Because of your faith, you have been saved.

By Faith, you will be saved:  an explanation by analogy.

Several years ago, a supervisor ordered a personality test of one of his workers in the attempt to solve a conflict between the one and another worker.  All sorts of accusations had been thrown against the first worker, but the accusations were general and vague without specifics and lacking any basis in fact.  Still, the supervisor believed that where there was smoke, there must be fire, and authorized an investigation.  So, interviews were taken of everyone and a personality test demanded of the problematic worker.  When all the data was collected, the worker was confronted by the supervisor's delegates.  A litany of vague accusations, screeching diatribes, and "proof" based on the tendencies discovered by the personality test pounded the worker into a state of pained numbness.  As the list was read, "your test reveals you could do this and probably neglect that" of every ill will conceivable, one item on the list brought surprised joy into the heart of the worker.  ..."and the great majority of your personality type are atheists, non-believers."  The statement reverberated into the depth's of the worker's very being.  The worker remarked, "I am supposed to have no faith in God.  Yet, I have faith in God even now.  The Lord must have given me this faith, since it could not have come from myself.  The Lord must love me deeply to have given me the gift of faith.  The Lord has saved me because of my faith."

For the curious, the personality test revealed an INTJ trying to be helpful in a heightened stress environment where, "no good deed goes unpunished."  The drama ended and the workplace slowly spun back to a more normal mundane pace.  Mundane, except for the worker, who went back to the tasks at hand awed by a deeper understanding of faith given out of love.

As Sunday's second reading from the first letter of Peter (3-9) proclaims:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls."