"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
(1 John 5:13)
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"It must still be earned. The only way to earn it is to make a lifetime of choices to do God’s will, not your own."
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
(Romans 4:5)
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"Wasn’t it St. Paul who said he worked on his salvation every day- in fear and trembling? He obviously knew he belonged to Christ but that salvation could be lost."
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:12...
"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."
What had Paul committed to Christ? Only his eternal soul. Paul knew that Christ died to save him, and that He lives to keep him saved.
Salvation is a gift that was paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, so the only way for one to lose their salvation would be for the blood of Christ to become of no value. Rest assured that this will not happen.
Puny little mankind thinking that he can work his way into salvation and then has the ability to somehow keep himself saved by his own good works is nothing but pagan heresy.
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:"
(1 Peter 3:18)
Christ's death and resurrection is what saves, nothing else will do.
For every verse like that, I can quote you one that makes it clear actions play the ultimate role in salvation. The New Testament is rife with passages indicating that one must live Christ’s words, not just talk about them.
If mere belief was enough for salvation, why would Paul write to various groups of converts cautioning them that they were on the wrong track? Weren’t they “saved” by virtue of being Christians? No. He wrote because they were in jeopardy of losing their salvation by improper beliefs, misunderstandings, and impure acts.
In other words, their actions were not in keeping with belonging to Christ. Paul seemed to think that was pretty serious!
Paul was not ashamed of his cause in 2 Timothy 1:12. His cause was to bring souls to Christ. He is asserting his faith and trust in Christ’s love and mercy. But in other passages he is very clear that those who don’t live Christ’s message are in jeopardy- even if they are Christians.