Have you ever had this happen to you? You try to call someone, but they don't answer because they were trying to call you at that exact same time. It makes for a good laugh. That's what I'm reminded of when I read that passage in Romans:

"By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us'set us right with him, make us fit for him'we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus.2 And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us."
- Romans 5:1-2a The Message

It says, "We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us." The doorway that leads to faith is heavy. In fact, it's too heavy. No matter how strong we are, we can't open it by ourselves. The entrance into faith isn't the result of our effort, nor is it the result of gathering enough evidence so that we can decide all by ourselves that Christ is real.

No, Faith is the result of Father swinging the door wide open to us. Then we get to decide whether or not to walk through it.  Our entering into a relationship with God, or our salvation as it is traditionally called, was His work of genius, not ours.

Likewise, it's also God's work of genius that allows us to live a godly lifestyle on a day-to-day basis. I've seen many Christians who believe their spiritual birth was a result of grace, but they live as if their day-to-day spiritual life is a result of their own hard work. Colossians 2:6 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him."  We received Him by grace, and so it's also by grace that we continue to live in Him. Back to the Romans passage, I like what it says here:

We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand'out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. 
- Romans 5:1,2a The Message

My parents live on 50 acres in south Alabama and have a few fields. I love the freedom of being in the middle of an open field. I also love the feeling of being so far out in the water that you can't see the shore, particularly when we have a good motor...and a backup motor...and a good radio. 

Like being in wide open spaces, the experience of God's grace is not confining or burdensome. There is freedom to move around, freedom to be ourselves, freedom to live without guilt, freedom to rest, freedom to give without restraint, and freedom to experience an abundant life. He's thrown open this door for us.