How are we saved and continue to be saved, by grace, through faith...

......."God covets the unique features and characteristics of our soul, and yearns to combine them with the beauties of His own person. He does not intend to destroy our personality. Rather, He intends to "conform" it to His own image and fill it with the __expression of His life.God longs to redeem our soul; but the soul is the seat of our independence, pride, and rebellion. Independence finds its assertion through our soul, until we have experienced the work of the Cross and are made aware of our {utter depravity}"*. We are strong in our soul, but this so-called 'strength' is an illusion. It is in actuality anti-Christ. Our souls are the fertile, breeding ground from which grow all things concerned with 'self' - self-reliance, self-awareness, self-concept, self-righteousness, self-esteem, self-worth, self-image, etc., attributes that are in direct opposition to God. "His dealings bring us into extremities which we would rather resist; but in them we come to appreciate the Lord." Only as our souls are broken of the illusion of being in control; only as we come to that crisis, and are thoroughly convinced that "in my flesh dwells no good thing" is there true sobriety.

(*the author originally used the word 'weakness' which is not accurate, in my humble opinion. We have NOTHING to offer the Lord - neither strengths nor weaknesses.
Our soul is hopelessly corrupt, in opposition to God, and needs to be renewed, transformed, quickened by the life of God that exists in our spirit-union.

Rich