[stripes1776]

Your faith in God is what saves you. That being said there are certain things that illustrate this faith in God (repentance of sin for example). But all of this comes about because of a changed heart.

You may have a point about the heart. Some of us on this thread have been discussing Gregory Palamas who defended those who prayed the prayer of the heart, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me (a sinner)." They repeated the prayer and concentrated the mind in the heart while doing so. They claimed to see the light of Christ which entered their hearts and their hearts were indeed changed--saved or deified.

The purification of the heart seems to be a widely held belief in Christianity.

[HarleyD]

They claimed to see the light of Christ which entered their hearts and their hearts were indeed changed--saved or deified.

Yes. I believe God must change the heart first for us to see the light of Christ. This happens almost instantainiously that we mistakenly believe we have made a "choice" or "cooperated". The simple fact is God has modified our hearts to hear the gospel so that we come to Him.

Act 16:14 A woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.