“But isn’t believing a work? Are you saying that when belief is the work unto righteousness, righteousness is not of grace? Please explain how a work like belief can be unto righteousness when righteousness “is either all of works or all of grace but not both.”
Your argument is not with .45, it is with the Bible:
Romans 4:3 - What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
James 2:23 - And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend.
Genesis 15:6 - Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
The Bible is abundantly clear that belief/faith and works are two different things.
Romans 4:5 - However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.
John 3:3-8 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:14-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
Faith is not a work and righteousness is wholly a matter of grace. The modern gospel puts everything backwards. To put it simply: Christians aren’t born again because they believe, they believe because they’ve been born again.
Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone, and not of works, lest anyone should boast. (see Ephesians 2:8-9)
I found a good article that goes into more depth than I did in my comment.
You Asked: Why Is Faith Not a Work?
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/you-asked-why-is-faith-not-a-work/?comments#comments
As J. I. Packer once said, “the saving power of the cross does not depend on faith being added to it; its saving power is such that faith flows from it.”