Wrong.
Abraham and Paul predate the Reformation by a year or two
(2Tim 1:9; Tit 3:5; Ro 4:2-3).
Lets look at them. II Tim 1:9 is addressing the salvation that Christ gave to the world. He is the one that did the works because we could not do them to save ourselves from death and sin. Christ saved us, the Gift of salvation, so that He could call us to be united with Him, in holiness, blameless. So, this is not even addressing the salvation of our souls or our individual salvation which is by and through faith.
Titus 3:5. Again the first part is all about what Christ did through His Incarnation and resurrection. Two additional gifts He gives is baptism and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Again, nothing about faith which is the prerequiste for baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit.
Rom 4:2-3 this is explaining how Abraham was justified by faith, which we are as well. Where is faith ONLY in any of these texts regarding how we are saved. The closest is Rom 4:2-3 but that is only justification. We are not saved finitely just because we are justified. It is however, when we take possession of our salvation, but now begins the journey of salvation, the working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Salvation is all in the living of it, not faith only.
Under the new covenant, righteousness/justification is by faith alone, no good deeds involved
as they were in the old covenant ("As for me," Ge 17:4; "As for you," Ge 17:9).
In the new covenant, righteousness/justification is a free gift (Ro 5:17, 19, 3:24).
They were not even required in the Old Covenant. You just used the example of Abraham being justified by faith. He was NOT justified by works either.
Everything Christ does for us and gave to us is a Gift. Man cannot generate things on his own. But our obligation is to use those gifts. Being given the gift of faith, we must use it. We cannot bury that gift as the parable of the talents shows. We need to increase our faith, which we do by good works. Without the works, meaning we bury our faith, we will be cast into ourter darkness. Does not sound like salvation to me.
Unilateral, by faith alone, no good deeds involved on the part of the recipient are found in:
Heb 8:10, 12, 11:7; Ro 1:17, 3:21-22, 24, 4:5, 13, 9:30-32, 10:6; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; Php 3:9.
Faith alone is not even unilateral. Unless you are going to claim that it is God's faith that justifies us. Then we have repentance. 'Faith without the forgiveness of sin is meaningless. Baptism is required in order to be placed INTO Christ. Some of your citations speak directly against your premise. Rom 1:17 such because it requires living by faith. Faith is not just a mental, philosophical concept. It is lived out. Rom 3:21-22 is justification by faith. It is not addressing the living through faith. Justification is not salvation.
Rom 4:24 is not even specifically addressing believers. It is addressing the salvation all men get by Christ reconciling the world which follows in vs 23-25.
Rom 4:5 Again is speaking about justification, not being saved by faith alone.
Rom 4:13 does not address the topic either.
Rom 9:30-32 is about justification again. It is not being saved by faith alone.
Rom 10:6, the whole context is about believing, but does not address that believing or faith alone is what saves.
Gal 2:16 Again contrasting justification of works and of faith. But justification is not salvation. It simply means to be put into a correct relationship. This is what we do by faith. However, that faith must be active, continuing, and always in the present tense. Again, faith is dead without works. You cannot be saved by faith only. An impossiblity as per scripture.
Eph 2:8-9. Again, it has two aspects to it, but it is referencing the Salvation of Christ for all men vs 5, then Paul transitions and adds believers, and adds through faith. It does not say by faith which is justification. Through is an active faith. We are saved by works through faith.
Php3:9 again speaking about justification by faith. Another word for justification is righteousness, or to be made right.
By these citations you seem to think that one is actually saved just because one is justified. This might be the result of accepting another false teaching of scripture which is Anselm's Satisfaction theory of Atonement. He view is that by being justified, one is declared not guilty, thus saved.
So what is the difference between the "law of faith" and the "law of works"?
Every time Paul uses the phrase or alludes to "works of the law" it is referencing that man cannot save himself, the salvation from the fall. This is why Christ was needed. The law could not save a man from death and sin. Christ saved mankind from death and sin so that God and man could again be reunited in an eternal union of love and communion. This is NOT a passive phenonemon, but a very active one.
Once we enter by being justified by our faith, we begin the journey of salvation of our souls. That salvation is through our relationship with Christ. There is nothing static about it, it is ever dynamic and one can leave this relationship at any time, just as freely as Adam left his relationship with God in the beginning. It is salvation through faith. It is not being saved by works, but have been saved unto works.
