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"How is it that believing in the heart brings a man into Righteousness? Why does God require belief?"

With all due respect, the premise of the Gospel is that we are unable to provide even "belief". If God "requires" it, and by this you mean "we must provide this result", then we have crafted yet another "work" that would demand the wages paid (Rom. 4). The concept of grace is "unmerited favor poured upon undeserving men/women" and thus is entirely the work of God. And, if, "...it does not depend on the man who chooses or the man who works, but upon God who has mercy...and He will have mercy upon whom he chooses and He will harden whom He chooses." then all of this, even believing, is His operation in us not Synergism.

True Dutchboy, Even faith is the gift of God, but God does require what he provides...”Without faith it is impossible to please Him for he that comes to God must believe that He is and he is the rewarder of those who seek Him...

"How is it that believing in the heart brings a man into Righteousness? Why does God require belief?"

Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

John 6:28-29
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

1 John 3:21-23
Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him

Ananias said to Paul: "And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on his name."

And what was Paul's reply? "What?! No, calling on the name of the Lord is a work! And so is baptism! What's wrong with you, Ananias? You have crafted yet more 'works' that would demand wages!"

No, of course he didn't say that. Because Paul understood that the only "works" that can demand the "wages" of justification are works that make one guiltless, works that obviate the need for forgiveness, works that don't need mercy because no guilt can be found. In other words, the only works that can demand wages are perfect law-keeping. The one who has never sinned has no need of grace.

Everyone else does, however, and must meet God's conditions for receiving such grace. Are His requirements "works"? Well yes. Do they "earn" salvation? Well no.

So you see, there's "works"...and then there's "works". :-)