if salvation is by “faith” only, what is “faith”? Most people equate faith with “belief”. But then “belief” itself is a work:
John 6:29 — Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
It says it is THE WORK OF GOD, not the work of MAN.
Act 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
God imputed righteousness to the Phillipian jailer and Corenlius, not because the anything but because they believed him.
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
****
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
God imputed righteousness to Abraham because he believed what God said, not because he (Abraham) did anything.
Ephesians 2:10 -- For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The problem I have noticed is that many have mistaken "belief" for "faith", and then created an artificial divide between faith and works that is not Scriptural.
My thoughts are that this erroneous position is the result of the desire for a complete separation from the positions of the RCC, a reaction by its originators' desire to run as far from the RCC as possible. I believe they ran too far, and threw the baby out with the bath water.