Life testifies again and again that those who live in the light, who guard the commandments of the Lord, will taste and see that he is good, he honors the one who trusts in Him. That does not mean we will not lay down our lives (literally) for him, it would be an honor to do so.
Even so, grace is the luminous foundation of faith. I find that I can never quite attain to perfection, though that is the goal, but it is not my work. Does that make sense? The change, the perfecting, maturing is a result of new life, not religion, not works, not even imitation. My current personal study is from 1 John. We either live in the light or we walk in darkness. If we say we do not sin, we lie. We are not to excuse sin (2:1) but when we do sin we have an advocate who also happens to be our propitiation.
Keeping his commandments is how we know we have come to know Jesus. I think at the moment of history when Rahab told her lie, she knew “of” the God of Israel, but I am not convinced that she "knew" the God of Israel. That does not make her lie an acceptable offering to God. He did not need that to protect his own. What it did in my eyes was to make Grace all the more beautiful.
John Calvin taught that we are not called to imitation from observation (that is religious, that is what we ask our children to do before they know the Lord themselves) but because we have new life, because we have died to self, and have the Holy Spirit and the Mind of Christ, we ought to be like Him because we have a new nature. Evidence for (and assurance of) faith is walking in the light and guarding (obedience to) the commandments of the Lord. Strictly speaking, Rahab was not of the faith at that time. Even more strictly speaking, Jesus says the 2nd great commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. An argument could be made that Rahab was doing just that.
Deborah... who has been so long off of net54 that she forgot how to sign in on the last post. whoops