So let me understand what you are suggesting here. You are saying that sinners can provide righteous acts to merit salvation from God? I hope you understand that Justification & Sanctification are distinct form each other. To place any works of the sinner in the Justification category, turns it into a legalistic salvation not based on Mercy or Grace, but on demands of the Law.
So if you don't do good works as a part of the salvation process, that can only lead one to conclude that one can do evil works as a part of the salvation process.
There are only two options that you are faced with.
We are saved by:
#1. God's grace + good works (or):
#2. God's grace + evil works.
You cannot avoid the works issue, unless you are the thief on the cross, and or you were presented the gospel while you were on your death bed.
You said:
Justified by Faith
Galatians 2:
15We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners;
16yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have
believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because
by works of the law no one will be justified.
Question: Do you believe David was saved while he was committing his sins of adultery and murder?
As for being justified by faith:
Well, I believe we are initially and ultimately justified by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ and not by the works of the Law alone.
When Paul says the "works of the Law" he is talking about the Old Testament Law of Moses and not all law. This is evident by the fact if you were to read Galatians 2:3, Galatians 5:2, and Romans 3:1.
Paul is concerned with those who are trying to be justified by the Old Law without God's grace.
You said:
Now understand we are talking about how a sinner is justified before a Holy God! What hangs over every sinner is the curse of the Law. So before anything else, this curse needs to be taken care of. But there is a major problem. No flesh will be justified through the law. Why is Paul preaching this? To drive sinners away from their own filthy rags of righteousness; or what they think are righteous works! To Christ who saves the ungodly (Romans 4:5). God does not Justify the Righteous, not the ungodly!!!! Think about that before you reply. Why does God justify the one who does NOT WORK, but the one who believes in God who justifies the ungodly! Why?
Jesus is the great physician. He came to heal those who were sick. The sickness or disease is sin. So if Jesus is not curing men of their sin, then he is not being a very good doctor. Jesus says he comes to call sinners to repentance.
Repentance is seeking forgiveness with the Lord (Which is then followed by the fruits of repentance, i.e. forsaking sin).
Romans 13:14 says,
"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to
fulfil the lusts
thereof."
Galatians 5:24 says,
"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts."
Jesus says if you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).
Paul says if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed (1 Corinthians 16:22).
As for Romans 4:5:
When Paul says "to him that worketh not," he is referencing the believer who first comes to Jesus Christ so as to be justified by faith by seeking His forgiveness and believing in His death and resurrection vs. those who wanted to wrongfully be circumcised in order to be right with God (under the New Covenant). For Romans 3:1 says, "What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit
is there of circumcision?"
Paul is talking in context to those who want to be circumcised to be right with God.
When Paul says, "...believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." He again is talking about coming to Jesus for salvation for the first time and or how one is ultimately saved. Paul is not saying that the Lord justifies those who continue to live ungodly. Paul is talking about how he justifies a person who used to be an ungodly sinner.
Ephesians 2:2-3 says,
2 "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
1 Peter 1:14 says,
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:"
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says,
9 "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you..."
2 Peter 2:5-6 says,
5 "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth
person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned
them with an overthrow, making
them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;"