[aron]

Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. That is a commonly cited verse. But it also says, If you believe that God has raised Jesus from the dead you shall be saved. So, to believe, to confess, and to call are placed in the same context. If I confess Jesus as Lord, this means that I believe that God raised him from the dead, that he is Saviour of the world, that my sins are forgiven, and that I am one who calls upon the name of the Lord, and that I am saved. All of these are used interchangeably. And nowhere does Paul define any of this as God's economy.

I believe that what follows believing is then God's economy, and is not the basis for our salvation, which I've briefly outlined above. No, our participation in God's economy is a sign of our election, just as surely as Jesus changing water to wine or healing the lepers was a sign to the world that he was Messiah. Jesus "went around doing good works" per his closest companion (Acts 10:38) not to curry approval, but to show that he was already approved. The Father had done it, and Jesus manifested this.

Likewise, the selling of things in Acts 4 and 5 were not attempts to gain favor and providence, but as signs of faith. "God will take care of you", per Jesus (Matt 6:33). The sin of Ananias and Sapphira was to fake the sign. They pretended to believe, but secretly doubted. Keeping half was not a sin - Zacchaeus kept half, also (Luke 19:8). But they were faking their degree of participation in God's economy, and got exposed.