On three different occasions, Abraham was declared righteous. While there is a first time declaration, God declared Abraham righteous again and again as Abraham continued to show his faith in the Lord - and each time, he was credited with righteousness. No, righteousness is not a one-time acquisition. We continually gain righteousness by our God-driven acts of love and faith.
"For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." Mat 5:20
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Mat 6:1
Exactly, none of it is our work. It is all Christ's work through us.
No, you are forgetting the Bible speaks of synergy with God. No matter how you slice it, God and men work together.
God works all things for OUR good. All He wants is us to believe in Him. It's that simple and that complex.
Faith is not merely an intellectual assent of the mind. It is a conversion of the will to do His will. It involves a change in our life, not an abstract intellectual exercise that means nothing in our lives. Thus, when people have faith, they MUST have works to go along with that. Believing involves action, a response to God on our part.
Regards
Even before Abraham knew God, God knew him and spoke directly to him-not his father or his brothers but to him. Abraham believed God and left his father. Then he believed God would raise up a nation through a son. Then Abraham was willing to sacrifice that son knowing that God would raise that son up from the dead. All these events Abraham showed himself to be righteous, but it was because God continuously revealed Himself to Abraham. Abraham grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised. It is this promise that made Abraham righteous. Abraham's works was a manifestation of the sanctifying process.
The basis of our pardon, and God's promise to us, is the work of Christ. When God reveals Himself to us, we pass from death to life. What you are saying is that the basis of our pardon is upon our works. Abraham was made righteous because God simply declared it so and He justified it based upon His sacrifice-not because Abraham was willing to sacrifice Issac.