Is believing/faith a work ?

If we condition Salvation/Justification based on our faith or believing, as some say of God in eternal election and foreknowledge, that God did see beforehand who would believe on Him, and Justified them based upon that, then that means God Justified us based upon some foreseen grace or goodness in us, which totally does away with being Justified freely by His Grace Rom 3:24

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

That's what makes faith/believing a meritorious work ! 26
 
Another definition for works from a english dictionary:

WORKS Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com​

WORKS definition: (often functioning as singular) a place where a number of people are employed, such as a factory See examples of works used in a sentence.
www.dictionary.com
www.dictionary.com

the deeds of a person, esp virtuous or moral deeds performed as religious acts works of charity

Now isnt one's act of believing the deed of a person? Is believing a virtuous or moral or spiritual deed? If so, and we believe our salvation depends on us doing that deed, it constitutes salvation by our works, our doing a deed. 27
 
Christians are chosen to believe not because they have believed. That is grace. If one was chosen because they believed, that would be salvation by works. All believers are witnesses to one degree or other, Phil 2:15-16

15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

So all true believers were chosen to believe Isa 43:10

10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
 
One Gospel of Grace writer writes:

Anytime you have salvation dependent on man, you have a salvation dependent on works, not grace. Salvation coming only after a man doing something would mean ‘by works are ye saved through grace’. Salvation via a grace that merely opens a door, but which only a man’s will can get him to walk through it, is an expressway to Hell. Those who insist that God enables a man by grace to do what is necessary to be saved have made a fatal error. This satanic concept of salvation has it depending on what a man ultimately does regardless of the fact he cannot do it unless by way of enabling grace. Sadly, this subtle twisting of truth is the enormous lie accepted by most who believe themselves to be Christian.

A man is not saved by what he is enabled by grace to do, for Scripture makes it transparently clear that a man is actually saved by the act of grace. https://www.godsonlygospel.com/by-grace-alone-29
Click to expand...
 
Both faith and repentance are our works when we make them conditions that we perform in order to get God to save us, but instead, both faith and repentance should be understood to be Christ achieved blessings of the covenant, His Gifts given to them He shed His Blood for.

This understanding takes them out of the realm of being works salvation, and constitutes them works that follow salvation Eph 2:9-10

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In other words, both faith and repentance are not the causes of Salvation, but the fruit of Salvation! 28
 
A person is never saved by what they do. Im sure Paul told the Jailor that when he inquired Acts 16:31

And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Yes they did reply

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Yet Im sure they told him this as well Phil 1:29

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
And Eph 2:8

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

In other words they would have instructed them in the word of the Lord as to how Jesus Christ saved sinners by Grace

Acts 16:32

And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

Gill writes:
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And they spake unto him the word of the Lord,.... That is, the Gospel; which comes from the Lord Jesus Christ, as the author of it; and is concerning him, as the subject matter of it, and is what was preached by himself when on earth; this is the word, which is called the word of salvation, the word of reconciliation and peace, the word of life, the word of righteousness, and the word of faith; because it publishes salvation by Christ, peace and reconciliation by his blood, life by his death, his righteousness for justification, and proposes him as the object of faith, and encourages souls to believe in him; and faith comes by it, and it contains things to be believed: and this word Paul and Silas spake to the jailer, and opened and explained it to him for his comfort, and for the encouragement of his faith in Christ:
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Some may say, but they told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ Acts 16:31 Yes but that's obeyed in the sphere of Grace, to do that is given by Grace, hence its by grace he would believe Acts 18:27, its not of oneself.

Phil 1:29

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;
The word given is made up of the word charis grace !

Also the phrase "it is given" denotes a completed act Matt 13:11

He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

So our believing excludes boasting !
 
A mans natural faith is of himself, so it cant be the Faith of Eph 2:8-9

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

If it is of yourself then you have cause to boast Vs 9

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

So once you insist that Faith in the Salvific process in Vs 8 is your own faith from yourself, you forfeited the contrast of Grace vs Works and can boast.
 
Man making a freewill decision to so call accept Christ, resulting in his or her salvation, thats works, however God choosing a man or woman who has been chosen by God, resulting in their Salvation is Grace. Rom 11:5-6

5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then it is no more grace: otherwise work is no more work. 28
 
Faith or believing becomes our work for Salvation when and if we say Faith is the cause and not the result of our Salvation or Election to Salvation.

Faith or believing becomes our work when we say they are required of us for our election or Salvation

Faith or believing becomes our work when we say God has foresaw in us our faith /believing and saved or elected us to salvation on that premise. 29
 

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