So, we know whose faith saves you now, right? Yours. Sure, God's given everyone a measure of faith, Romans 12:3 states, but God HANDS it to you to do something with, and, preferably when He WILLS you to do it for His glory, or 'His good pleasure,' you WILL do it THROUGH YOUR FAITH
But, that is but touching the surface of what faith truly is and must do, so, without further ado, and, tangents, please, Christ peeps, please, breathren, and, yes, I , we, must all be bold with our words, and honest, and, trusting in God's grace (and mercy) to cover us. You let His blood cover you (for salvation), right? So, why not let His grace cover you for what you do in life to keep your faith alive, to keep YOU in love with your Saviour.
Man is no good thinking on his own, Romans states our righteousness is as 'filthy rags.'
So, we must be cleansed somehow, and, we are cleansed, by the blood of the Lamb, our Savior and King, Jesus, who died on the cross, DEAD, whose soul went to Hades to propitiate God for our sins.
Dead! If you asked forgiveness and repented of your sins, they are no more , you are imputed with the righteousness of Christ.....
But, and, yes, isn't there always a 'but' conjecture to ground our giddiness of thinking the story stops with Jesus' death on the cross? We, those who believe on Him, are not perishing and will live forever with Christ. An apt paraphrase of John 3:16?
But where does the story go next ? To FAITH !
GOOD ole Thomas, huh? Doubted Jesus really did come from the dead and after touching Him said, 'My Lord, my God.'
So, want more of faith RIGHT AFTER Jesus rose again. Jesus spoke to Peter and told Him to 'tend My sheep' and 'feed My sheep.' This explains the order of spiritual authority, preachers, apostles, disciples. By the way, many bible classified 'disciples' apostated from the faith when Jesus told them to do things of faith asking. 'Course, Jesus as yet had NOT yet died on the cross when the 'veil' was removed' and we then had personal access to relationship with the Father through His 'helper' of Himself being the Holy Spirit.
But, why would God then give us His Spirit to lead us IF not for having faith in His grace that saved us?
Ah, yes, Eph. 2: 8 is got back to, eh. And, in this so doing of said extrapolative thought, as He's led me now, can you answer me this question?
Why is faith without works dead? And, does the word 'dead' carry more meaning than meets the eye?
Is Paul saying from this Scripture, one's life can become literal death once you die because you did believe upon the cross but you did not act upon your belief which took faith to believe in God's grace for your 'planned' life from Him?
We all have a 'planned' life from God, right? (Jeremiah 29:11).
And, to FULFILL THAT PLAN takes what? Faith.
So, dare I say it is not faith , and, therefore, 'dead' of you (and me) IF we fail to follow His plan?
What kind of faith is that in our Saviour?
And, this is not speaking of sins and wrongs BEFORE having chosen Christ -.-adultery, sex before marriage, stealing, lying, idolatry, pleasure seeking, earthly things, etc. etc.-.- nope. Those things are not who you once was, to recall a certain Brandon Heath song there. Yes, all those 'things' ,ALL were dead and gone from your life by THE CROSS.
. But, my Christ peeps, God wants us to SEEK SPIRITUAL THINGS now, His Spirit will heatseek us, so to speak, to those things, that is, things of Him, and, He can use worldly things too, for leading you, friends not Christians, etc.
But, and, I will end here, we are to seek spiritual things because at some point, ahem, when we die, we will be getting 'things heavenly.' Eph. 1 speaks this Truth.
What are you after on earth? Shouldn't it be the things you will be getting in heaven ?