Ditto to the thanks-for-posting.
Minor linguistic note: The Hebrew word “Emunah” (”faithfulness”), related to the familiar “Amen”, should be at the core of our understanding of this faith issue. The Greek “Pistis” does mean faith, but to the Hebrew writer Shaul (Paul), it was more verb than noun: i.e. “Faithing” is the essence of our walk with Jesus. We are to manifest His faithfulness. As Chesterton noted, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been tried and found difficult.”
That is why the King James has a correct translation in Romans, Galatians: we are to have the faith OF Jesus. Not just a faith in Jesus (which is still critical as the quote from John 6 shows). The notion of mere intellectual assent to the proposition that Jesus is Lord and Saviour being the sole component of a trip ticket to the Good Place would have been alien to Paul. The NIV and other translations applying what is called the “objective genitive” (faith IN Jesus Christ) instead of the “subjective genitive” (the faith OF Jesus Christ) miss the point. The Greek is clear, I believe.
That said, the thief on the cross didn’t have time to get baptized or do a bunch of good works, yet the Lord still said to him upon his confession, “This day you will be with me in Paradise.” How merciful is the Lord!
Again, thanks for starting an interesting thread.
Shabbat Shalom
I think it is sad how so many other people get all caught up in "faith vs. works", as if the two are against each other. The book of James points clearly to the contrary. Of course works don't save us, but one's faith surely can be questionable if there is no good fruit to back it up.