Feelings are fickle.
Hebrews 12:21
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
1 Corinthians 9:24
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
Philippians 3:14
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 24:13
but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matthew 10:22
All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Luke 21:19
By standing firm you will gain life.
2 Thessalonians 4:7-8
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Acts 14:21-22
They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.
1 Timothy 6:12
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Revelation 3:11
I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Proverbs 24:16
a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
James 2:14
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
The faith vs. works dilemma is one that began during the Protestant Reformation. Suddenly, everything became a faith vs. works, or a faith or works debate. In reality, you'll have both faith and works. A better way of putting it is that one will have a faith that works. I only usually see this dilemma among Reformed types and Calvinists- so it's really not even all Protestants or Evangelicals. Arminianism was a response to Calvinism and what they saw that was wrong with it. This debate ignores the whole picture and the totality of what the scriptures say.
Justification is the process of becoming righteous. Justification by faith is being in a covenant with God. Because of Christ fulfilling the law, we're no longer under the Old Covenant, and Christ's Church is under the New Covenant. So, justification isn't a one time event for us. We're in a covenant with God, which is centered around union with Christ.
Salvation is having faith in Christ, receiving the indwelling/gift of the Holy Spirit, and coming to a knowledge of God the Father. Yes, we have faith, but it is a gift by the grace of God, and it is actually God's mercy (and not our faith) that saves us. God draws us to Himself.
Faith is something of an action word. It's continuous, and it isn't a one moment in time deal. Faith is not merely an intellectual assent to a belief in God. You are saved at your baptism into Christ, you are being saved through life in the Church and partaking of the sacraments, and you will be saved at the Final Judgment. So, a life in Christ is a journey to us. We don't attempt to break things down, but see things holistically.
