---You admit believing is a work, it is a work a work that must be done BEFORE one can be saved.
Faith is not just another work in a series of works in a quest to receive salvation by works. Why do you think that Paul made a "distinction" between saved through FAITH and NOT WORKS if faith is just another work like all other works? By choosing to place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, we are completely trusting in "Another's work," (Christ's finished work of redemption to save us). Jesus Christ gets 100% credit for our salvation. Through faith, Christ is still the object of our belief/trust/reliance in receiving salvation. Good works which follow "after" we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation neither "attain" our salvation or "maintain" it. Christ's finished work of redemption is all sufficient to save us. No supplements needed. If our works attained or maintained our salvation, then that would add merit on our part to receiving salvation because then we would be saved based on the merit's of Christ's finished work of redemption "plus our works."
---the work of believing INCLUDES the works or repentance, confession and baptism for Christ does not contradict Himself.
You just turned "work of believing" into works. Jesus said this is the "work" of God, not these are the works of God that you must accomplish after you believe in Him. Repentance actually "precedes" believes in Him and it already took place in the process of changing our mind and choosing to believe in Him, so it's included in that sense, because it already happened when we choose to believe in Him. The word of faith is in our mouth and in our heart "TOGETHER" (Romans 10:8) so it's already included in that sense because confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead are not two separate steps to salvation but are chronologically together. Water baptism
FOLLOWS repentance unto life/believes in Him/confession made unto salvation (Acts 10:43-47; 11:17,18; Romans 10:8-10) so it is not included in believes in Him. Believers believe in Him PRIOR TO BEING WATER BAPTIZED.
He did NOT say, "this is the work of God, that you believe only" for He would be contradicting Himself if He had said such for having said repentance saves confession saves baptism saves and NEVER said belief only saves.
Jesus would be contradicting Himself if he "added a list of works" to this is the "work of God" that you
believe in HIM. So it's
believe/trust/rely ONLY in Him for salvation and NOT IN WORKS, like you do. Repentance already took place when believers chose to believe in Him so it's not belief only "in that sense." The word of faith is in our mouth and in our heart
TOGETHER so it's not belief only "in that sense" either. So Jesus did not contradict Himself. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved" is general cases without making the qualification for the unusual case of someone who believes but is not baptized. Jesus made it crystal clear that "whoever believes in Him" will be saved in John 3:15,16,18; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,25 and clarified the first clause in Mark 16:16 with
"but he who does not believe will be condemned." To say that one is not saved until after water baptism is to contradict not only these verses in John but also Acts 10:43-47; 13:39; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31; Romans 10:9,10 plus many more.