The ceremony that Jesus gave us to remember him is a memorial of his death. That is how he wanted to be remembered, and that is indeed the most distinctive feature of the Christian faith. Jesus died for us, for our sins. Justification is the theological link between Christ's crucifixion and our salvation. Faith and works are both enabled by the Holy Spirit, the third essential element of evangelical faith.
Christian life begins with a spiritual rebirth, a regeneration.
The Holy Spirit comes into us and we are born anew, born of the Spirit, born from above. We have been given a new life, and the Spirit within us assures us that we are indeed God's children. We can know, we can have confidence, we can be sure, because our salvation does not rest upon our fallible performance, but upon the work Christ has already finished. But there is still work being done in our lives, the work of the Holy Spirit leading us in a life of obedience and good works. There is work being done in the church, the body of believers.