First of all I did not accuss you of bashing me, so your opening sentence is ludicrous and a bit off topic.
So lets address "righteousness". Righteousness has nothing to do with obedience to the Law. Righteousness is imputed by God. How does God imput righteousness? That can be answered in one word "obedience". Abraham was righteous because he believed God. So if God labels a human action a sin and we choose to ignore His definition can we be righteous in His view?
You are standing on one word "believe" so since you like Unger's what does he have to say about "believe"?
BELIEVE
BELIEVE. "To remain steadfast" (Heb. 'aman, Gen 15:6; Ex 4:1; Num 14:11; etc.). "To be persuaded" of God's revealed truth (Grk. peithomai, Acts 17:4; 27:11; 28:24). "To adhere to, rely on" God's promises (Grk. pisteuo, Matt 8:13; Mark 5:36; John 3:16; etc.). Although belief as mere credence or confidence is exceedingly common and often the result of ignorance or deception and not grounded in facts of knowledge or truth, yet in a scriptural sense faith in its larger usage represents four principal ideas. The first is personal confidence in God; second, a creedal or doctrinal concept of the essential body of revealed truth (Luke 18:8; 1 Cor 16:13; 2 Cor 13:5; Col 1:23; 2:7; Titus 1:13; Jude 3); third, faithfulness as an evidence or fruit of the believer's trust in God (Gal 5:22-23); fourth, a designation for Christ as the object of faith (3:23-25). As personal confidence in God, it is of immense importance to clearly distinguish three features of faith:
Saving faith is inward confidence in God's promises and provisions in Christ for the salvation of sinners. It leads one to trust solely in the Person and work of the Savior Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 5:24; Eph 2:8-10). Such faith gives the believer an unchangeable and unforfeitable position described in innumerable passages as being "in Christ" (Rom 8:1; Eph 1:3; etc.).
Sanctifying faith comprehends knowledge of and trust in our position "in Christ" (Rom 6:1-10), so that one has experiential possession of Christ (Rom 6:11). Compare Eph 1-3, setting forth the believer's position, with Eph 4-6, his experience of that position. Sanctifying or sustaining faith appropriates the power of God for conforming one's position in Christ to one's enjoyment of the blessings of that position, but in no sense is it to be confused with saving faith, which results in that position. All believers have a position of sanctification (cf. 1 Cor 1:2 with 3:1-3; 5:5), are "saints," and by faith are to realize that position in practice in living a saintly life (Eph 4:1; Col 3:1-4). All believers who have exercised "saving faith" in Christ are what they are "in Him," whether or not they ever realize it. The difference is that when they realize it and in faith act upon it, they begin to enjoy the benefits of it in daily living.
Serving faith, acts upon the truth of divinely bestowed spiritual gifts and maintains confidence in all the details of divine enablement and appointments for service. "The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God" (Rom 14:22). This faith is accordingly a personal, individual matter. See also Faith.
M.F.U.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: N. Turner, Christian Words (1980), pp. 153-58.
(from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)