I agree with all you've said...I just want to clarify that it IS faith that saves us...no amount of works can save us without faith...
After we have faith, then faith is no longer enough and all you've said holds true.
Once we believe, we are required to obey God or we have a dead faith.
Yes we sure do need Faith and faith can grow, faith is the substance of, so we have foundation and reason for our faith, so in that one can not come and delude you of your faith, because it is solid, it can not be washed away by anyone. I have seen this in most of the people that I went to Church Bible study with back in my teens, they did believe and had faith I can remember that clearly but they do not now and they have said to me, you don't still believe that rubbish do ya ! well yes I do and much more so than I ever did.
If one has little faith that is a start but it has no roots to handle what may come, it's like the parable of the sower.
Salvation is in our Lord and Saviour and we abide in the Vine, that's faith at work in you.
My works are but filthy rags, any works are due to God not of myself, I do not believe in man.
People who claim to be doing good works is ok in it's self but if it's not of God such does not count because mans works does not cut the grade, it may look good and maybe ok but some times it's not ok or good at all in Gods eyes, like Political Correctness, Socialism etc fact is when one looks into this type of mans works one can see clearly that they reject Jesus Christ.
I have a good mate that brought me to his Church and all in the 70's and he still believes but he has doubts, because he does not have solid faith, he is just a water baptised Christian but when one is truly Born Again, you do not have doubts because you have the faith that can move mountains.
I am sure many people think they are doing good in following mans works, pushing Socialism and PC etc but it will bite them in the bum one day because it's a Sin and the wagers of Sin is death.
The death of the Soul makes monsters of people such is a curse.