The encouragement you are giving is very much appreciated and helpful.
In this case, what I’m attempting to say is less a warning against not doing enough to earn salvation, but I more mean “living that way” in the sense that people will fall away—at least from our perspective. We know that this will happen because God himself has said so.
We shouldn’t let it damage our faith when it happens.
On top of that, we can simply allow it to be a distinction between saving faith and intellectual assent. A firm warning about how the wages of sin is death should terrify someone into seeking the true Gospel, especially if they thought that a mealy-mouthed “belief” that shows no fruits of faith is enough.
“In this case, what I’m attempting to say is less a warning against not doing enough to earn salvation, but I more mean “living that way” in the sense that people will fall away—at least from our perspective. We know that this will happen because God himself has said so.”
I understand, Luircin. I will openly admit that the more sin I get rid of, the more I seem to find in myself.
But that is exactly what it should be, isn’t it? To grow ever sensitive to the sin in our lives as led by His Holy Spirit?