
1 Peter 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," God causes us to be born again or He makes us alive in Christ. Ephesians 2:4-5 "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" this is our being saved by grace, where does faith come in? In the following verses,
6-9 "and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Notice this part of our salvation is our inheritance or redemption or full salvation, our receiving our glorified body. Which God already see us have, being seated in heavenly places with Christ. Here's another text that will clear up what I'm saying, bear with me.
1 Peter 1:4-5 "to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Here we see that our final salvation through faith, is ready to be revealed in the last time or our glorified bodies or our blessed hope. Notice Paul adds, through faith to grace, when he is talking about our salvation to be revealed or in the coming age that He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace, what is that, it's being with the Lord forever.
Notice what Peter said, who by God's power are being guarded through faith, it's the Spirit and our faith that has sealed us to our inheritance. Here's the full picture of our salvation, form eternity passed, to eternity future.
Ephesians 1:11-14 "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
This is what Jesus was talking to Nicodemus about, He caused us to be born again, then born of water and the Spirit. The Spirit is what births us, the word is the water, Ephesians 5:26 "by the washing of the water of the word" Verse 13 our faith in the word of truth, the Spirit sealing us as a guarantee of our inheritance. Verse 13 is John 3:5
"Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God."
Now that we've seen the kingdom of God, became born of water and the Spirit, we can enter the kingdom of God. Grace saves us so that we can see the need to have faith/believe/receive/repent, grace through faith takes us home to that glorified body, our inheritance.