This persistent desire to bury and forget the martyrs of the Church is one of the reasons why it is hard to take Protestantism as a serious expression of faith.
It might have something to do with the fact that I inadvertently discovered just recently, that the eternal life of saints is most clearly stated in the same passage in which the salvific character of works is stated. It must be one of these verses that get skipped over by the sola scripturalists:
6 [God] will render to every man according to his works. 7 To them indeed, who according to patience in good work, seek glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life(Romans 2)
I have hinted at that verse in several previous posts on this thread to our Protestant friends. You are right: they just skip it. I think I know why.
They simply do not want to be reminded that one is not saved without the judgment. And while our works do not save us, they are a factor in God's judgment and, hence, in our salavtion or damnation.