Whoever does or has done Romans 10:9-10 is saved, whether or not they remember doing it, whether or not they sinned or not sinned afterwards, whether they live it or not, whether or not they claim to be saved or not, whether or not they deny they were saved or not, whether they deny God or His sons or not, whether they believe in the gift of salvation/eternal life or not.
All we did to receive salvation is receive it. It is ours, it is as permanent as eternal life, which for those who are confused, lasts for
a. one minute or the first time you sin after you are saved
b. all eternity
Eternal life is eternal life.
That is salvation.
However, we must learn the clear and necessary distinction between what the gift of salvation is and what our responsibility is to use that gift of salvation, ie, works as the result of salvation.
Note Ephesians 2:8-9, these verses clarify that salvation is a gift.
Note what follows immediately after verses 8-9, amazingly enough, verse 10!
What does verse 10 tell us? That as a result of having received the gift of salvation, we have been given a job to do. Ephesians 2:10
The gift of salvation is actually useful to God and to us!!!!
We can do works as the result of having received the gift of salvation that we could not possibly do with eternal rewards before we received salvation.
See Romans 12:1-3 we can renew our minds to think what scripture saves we can do.
We can for instance, do what we are now spiritually qualified and spiritually enabled to do
Romans 12:4-8
Not only so we can now do, for instance, Romans 12:9. Could we do that before we received the gift of salvation? Not really, superficially maybe, but not with the depth and length and breadth and height that we can now do because of salvation.
that takes work, if we are to continue to do that work based on having received the gift of salvation, then we must continue to have that gift of salvation, or else this verse would be telling us to do something we are incapable of doing.
God is wise
He knows that He had to equip us to do the good works we should do, thus He equipped us with the means to do so. First, He supplied us with scripture, and secondly He supplied us with the gift of salvation.
He expects us to do good for all eternity, thus He equipped us with eternal life so that we could and with the right motive. He first loved us , so we realize that we joyfully love him back by obeying Him in doing good works, for all eternity