Amen.
God in HIS great mercy and grace saves a sinner like me who comes to Him in faith.
Yes, you can state it that way because you know what faith requires of you. But there is a good reason why it was stated the way it was in the actual verse you are addressing.
What grace does is this, Romans 4:16 "For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all."
Being by grace does not take all works away as though not required, but the grace takes that wall of separation down which formerly existed by the Covenant of that Old Law. And it is only such works which were done by a man's own estimation of how well he was keeping them, which grace replaces.
It in no way replaces the necessity of our having works after the model Christ patterned for us to follow his footsteps closely.
The man on the cross beside Jesus performed one work of faith when he was promised by Jesus that he would be with him in paradise. But PS, paradise is only where Adam was. It is not the gift of immortality upon one who has put on incorruptibly by having so made the spirit of the mind of Christ the spirit of his mind.
That man will be under the kingdom rule in the thousand year reign of Christ's kingdom. That is why Jesus did not tell him he would be with him in the kingdom of God. For until the thousand years are ended and this earth totally cleansed, this earth will not be yet in the kingdom of heaven. And earth is where that paradise will be until that time that the whole earth is restored to God's kingdom.
Paul saying he was caught up to paradise is because Paul was not yet holy to enter into God's kingdom. And this was no doubt a vision wherewith he was totally consumed.
The following is on earth even as that tree of life was there on this earth with Adam, Revelation 2:7 "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."
Adam clearly had not yet been given to eat of that tree of life else Genesis 3:22 makes no sense. God would have had to see that Adam was incorruptible before God would bless Adam to eat of that tree of life. And it is impossible for those who have achieved incorruptibility to sin. That is why God only blesses those that have achieved that incorruptible state with immortality.
1 Corinthians 9:25 "And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."
Adam was given dominion the same as God's elect are now being given dominion so that they can replace Adam. And they must achieve that incorruptible crown of righteousness which guarantees they can never fall to sin.
Adam quite clearly never achieved that and he was in Paradise here on earth. That is where the man who died alongside Jesus will also be, here on earth and going through the completion to holiness along with that great multitude that come out of the great tribulation, where also most of the faithful dead before Christ will be resurrected to.