How true! Mercy and compassion and humility are "works" of faith. Christanity void humility, mercy, love and faith is a bad imitation.
Those who are "saved" in the Protestant sense, should be Christ-like in every way. Somehow I fail to see that. At least we in the Catholic and Orthodox community feel that we must struggle to become Christ-like as much as possible and that salvation is not something handed to us on a silver platter.
No, I believe it was a wooden cross.
By your statement you have shown us you believe you must earn your salvation. Paul denies this works-based justification, relying instead on the singular act of Christ's atonement, His blood shed for the elect.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." -- Romans 3:20-28"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.