If you believe, even for one moment, in Jesus the God-man as your Savior, crucified for all of your sins on the cross, buried, and risen from the dead on the third day, you are forgiven of all your sins, past, present and future; and you are holy in Christ; and you have a guaranteed and irrevocable destiny of Heaven that cannot be lost or given back. This is salvation.
As a saved believer, if you trust what Christ did for you (made you righteous in Christ), you can live the Christian life of love. Your mind can be filled with the knowledge of God in the Bible. You can follow the Holy Spirit. You can fellowship with other believers in Jesus, commune with God, and worship God. This is living a life of practical sanctification through faith in Jesus.
Eternal salvation and practical sanctification are NOT the same thing.
Doing good works is NOT a part of salvation.
Salvation is NOT received by repenting of your sins, being water baptized, taking the Lord’s Supper, avoiding sin, doing good works, continuing in faith and good works, or by anything else other than by believing in Jesus. That is the False Gospel called Lordship Salvation.
Salvation is received through a moment of believing in Jesus as Savior.
Sanctification is the perfect gift of God in Christ, received in full at the moment of faith.
~Practical~ sanctification, by contrast, is walking by faith in Christ, here and now. If we, by God’s grace, live in faith and obedience, we will become Christ-like in this present life.
-Curtis Smale
Grace, Insight, and Art 