Behind the scenes of salvation, (the best desciption I have found is John 8), the person being saved believes the statements of Jesus about Himself existing even before the birth of Abraham and having God fully working in Him and therefore being able to permanently keep saving a believer who holds to His teachings. They quit sins where they can but behind the scenes while holding to Jesus' teachings the Lord Jesus Christ starts saving them by freeing them from every damning serious sin (such as adultery, lying, murderously hating, etc). The Holy Spirit at some point enters their life when they have become Jesus' as He frees them and they learn to let the Holy Spirit lead and dominate their lives in Jesus' name. This becomes permanent and Jesus keeps saving them like this and protecting them from attempts by Satan to sway them, just as long as they keep holding to Jesus' teachings and believing Him in what He has said.
