You are the people of God, and this means that you have been saved, you are being saved, and you will be saved. The Scriptures teach us to believe that we have been saved definitively, and yet not to rest in some carnal fashion upon our laurels. We are also warned against that constant temptation to self-righteousness that wants to keep salvation always in the future so that we might devise a way of earning it.
No, we have been saved, are being saved, and will be saved, entirely and completely by the grace of God. But the Bible teaches us what this grace looks like in operation throughout the process. Paul tells Timothy, preaching to baptized covenant members, to conduct his ministry in a certain way. If you do this, he says, you will save both yourself and your hearers. Paul also says that he endures all things for the sake of the elect. Why? So that they might obtain salvation.
We are a saved people, saved already. Why are we here? We are seeking salvation. What warrant to we have to seek this salvation when we already have it? We are the covenant people of God and we have great and precious promises, and we are called to persevere in believing them. So how do we strive for our final salvation? We strive, not through our own labor, but rather by hearing and believing the Word of God.
What does a community of saints look like as they seek this salvation? They are characterized by the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is always accomplished according to His most holy will. He works gracious sap in us, and it produces a harvest for everyone around. What is this harvest? The harvest is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We do not and cannot earn our salvation. But those who are being saved around us must know what His work in us tastes like.